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In His New Book, Retired Cal U President Credits Students, Parents and Alumni Donors as the “Majority Stakeholders” at the 14 PASSHE Universities

The 14 PASSHE universities in Pennsylvania include: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.

Angelo Armenti Jr., the former Villanova University Dean and 20-year President of California University (Cal U), recently announced the release of his new book, Privatization Without a Plan: A Failure of Leadership in Pennsylvania Public Higher Education.

“In the 30 years since the state colleges became state universities, the State share of funding has fallen from 63% to 25%,” Armenti said. “At the same time, the share contributed by students, parents and alumni donors has grown from 37% to 75%, making them the majority financial stakeholders.”

In Privatization Without a Plan, Armenti pinpoints fiscal year 1993—his first year as Cal U president—as the year when the State share of the PASSHE operating budgets first fell below 50%. “Whether they realize it or not, the students, parents and alumni donors have been the majority stakeholders at the PASSHE universities for the past 20 years,” Armenti said.

“Isn’t it time they were given the public recognition and thanks they deserve for the financial sacrifices they’ve made all these years to keep Pennsylvania’s public universities viable, even as the 100% political leadership of PASSHE continues to privatize the PASSHE universities without a plan?” Armenti said.

“I hope this book will inspire PASSHE students, parents and alumni donors to find their voice and be heard on all key issues, including how their $1 billion share of PASSHE’s operating budget gets spent.”

Privatization Without a Plan: A Failure of Leadership in Pennsylvania Public Higher Education is on sale now, available from Amazon.com in paperback and e-book. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=angelo%20armenti.

About Dr. Angelo Armenti

Dr. Angelo Armenti Jr. served as President of California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) from 1992 to 2012, Before that, he was a Dean at Villanova University, a professor of physics, and author of The Physics of Sports, Volume 1 (American Institute of Physics, 1992). During his career at Cal U, Armenti is credited with establishing numerous funding sources for scholarships and for campus revitalization projects, efforts that were made in part to address the problems that he describes in Privatization Without a Plan. Now retired, Armenti spends his time advocating for the preservation of public higher education in Pennsylvania and writes for his blog at http://angeloarmenti.blogspot.com/.