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Boxing News: Canelo to fight Jermell, not Jermall » July 28, 2023 – Fight News
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez announced on social media that he will fight undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo on September 30 in Las Vegas. Canelo was previously believed to be fighting WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo, who hasn’t fought in 24 months, but with Jermall still unable to fight, Jermell got the call to move up two weight divisions. He was previously slated to fight WBO interim beltholder Tim Tszyu in September.
Will it be at a catch weight?
Nope, the article says, Jermell will be moving up two (2) weight divisions. In other words, they will be fighting at the Super-Middleweight pound limit.
I think Alvarez will have the edge in this one. Alvarez the fresher of both fighters. Alvarez will stalk Jermell down most of the fight and rack up points landing counters. Alvarez UD.
Idk about being fresher since Canelo recently had a fight in May while Charlo’s last fight was back in May ln 2022 1-year ago. Charlo should be the fresher fighter, but That is Canelo always staying active with 2 to 3 fights a year. He’s always fight ready.
Did you consider the weight advantage in Canelo favor, plus rehydration.
If two fighters were equally match, the fighter fighting at his weight has an unfair advantage
If jermall was going to be easy jermell will be easier
I prefer canelo vs Andrade
i don’t know about that…. Andrade won’t fight, he runs, we wanna see knockdowns and lots of blood.
That’s a joke. Andrade is a trash fighter always fighting scrubs. He will get knocked out in 5.
It’s funny you should mention that because guess next if he makes past Charlo. Canelo has a 3 fight deal with PBC and the list goes like this: Charlo, Andre, David B.
Yes, and PBC wants to make a lot of money with Canelo. Better business move to have Canelo face and beat a Charlo first, then match against Benevidez so that fight is a bigger money maker. If Canelo loses to Benevidez, the third fight is still there for Spence, Jr., even if he loses to Crawford, or he could rematch Benevidez if the way the fight goes merits it.
So Charlo hasn’t been able to face Tim, but now he sees a huge payday its time to fight? Seems like Tim potentially got screwed. Hopefully the winner will be forced to face Tim so he is not completely screwed over. Its good that Tim didn’t put his career on hold waiting for Charlo.
My thoughts exactly.
Doubt it, derrick. This charlo is moving up two weight classes to fight canyellow. No way, tim moves up that high.
Tim doesnt come across as being afraid of a challenge. If Charlo does well and loses I could imagine Tim saying he could do better. Plus we are talking about 14 pounds and considering Jermell has been out of the ring for so long Im guessing he will still have to cut weight to face Canelo at this point.
If Canelo wins and he fight at 168 lbs, how will Tim fight him? Giving all the advantages to Canelo
I would assume Tim could face Canelo the same way Jermell is. This is not a huge jump in weight and I think Tim is proving to have real skills. Most likely Tim wont worry about it since there are so many fights in and closer to his weight, I just mentioned it would be nice if Tim was offered the same options as the guy whos stung him on for so long just to run off.
Yes, he could, but there is a big difference. Charlo doesn’t have a 0 to fight for, and Tim does.
I disagree that the weight difference is nothing. 14 lbs + rehydrating is a big difference. 2 divisions over
This just proves that Charlo is soft like Twinkie filling. He wants no smoke from the Aussie kid.
Well, if CANELO beats JERMELL, most likely, TSZYU will challenge CANELO, but he would have to go up two (2) weight divisions. The fight against Jermell Charlo would no longer be interesting.
I hope Tim doesn’t play any part of it, in the event Canelo wins
I wanted Charlo vs Tszyu because I believe Tszyu can win. He’s ducked Tim now he got his big payday with Canelo and will get knocked out and sent back to the Welterweights to loose his titles to Tszyu. Tim will be his mandatory.
It’s called maximum reward for minimum risk. Charlo has nothing to lose against Alvarez, but everything to lose against Tzsyu. In other words, he’s running from Tim.
If Canelo wins he definitely isn’t moving down to 154 to face Tyszu. Tyszu will get a shot a 154 belts.
The WBO is expected to elevate the undefeated Tszyu from interim to full world champion.
I hope so, ge deserves it, and Tim doesn’t have to be part of Canelo games
At the very least there is the intrigue of two undisputed champs facing each other. As long as he doesn’t forsake his roadwork every morning, I see Canelo winning this one.
W 14lbs/ 2 div + rehydration advantages to Canecheat
Boxing run by corrupt American men in suits you don’t see. The same criminals that protected Floyd’s undefeated record are the same corrupt Americans who padded Deontay Wilder’s career. Today we discover a deal done behind an international fighter who’s done everything asked of him (Tim Tszyu) by the powers that be only to find out he’s been hoodwinked. America is a corrupt country politically and clearly it’s sporting bodies are no different.
Not only that, but America isn’t even a real country. It’s officially a S-corporation.
OK, lets say you are correct…. why do you bother with the sport then? (including commenting on here, watching, e tc) go watch badmington.
Because fanboys like you who just got into boxing ( The Floydy) are satisfied with more business and less boxing and don’t like the sport enough to call it out. Weak fans weak sport. Fanboys are the cancer to boxing that is responsible for the Jake Paul’s, the Bud v Spence delay and Floyd’s ducking and dodging. True fan’s call out BS. Fanboys whack off to weigh ins press conferences and garbage fights.
You mean boxing is corrupt as a whole right? Every country has had obvious home town cooking throughout the history of the sport and there is no such thing as a commission to fairly represent the fighters worldwide. As far as the politics go, yep, corrupt as can be. My favorite line to sum up our political needs is that DC needs an enema.
Canelo can’t even speak American last time i checked that lad is Mexican…. Yep Charlo was playing games with Tim 100% . He gets 5m for losing to Canelo- it’s an absolute forgone conclusion and goes back down and will get the same money he was always getting to fight Tim.
Well, this seems out of the blue. Wonder if this will be a one time thing for Jermell, or is he done with 154? Also, Jermall has been off for 24 months and he’s still not ready to fight, even with a huge payday on the line? Wonder what he’s going through exactly?
Charlo was terrified of Tszyu so now he moves up in weight with NO chance at all but collects his biggest paycheck. smart move.
I would have done the same…
Nothing smart but enabling Canecheat
Tai…your name calling is so original. Call him Canecheat one more time….maybe someone will finally laugh at your attempt at humor.
So it seems
3 times charlo ducks tszyu.. gotta be official that he’s scared of tszyu by now
…but business-wise, it was a smart move. The payday for fighting Canelo will be tenfold higher than against TSZYU.
He doesn’t have a realistic chance of winning, just for the Benjamins
He has to get the money fight in while he can. Fair chance he loses to Tszyu.
Tszyu surely becomes full WBO Champ now?
Not at all. CHARLO is not relinquishing his title. He is just moving two weight divisions to challenge Canelo.
Well, I think any of the can happen,
The WBO can force Charlo to fight Tim. Honestly, I don’t think so.
Charlo can pay Tim a step aside purse
In lieu of Charlo fighting Canecheat the WBO can recognize Tim as a full 154 lbs champ
He will more then likely be stripped of his belts Tim will be made WBO champion and Mendoza will be WBC champion. One of the ways to lose your belt is changing weight division and not taking on your mandatory.
This is taken from a boxing website regarding interim champions.
Occasionally, the world champion of a particular weight division is temporarily unable to defend his championship because of medical, legal, or other reasons that are beyond the champion’s control. When this case occurs, two highly ranked contenders will fight for the interim championship of the same weight division—leading to two champions existing in the same weight division simultaneously. Once the world champion is able to return, he must fight against the interim champion. The winner of this bout reunifies the weight division as sole world champion. If the world champion cannot return or moves to a different weight division, the interim champion becomes the world champion.
Garbage fight for canyellow. No way this charlo does anything to him. Let tim fight the winner of Spence and Crawford. Both those guys are moving to 154.
Tim gets wrecked by Spence or Crawford! FACTS!
Canelo is officially the biggest bitch in all of boxing. Only casuals really believed that Canelo was facing everybody while moving up and down divisions. He has always been the ultimate cherry picker and has a very tainted career. This latest fight is proof positive of that. The WBO should strip Jermell immediately and if they don’t then team Tszyu should sue. Charlo is cashing out here and I’m glad that both brothers will be out of boxing soon. Good riddance!
I see that you got a casual fan thumbs down. It’s probably one of those Rock star fans of Canelo. Everything you said is on point and factual. He should at least fight the 160lb Charlo undisputed champ. I have no respect for that kind of stuff.
Luis, it’s not my intention to barge in but remember, boxing is a business. Moving two (2) weight classes to challenge Canelo is a smart move for Jermell Charlo. Also, it is an intelligent move for Canelo since if he were to fight DMITRY BIVOL, Canelo Alvarez would lose again.
Raul, you are spot on! Boxing is a business and it’s all about money!
I am sorry, but there is no chance for Charlo. He is doing it for the Benjamin’s.
This fight has not challenge for the cheat.
I see the fight as an illusion to sell the Pacific ocean, the fans are not getting their money worth
Which proves that cinnamon only takes fights that he knows are in the bag beforehand. Thank you for making my case for me.
You’ve been programmed by corrupt American television executives to believe boxing is more a business than a sport. Ali v Foreman Frazier Liston Holmes Norton average age 27 combined losses 2 when Ali fought them. These were fights made not for business but for rankings and the fan. If you want business go read a Donald Trump book. Boxing is a sport you fanboy.
Too stupid m scared to fight legitimate contenders…gotta b blind not to see him running away m leaving a bug pile of dust.
What is the world coming to?…casuals calling others casuals SMH casual
I hope so
Does anyone wonder if the Charlo twins swap identities?
Classic Canelo selection. Always selecting the weaker fighter. He’s fighting the Charlo that is 154lbs and has stumbled a bit. Mexican fans only see Canelo as a Rock Star and don’t see what is doing because they don’t know boxing. Why doesn’t he fight the Charlo twin that is 160lbs undisputed champion?
LOL, ok, so the thousands and thousands of Mexican that follow and watch boxing every weekend don’t know about boxing but you do? you must be PR.
Lol, just what just about Nobody wants or needs to see.. it’s a shame team Canelo Won’t do better than this
Love it! Jermell Charlo daring to be great like the original man God Divinity melinated warriors; Mayweather, Jones Jr, Sugar Ray Leonard, James Toney, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Hearns, Pernell Whitaker, among others who have moved up the weight classes and won and unified titles. Let’s see if Charlo can do what Kell Brook couldn’t do when he took on GGG. Smart business move and legacy defining opportunity. PBC must be given credit for getting the fans the best fights. Interesting how many of you are given Charlo no chance. Canelo went up to 168 and unified, why can’t Charlo?
Big car just scared to fight tzyu and canelo no better fighting bloke half his size
It’s sellout fans like you who ruined boxing.
This comment by DMV is why boxing has cancer. Weak fans weak sport. Fanboy.
Big boy! So true. DMV always has weak statements. Charlo is not daring to be great, he is cashing in. Canyellow is just looking for an easy win. Can’t blame him. The blame is on canyellow.
Interesting…Killa King…would you go to your job…and strive to be the best at it just for the title of being the best at your job….or do you strive to work and be great at what you do …for financial security now and in the future?
Boxing is a peice of shit now a bloke who fought for a light heavywwight title is now fighting a junior welterweight to dodge their mandatory shit sport never will i pay any attention to it again
I’ve said a few times now charlotte would vacate and not fight Tszyu….. As others have stated in this thread, at least Tszyu kept fighting and not waiting for what was an imaginary fight (like many on this forum suggested he wait and not take both the Harrison and ocampo fights!). Can’t wait to see who Tim fights. Ext, but I’m sure it’ll be a challenge.
I’d love it if after Tim gets the WBO to elevate him to full status that he gets the winner of Spence Crawford and if Charlo ever comes back, after getting knocked out by cinnamon the drug cheat, for a fight Tim tells him to f*** off.
Jarmall needs to be stripped of the title due to inactivity. If he can’t fight due to mental health or personal issues, he needs to retire.
Lol Canelo such a dirty little bitch. Making Jerrmarshmallow move up 2 weights just to get paid. It’s Always a catch weight. And nobody scared of Tyszu, it’s just there ain’t no money there unless you’re fighting down under mate…
Mandatory defence. And the way he has been talking Tszyu is an easy fight. He knows he will lose and thats why he is getting in first with the money fight as it won’t be available after he gets knocked out.
If he’s not scared of tyszu why duck him 3 times… he’s 100% scared
They just ducked who they should fight; pride and money.
Rather than fight someone who has to move up 2 divisions why not fight Benavidez?
Actually agree with that Colson…Seems as if Benavidez would be a big money fight….maybe just maybe. …The promoter put together a better…. financial package…making all including the promoters more money than a Benavidez fight could ever bring
Sounds like Canelo is looking for an easier payday. Fighting a smaller man moving up two weight divisions. That has backfired but considering Canelo has fought at 175 not likely. If I were Charlo’s camp there would be a clause as to how much they could weigh the night of the fight. As Delahoya said when Canelo fought Danny Jacobs: It’s for the safety of the fighters. Especially when it favored His fighter. Charlo’s team should get the same consideration.
All the mandatories in each organisation should get together and get a great lawyer between them and demand the Charlos be stripped of the belts ,Sue the organisations for allowing such bullshit to happen as well .
Sadly the image of boxing takes another dive.
100% spot on
Canelo should be ASHAMED of himself! Fighting a guy 2 weight categories below his, whom hasn’t fought due to injury and YET he continues to not only AVOID BENAVIDEZ, but also has the audacity to say that he hasn’t fought anyone?! Plenty of challenges between 68-75 and he opts to fight a career 54 pounder! What a disgrace!!!!!
Sad when boxing’s leading name helps convert the sport into a farce.
His 3 fight deal with PBC is as follows; Jermell Charlo, then Jermall Charlo and finally Errol Spence LOL!!! My goodness!!!!
Canyello is crap! Where’s Bivol? Where’s Benavides? WHERE’S BETERVIEV? HE WANTS TO FIGHT SMALLER BLACK FIGHTERS TO LOOK SUPERIOR, AND THAT MIGHT BACKFIRE! CANELO IS A WEIGHT BULLY, HE WANTS TO FIGHT BADOU JACK AT 20 LBS LESS THAN THE CHAMPIONSHIP WEIGHT! ALL OF THE SMALLER FIGHTERS SHOULD JUST CONSTANTLY PUNCH ALVAREZ BELOW THE WAIST! IT’S ILLEGAL, BUT IT SHOULDN’T COUNT BECAUSE CANELO HAS NO BALLS!!! HIS LEGACY IS CEMENTED IN COWARDICE!!!!
The WBA and the WBC are the MOST corrupt boxing entities w/ no credibility whatsoever. Many boxing pundits have brought up this subject on numerous occasions. They created 17 categories per boxing-sanctioning body, and if you multiply that by 5 four – (WBA, WBC, WBF, WBO, and the IBF), we end up having 85 Champions. They have created a system similar to a junk fast-food business; the more crap they sell, the more they earn…
it’s not my intention to barge in but remember, boxing is a business. Moving two (2) weight classes to challenge Canelo is a smart move for Jermell Charlo. Also, it is an intelligent move for Canelo since if he fought DMITRY BIVOL in September, Canelo Alvarez would lose again.
Amir Khan not available? A fighter 2 weight classes smaller. Andrade not available?
The real competitive opponents have been left hitchhiking with this absurd matchup:Bivol, Benavidez, Morrell, Tszyu.
History won’t forgive you Saul
heres my guess this fight will be for all the belts at a small catchweight and when Canelo KOs Charbroil all 154lb belts will be vacated leaving them all open for the net group of top contenders waiting to be 154lb champ Tszu, and the winner of the Spence vs Crawford fight will instantly get a title shot. thats just my guess
Once more Canelo fighting a fighter with a handicap.
He still refuses to fight a fighter in equal capacity.
I was hoping to see Tsyzu get his shot at the title, facing Charlo. Shame this keeps being delayed. I suppose to Charlo, Tsyzu represents great risk but not enough reward (money), whereas Canelo represents great risk, high reward (huge payday). I don’t see Tsyzu going away any time soon, and the threat he faces looms large over Jermell. Can’t keep avoiding him forever.
I’m hoping that Canelo shows Jermell what it’s all about, since he’s a far superior fighter. If Canelo is properly trained, in peak condition, and motivated, it’s going to be a devastating result for the fiery Jermell.
He just like his brother have not been fighting and have been waiting a long time for a big cash out fight.
And now its all in the PBC family.
Saul playin with everyone on social media hehe..next post will be Canelo v Adonis Creed!
On another note, The WBA and the WBC are the MOST corrupt boxing entities w/ no credibility whatsoever. Many boxing pundits have brought up this subject on numerous occasions. They created 17 categories per boxing-sanctioning body, and if you multiply that by 5 four – (WBA, WBC, WBF, WBO, and the IBF), we end up having 85 Champions. They have created a system similar to a junk fast-food business; the more crap they sell, the more they earn…
100% spot on.
Lets see if this fight even happens, I dont see it
I will keep it short:
CANELO VS. BENAVIDEZ AT 168 (IN TEXAS).
If Jermell can’t hurt Canelo, and I don’t believe he can at the higher weight, he might get steamrolled in 10.
Finally… I’m calling it, Canelo wins by knockout withing 7 Rounds. Charlo is moving up 2 divisions to fight the Super Middleweight King.
Canelo signs a 3 fight deal with the PBC to put all these fools in their place. Charlo is loosing by stoppage.
Fight a smaller guy that hasn’t fought in 2 years gee that’s COURAGE
RIP Canelo
Another funny joke by Canelo and the sanctionning bodies..
So its confirmed. Charlo is running from Tszyu. He should be stripped of all his titles.
Jermell moving up and getting the pay day is great for him.
But Canelo fighting him is a joke when he has REAL THREATS knockin on the door at 168.
Never thought he should fight the cowardly Lion at 160 either.
He should fight Morell , Benevidez, & Bivol (at 168). In any order, but that should be the line up.
no, Pernell, not Jermell..
how cool would it be if James Toney was still a prime 168 pounder..
Charlo might be able to pull this one off using mid range combos and exiting by angles. He has to gain Canelos respect early on though. However, outside of Tommy Hearns and Paul Williams, no one can just jump 2 divisions for one fight and be as effective as their home division.
Good for Jarmell. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. That should help him go in there without too much pressure.
Just one generation ago, someone in Charlo’s position would take a non title bout just to keep the blade sharp in preparation for the Canelo fight, but…you know.
Charlo is no champion and no lion he is a scared man running and ducking. I personally think they should take all 4 belts from him immediately
If anyone is being avoided at 154, it’s Charles Conwell. He literally kills a man in the ring and has had trouble getting fights since.
Jermall, Jermell!! Canelo will not only fight either brother but will defeat them.
This guy has been fighting since he was a kid and all he has ever known is fight to win because in Mexico there are many boxers, but not all have the capability to have the tools to be victorious. Canelo has those tools and one of those tools are to adapt and fight that individual on his own terms and defeat him. On September the night of the fight Canelo will either have a tko or knock out and will not only take his belts back but will also take Charlos belts as well. I say to Ronnie shields!! You train your boy as best you can but hear me out!! Make a reservation for his defeat.
Canelo: Que dios le bendiga y buena suerte. Viva Mexico!!!
Canelo always finds a way to fight someone at any weight category but his. And we keep failing for it. What a fraud.
Smart move for both parties.
Canelo is running out of places to run so he’s fighting Jermell, a guy fresh off of a hand injury (low-hanging fruit).
I feel bad for Tszyu because he’s been waiting and earned his shot the hard way. However, its called PRIZE fighting for a reason. Fighting Canelo brings a substantially larger prize than Tszyu.
Tszyu needs to attend the fight and do a face-off against the winner to ensure his time is next. His call-out needs to be firm and in front of the world.
Can Jermell hang at 168lb. ? His brother has been fighting at 160 and higher. It looks they are expecting for Jermell to lose and then Jermall can come for revenge. It’s just like the plots on those Hong Kong Kung fu movies were the sibling gets destroyed and other who has the better fightingb skills comes back for revenge. People love these movies. Al Haymon is not as stupid as we thought. Straight out of Hollowood.
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Is the Canelo Alvarez fight perfect timing for Jermell Charlo? Age … – Sporting News
Since putting on gloves at 13 years old, Canelo Alvarez has gone from red-haired rookie sensation to boxing royalty.
Born in Guadalajara, the Mexican star has won gold in four divisions and he’s the current undisputed super middleweight champion. He has beaten the best in boxing, including Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Now 33, the battle-hardened Canelo has transitioned into the “veteran” category and some feel his best years are behind him. He now seeks to prove his doubters wrong when he defends his titles against Jermell Charlo on September 30.
“I always believe that I’m number one, my whole career,” Canelo said at a media workout. “You need to believe in yourself, I still believe I’m number one. But I believe there is more than just one fighter alone at the top, there are a few. I still feel young and fresh. I never think about the end of my career. I just train and fight year after year. I still feel that I’m at my best.”
The Canelo-Charlo fight takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a familiar home for Canelo, whereas Charlo is headlining there for the first time. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will air on Showtime PPV in the U.S. and DAZN in the U.K.
MORE: The best five years in boxing history revisited
Per Sports Interaction, Canelo is the -388 favorite, while Charlo, the undisputed super welterweight champion, is the +288 underdog. Despite those odds, Charlo, also 33, sees himself as the better fighter.
“This is the biggest fight in boxing, and I’m coming to leave it all in the ring like I do every time,” Charlo said. “I manifested this fight into existence and earned it with everything I’ve done in this sport so far. Canelo is a great fighter, but he’s gonna see what Lions Only is all about. When the fight’s over, people are gonna have to recognize that I’m the best fighter in the sport.”
Charlo is not worried about the weight gain, having to move up two weight classes to take on Canelo. Sparring big men and working alongside his brother Jermall, the WBC middleweight champion, Jermell believes this is the perfect time to fight Canelo.
Does Charlo have a fair point? Could Canelo be overlooking the supposedly smaller man?
Canelo already announced his intentions on The Breakfast Club to retire around 36-37. He even teased retirement if he lost to John Ryder in May, which is a fight he would go on to win by unanimous decision. A former pound-for-pound No. 1, Canelo has tough challenges ahead of him outside of Charlo, including David Benavidez and a potential rematch against light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
Boxing great Bernard Hopkins believes Charlo is a different challenge for Canelo, who hasn’t fought below super middleweight since 2019.
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo, live on DAZN
“His style is totally different from the styles that Canelo has fought. [Charlo is] younger, more determined to prove that Canelo’s time has been great, but it’s up,” Hopkins told Fight Hype via Boxing Social. “I just believe that Canelo will have to get him out of there early. The later the fight goes, the more Canelo will start showing not only his age but he’ll start showing the success he’s been enjoying for so long is starting to look different.
“I see hard-earned, skillful moments in that fight where [Charlo], who wants to prove himself, will come out and show us something that we knew he had, but he’s never had to show it till he steps in with Canelo. Canelo elevates Charlo. I just think he has the skills, and if he maintains that mentality, it can be really a nightmare for Canelo, based on style.”
Charlo was supposed to fight Tim Tszyu for super welterweight gold before a hand injury nixed a planned bout. He wants to become undisputed at 168, return to 154, and potentially take on pound-for-pound No. 1 Terence Crawford. Regardless of his upcoming plans, Charlo’s focus is solely on beating Canelo, the man who has had beef with both brothers.
Holding more gold and honoring family is enough motivation for Charlo. Though he has proven everyone wrong over the years, the current uncertainty surrounding Canelo may be the perfect time for the Louisiana-born Charlo to face the super middleweight king.
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Pa. public colleges battle for students and funding – Inside Higher Ed
Enrollment in the state has plummeted, but it has one of the highest ratios of institutions to students in the country. The result is fierce competition over a dwindling pool of applicants.
By Liam Knox
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Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, stands in front of a downward-trending graph showing state high school graduation rates in 2019. As enrollment nosedived across the state’s public colleges, Greenstein merged campuses in his system.
Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
Pennsylvania has a numbers problem.
With nearly 250 colleges and universities, including over 40 public institutions, Pennsylvania has the fourth most higher education institutions of any state, after California, Texas and New York. It is home to four public multicampus institutions—Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)—in addition to Lincoln University, an HBCU, and a sprawling, decentralized network of community colleges. That’s not even counting the 129 private colleges.
But while there’s no shortage of suppliers, demand for higher education in the Keystone State is nowhere near what it used to be.
While the more popular campuses are stable or growing, many of the state’s public institutions have seen drastic enrollment declines since 2010. Enrollment at Penn State’s University Park campus is up 8 percent since 2010, and Pitt Oakland is up by 1 percent. But when the numbers at the two institutions are considered, including all of their campuses, both have suffered drops of over 30 percent, according to public data from the institutions. PASSHE’s systemwide enrollment has also fallen by 30 percent in the same period.
Those enrollment declines are largely thanks to steep drops at the regional comprehensive universities, which in many cases are over 50 percent. Enrollment at Penn State Hazleton, for instance, has dropped by 64 percent since 2010; at Pitt Titusville it has fallen by 96 percent, leaving only 23 students on campus in 2022.
There are a number of usual suspects behind Pennsylvania’s enrollment crisis, chief among them a general demographic decline in the state. The entire nation is facing a projected demographic cliff in 2026, but Pennsylvania is on the bleeding edge, hemorrhaging residents faster than 46 other states, according to 2022 census data.
But Andrew Koricich, executive director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, said neither explanation tells the whole story. Affordability is the crux of the state’s enrollment woes, he said, not falling birth rates.
“The demographic cliff is a convenient scapegoat sometimes,” he said. “It allows lawmakers and college leaders to say, ‘Oh, well, it’s inevitable. There’s nothing we can do.’”
In 2021 Pennsylvania ranked 49th in the country in public funding for higher education per full-time student, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association’s higher education finance report. Pennsylvania state funding is tied to enrollment and retention outcomes, which, as has been noted, are on the decline.
As a result, the state’s public institutions are also some of the most expensive in the country. The average cost of attending a state institution for a Pennsylvania resident is $26,040, nearly 70 percent more than the national average, making it the third most expensive state for public higher education, according to a recent Education Data Initiative report.
PASSHE chancellor Daniel Greenstein noted that for many Pennsylvania institutions, his own included, the demographic drop-off doesn’t account for the extent of the enrollment declines. While the state’s college-going demographics have fallen by a little over 5 percent, most colleges’ enrollment drops have been well into the double digits.
“We’re the most affordable option in Pennsylvania, but that’s not a high bar. It’s really expensive to go to public college in this state,” Greenstein said. “Price matters a lot, and differentiating based on affordability matters now more than ever. That’s something we’re trying to focus on.”
For Koricich, this is the crux of the problem that he says lawmakers aren’t seeing clearly: less state funding means less affordable college, which in turn contributes to a vicious cycle of enrollment declines and student exodus from the state. Many of those students who might otherwise have gone to regional universities and remained in the area then also resettle after graduating, compounding existing workforce shortages.
“If you keep making college unaffordable to people, why would we be surprised that they want to leave?” he said.
Greenstein echoed those concerns, though he feels that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are willing to help buoy higher education when tied to workforce outcomes. But he said time is of the essence, as neighboring states with more public funding offer similar educational benefits for a fraction of the price—like New York, which offers free tuition for students whose family income is under $125,000 a year.
“When states around us are acting in a very deliberate and aggressive way, you’re gonna find our students leaving the state to get their education, and they don’t come back,” Greenstein said. “At this point we gotta boogie, because we’re not too far off.”
Last summer, PASSHE merged six of its campuses into two multicampus institutions in a process the system called “integration,” in order to cut costs and center student success, according to Greenstein, as well as maintain the system as a driver of workforce development and social mobility in the state.
Bashar Hanna, president of Commonwealth University—which is made up of the former Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Mansfield University campuses in the rural center and north of the state—said the integration process made a big difference. Not only did it reduce inefficiencies and expenses, he said; it also helped them make the case the case for the commonwealth to students from local school districts by allowing them to combine their resources for recruitment and student success.
Last year enrollments decreased at all three campuses, but Hanna said new student deposits for the fall are up by 8 percent this year.
“Rural Pennsylvania is not thriving … we wanted to make sure that our students were going to college locally, meaning within 75 miles of home, and then the likelihood of them staying after they graduate goes up exponentially,” Hanna said. “We’re not back to pre-COVID enrollment levels, but we’re certainly much better off than we were a few years ago.”
State lawmakers rewarded those efforts by approving PASSHE’s largest budget increase ever last year, at 16 percent. That was followed by another 6 percent increase in this year’s proposed budget, which is currently stalled in the General Assembly.
Other public institutions are still floundering. Penn State has been vocally lobbying for more state support, claiming that it has been comparatively underfunded for years. In September the university requested a 48 percent appropriations increase.
Lisa Maria Powers, Penn State’s assistant vice president of media and executive communications, said the university has had the lowest per-student state funding of any in Pennsylvania for over half a century. According to a university analysis, Penn State is funded at $5,600 per resident student, compared to $8,275 for Temple and $9,049 for Pitt; the national per-student average for state funding was $9,327 in 2021, according to a SHEEO analysis.
PASSHE is also the only state-owned system in Pennsylvania, with a Board of Governors entirely appointed by the governor with approval from the Legislature. Penn State, Pitt and Temple describe themselves as “state-related” and have much more leeway to operate as independent bodies. The majority of their governing boards are elected by alumni.
Koricich said that helps explain why PASSHE has taken on the task of consolidation and fat-trimming while Penn State has left its sprawling network of campuses largely untouched, despite many of them experiencing much higher enrollment declines. But he is not a fan of PASSHE’s integration plan. It has a bevy of critics, in fact, something Koricich realizes comes with the territory of making difficult decisions. He just doesn’t think those decisions were necessary—or that they’ll lead to enrollment increases.
“Now you’ve thrown six regional publics in front of a freight train, for what?” Koricich said. “To me, the state’s willingness to just let PASSHE kind of fall on the sword is missing the fundamental problem here, which is that the flagships are just sucking up all of the oxygen.”
Greenstein said the cuts associated with integration did not affect student services or popular programs.
“We did this to serve students better,” he said. “Somehow, someway, this problem has to be addressed or Pennsylvania higher ed is going to be in a bad state.”
Robert Gregerson, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, is working to mitigate the effects of a 27 percent enrollment decline in the past decade. He said that while the Pitt system was too small for mergers to be a consideration there, he understood the path PASSHE was taking.
“The era of continual growth is in the rearview mirror,” he said. “State institutions not only in Pennsylvania but across the Midwest and Northeast are going to have to figure out what rightsizing means for them.”
Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states with no state higher education commission or governing board to oversee its public universities; each institution has a highly prized and carefully guarded autonomy.
For Koricich, that’s part of the problem.
“There is no coordinating board, there is no governing board, there is no referee to say all of these different institutions in different sectors with different finances have to play nicely together,” he said.
Penn State, Koricich said, has benefited the most from this oversight vacuum. With 20 campuses across the state, it is by far the largest higher education presence in Pennsylvania; PASSHE had 14 before its integration plan took effect—it now has 10—and Pitt has five. Koricich said that without state intervention, Penn State has been able to eat away at a dwindling pool of in-state students looking to attend a regional public institution, exacerbating the enrollment crisis for some of the state’s most hard-hit colleges and universities.
“Some of [Penn State’s campuses] are within 30 miles of PASSHE schools; some of them are right on top of community colleges. One of those places has a brand name that everyone recognizes and the others don’t,” he said. “[State lawmakers] have let this behemoth just sort of run roughshod over higher ed in the state, and they haven’t done anything to control it.”
Powers, of Penn State, pushed back on this portrayal. She said the university’s branch locations are crucial to its land-grant mission, and that they serve primarily local populations of underserved students.
“Our Commonwealth Campuses have been around a long time, some nearly 100 years; and all of Penn State’s campuses pre-date the formation of PASSHE. In addition, almost all of our campuses were in place well before the introduction of community colleges in Pennsylvania,” Powers wrote in an email to Inside Higher Ed.
Some believe the current crisis requires more coordination between the disparate independent institutions and could lead lawmakers to explore the possibility of a central oversight body. Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat elected last year, called for a rethinking of the loose structure during a budget address in March.
“What we are doing right now isn’t working,” he said. “Colleges are competing with one another for a limited dollar: they’re duplicating degree programs, they’re driving up the cost and they’re actually reducing access.”
Some, like Greenstein, prefer incentives and market-based solutions to the issue; while PASSHE is consolidating campuses, he said the move may not be right for other Pennsylvania institutions.
But Gregerson said that if there were a time to experiment with statewide coordination, it’s now.
“There have been conversations about that in the past which didn’t produce any change. But I think we might be at a point now where folks will take it more seriously,” he said. “Whether there’s the political will for that, I don’t know. But I think it could be helpful.”
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