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Cleveland State link is an idea in state talks
By Katie Byard Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Sep 22, 2007
University of Akron President Luis Proenza said Friday that talk of combining his school and Cleveland State University has been around a long time.
In an e-mail to the UA campus community, Proenza wrote that ''the idea described'' in an article in Friday's Plain Dealer ''is merely one of those ideas'' being presented as ''bold proposals that would strengthen higher education in our region.''
Those proposals are being generated by members of the Northeast Ohio Universities Collaboration and Innovation Study Commission.
The Cleveland newspaper reported that people ''familiar with the discussions'' say a combination of CSU and UA ''has a real chance of happening.'' The article said the combination would eliminate overlapping jobs and programs.
Proenza said in an interview Friday that such an idea is nothing new. The late Richard Shatten, who led the former Regional Economic Institute in Northeast Ohio, had floated a similar proposal. ''For someone like Richard Shatten to say that 10 years ago, was that a real comment? Yes. Did anything happen? No,'' Proenza said.
The recent talk about combining universities apparently has grown out of discussions revolving around the creation of a master plan for Ohio's higher education system.
Gov. Ted Strickland and new Ohio higher education Chancellor Eric Fingerhut want more collaboration among the state's 13 public universities. They want to eliminate duplication and focus on strengths to benefit students, the institutions and the state.
Fingerhut is developing a 10-year strategic plan that sets specific goals for the state's institutions of higher learning. He is expected to make a report by the end of March.
At the same time, the study commission has been meeting to develop ideas to improve higher education. Proenza is a member.
Proenza said in an interview that UA officials are ''very interested in the work of the commission and the chancellor. . . . He recognizes that Northeast Ohio deserves and needs a major, world-class public research university.''
Asked whether combining Northeast Ohio universities is a way to create that premier institution, Proenza said: ''That's one way to get there, but there would be many different ways.''
In an interview Friday, Fingerhut resisted using the word ''merger,'' saying, ''I would think we should not at this point, lock, (or) frame our conversation around a single word.
''People hear the word 'merger' in different ways,'' he said.
Fingerhut talked about ''different ways of reorganizing ourselves.''
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
University of Akron President Luis Proenza said Friday that talk of combining his school and Cleveland State University has been around a long time.
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