State U. campus proposed for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Big 5 could soon become the Big 6 if plans for a new state university in the city come to pass.

A new state university option within Philadelphia may encourage students to attend college within their home city. A part of Mayor Michael Nutter’s emphasis on reforming the city’s education system, this new state university may therefore increase college attendance rates among its residents.

While Philadelphia is home to many universities, this new school would be more affordable than the current private options.

Like Penn, nearby schools such as Drexel University, La Salle University and St. Joseph’s University are all private institutions that do not receive government funding, and Temple University only receives partial government funding.

By introducing a fully-public option, tuition would be significantly reduced to in-state residents — hopefully encouraging Philadelphia high school students to take advantage of this more affordable option.

Another concern the public option would help address is proximity. It would allow Philadelphia students to save on rent by living at home, since other state options are too far for feasible commuting.

Besides the advantages this new state-university option could provide, it remains unclear how it would affect neighboring institutions such as Penn.

“Anything that is going to benefit students will benefit Philadelphia and will benefit Penn,” said Dean of Admissions Eric Furda.

In addition to his comment that the proposed state university could benefit Philadelphia, Furda also looks forward to a possible partnership.

If the new university comes to Philadelphia, Furda is not primarily concerned with losing applicants since he believes the benefits Philadelphia residents will receive from it are far more significant.

Furda applauds the mayor’s response to what he calls the “crisis in education” that exists in Philadelphia.

Aside from providing local students with a more affordable option for college, a local state university could also help make nearby colleges more aware of the potential of city’s high school students.

“They’re going to have to step up their recruiting process,” St. Joseph’s history professor and political analyst Randall Miller said about the changes other Philadelphia universities will have to make.

Miller believes a closer look at recruitment will benefit Philadelphia’s students, not just because of a state option’s cost benefits but also because schools like Penn, Drexel and Temple will need to increase recruiting in Philadelphia in order to maintain diversity.

Despite what Miller calls Penn’s “elite status,” he believes that Penn could work with the proposal so as not to fall “out of step” with the community.

Miller thinks this idea would benefit Philadelphia in “continuing education among non-traditional students and opening up new avenues.”

Temple declined to comment on the plan since its administration has not seen the proposal.

Though Philadelphia education officials have offered their support the plans are still tentative.

Beacause the plan for the new university hasn’t been confirmed, Mayor Nutter’s office of education declined to comment.

Details are still being discussed and an official proposal has not been released.

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