Messiah College Philadelphia Campus Undergoes Changes
Discussions Ensue in Regards to Sale of Townhouse
Timothy Mackie
Issue date: 2/25/10 Section: News
After serving as a cornerstone of Messiah College's mission, culture, and curriculum for over 40 years, the buildings of the Messiah College Philadelphia Campus (MCPC) will likely be sold to Temple University this fall. Messiah College plans to lease one of the two North Broad Street townhouses back from Temple. Programming at MCPC will continue as usual in fall 2010 with a diminished capacity of 37-40 students.
President Kim Phipps says the college is committed to keeping MCPC, even if financial stewardship requires the downsizing of the program. She says the urban experience and focus on racial reconciliation and social justice, which hallmark the MCPC program, are crucial to Messiah College's vision.
She also acknowledges the emotional and spiritual significance of MCPC to students, many of whom describe the experience as life-changing. "In this tough economic climate, institutions are having to make challenging decisions" says Phipps. "We worked very hard to make sure we could maintain [MCPC]."
The decision to sell the Philadelphia property came as part of an ongoing review of college finances started in 2006. The goal of this review is to increase the financial sustainability of the college in order to curb tuition increases. While staff and services have been trimmed across campus, the downsizing of MCPC and the reorganization of the academic departments are the two most visible changes.
Provost Randy Basinger, who headed the financial review of MCPC, says the program represents a challenging business model that requires heavy subsidies from the college. Students attending MCPC pay a slightly discounted Messiah College tuition, much of which goes to Temple for the courses taken there by MCPC students.
Messiah College must pay to maintain its own staff of faculty (some of whom take the train from Harrisburg to Philadelphia once a week), residence life, maintenance, and other support staff in Philadelphia. While much of this money comes from student fees, the difference must come out of the school's general operating budget.
President Kim Phipps says the college is committed to keeping MCPC, even if financial stewardship requires the downsizing of the program. She says the urban experience and focus on racial reconciliation and social justice, which hallmark the MCPC program, are crucial to Messiah College's vision.
She also acknowledges the emotional and spiritual significance of MCPC to students, many of whom describe the experience as life-changing. "In this tough economic climate, institutions are having to make challenging decisions" says Phipps. "We worked very hard to make sure we could maintain [MCPC]."
The decision to sell the Philadelphia property came as part of an ongoing review of college finances started in 2006. The goal of this review is to increase the financial sustainability of the college in order to curb tuition increases. While staff and services have been trimmed across campus, the downsizing of MCPC and the reorganization of the academic departments are the two most visible changes.
Provost Randy Basinger, who headed the financial review of MCPC, says the program represents a challenging business model that requires heavy subsidies from the college. Students attending MCPC pay a slightly discounted Messiah College tuition, much of which goes to Temple for the courses taken there by MCPC students.
Messiah College must pay to maintain its own staff of faculty (some of whom take the train from Harrisburg to Philadelphia once a week), residence life, maintenance, and other support staff in Philadelphia. While much of this money comes from student fees, the difference must come out of the school's general operating budget.
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