Insights[]
Drexel to fund its own governor's school[]
- March 04, 2009, by Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The state has stopped using state money for the Governor's Schools of Excellence, but Drexel University, which hosted the information sciences program, plans to offer a similar program under its own banner this summer.
David Fenske, dean of Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology, known as the iSchool, yesterday said the university is planning to continue the program as the Drexel University Computing Academy, cosponsored by his college and the computer science department of the College of Engineering.
"It really is essential to the economic development of the state," he said.
Dr. Fenske said Drexel will market the program as a tuition program. The tuition rate is to be announced in the coming weeks. If the program gets at least 35 students by around May 1, 2009, the program will be a go. Usually, the summer program has about 55 students and about 150 applicants.
In his budget proposal on Feb. 5, 2009, Gov. Ed Rendell eliminated $3.2 million in funding for the eight highly competitive programs that attract some of the most talented high school students in the state for a five-week session. Each was hosted on a college campus and focused on a particular specialty.
Last week, state officials met with leaders of the governor's schools to talk about whether alternative programs could be developed without state help for this summer.
State Education Department spokesman Michael Race said some schools are interested in trying to continue the programs although they "wouldn't technically be governor's schools."
He said the schools were asked to make proposals to the state by mid-March, 2009.
It also is possible, but not certain, that Lehigh University will offer a program in global entrepreneurship.
"We are considering it, but at this point we don't have any approvals on anything yet from the state on whether we can move forward," said Trisha Alexy, program director of the Governor's School for Global Entrepreneurship.
The University of Pittsburgh has hosted two governor's schools, health care and international studies. Pitt spokeswoman Linda Schmitmeyer, said, "At the moment, Pitt has no such plans to keep them open."
Carnegie Mellon University spokesman Ken Walters said the university will not offer an alternative program to the Governor's School for the Sciences.
"We understand the difficult economic times facing the state, and are hopeful that state funding will be restored next year for this excellent program, which has been vital to students in both their educational and career development," Mr. Walters said.
Mercyhurst College will not offer the arts program although it is considering developing some arts camps -- but not a governor's school -- with its own staff.
Officials from the agricultural sciences program at Penn State University and teaching program at Millersville University of Pennsylvania could not be reached.
Douglas Woods, program director of the Governor's School for the Arts, said all of the programs were told by state officials not to spend any more state money.
"I'm heartbroken," said Mr. Woods, who has been involved in the program for 26 years. "So many districts just can't give kids this kind of opportunity anymore. The arts programs in general are shrinking in this country."
He said the governor's school "brought kids together in a community that allows them to be with lots of other kids just like they are" and helped them to expand their horizons.
Mr. Woods said the program costs about $4,000 per student, and the program did not want to be in the position of fundraising or charging tuition, which many of its students couldn't afford.
Hester Kamin, director of education at the Hawaii Theatre and an alumna of the Governor's School for the Arts in 1992, said, "I am devastated. The governor's school was the most important experience of my life. It is the model I and the other alumni have tried to use for everything we do in our work."
Ms. Kamin was among those trying to save the programs. Supporters gathered 11,000 signatures on a petition, and about 4,500 joined a Facebook group called "Save the Govies!"