Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project eyes St. Cyril's property; government officials wary of supporting project

Mar. 26—DANVILLE — The board of the Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project has now set its sights on purchasing the Villa Sacred Heart, home of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, in Danville.

The board has been working for 15 years to establish a community college, asking for a tax of $15 per household from residents it plans to serve in Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties.

The most recent plans — purchasing the 62-acre St. Cyril property, along with eight large buildings listed for sale at more than $9 million — were presented Tuesday to Montour County commissioners, who responded with questions.

"Why do you need a physical property instead of working with a local tech school and using the resources you already have," Commissioner Rebecca Dressler said.

During the presentation, college project board members listed projected programs mostly in the medical field, straying from previous plans focusing on trades, a discrepancy noted by Dressler more than once.

"The last time, you said the focus was on trades," she said.

At a March 12 commissioner's meeting, Lenaire Ahlum, founder and executive director of the Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project, said the college would focus on the trades including woodworking, welding, etc.

On Tuesday, Ahlum said the board is now "significantly" looking into medical fields.

600 percent return

Susquehanna Valley Community Education Project board member Hank Baylor promised Montour County commissioners a 600 percent return on their investment in the college, though none of the three county representatives expressed outright support for the project.

The project representatives claimed local tech schools focus on high-schoolers and not adults, which is the gap they are attempting to fill.

Dressler said she communicated with Columbia Montour Vocational Technical School and was informed they provided "robust" educational opportunities for adults.

Contacted after the meeting SUN Area Technical Institute Administrative Director David Bacher said the Union County-based tech school offers customized training through an adult education program. Adults can also apply for one-year programs when high school programs are not at capacity.

Dressler also brought up Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.

"Penn College offers a lot of these programs you're proposing," the commissioner said. "While it's more expensive, there is aid and grants that are already coming from taxpayer dollars."

Len Proseda said the project board was working with local businesses to plan programming.

Dressler asked if any of these businesses had committed to backing the college financially.

"Everyone is waiting for county commissioners," Ahlum said. "You are the gatekeepers."

Despite the persistence of the project board, county and state officials continue to be wary of committing taxpayer dollars to the project or even signing letters of support.

Northumberland County Commissioner Sam Schiccatano, contacted after the meeting, said he was familiar with the group and said although he supports a community college, he is 100 percent opposed to taxing residents to fund the college.

"I have no problem with a community college as long as it doesn't cost taxpayers a penny to get one," Schiccatano said.

State Rep. Michael Stender, of Sunbury, also contacted after the meeting, said while he supports higher education, increasing taxes is not the answer.

"I will continue to support higher education in the 108th District," he said. "It's essential college students have necessary resources available that will help them in workforce development but creating another tax for our taxpayers is not the solution.

"We must find another way to support our students."

According to Ahlum, the Susquehanna Valley Community College has not received full support from any county, though she claimed there was at least one commissioner in each who supported the project.

College plans

According to the proposal shared by the board, the sale of the Villa Sacred Heart includes a 44-room mansion, the Mother House, the Basilica of Saints Cyril and Methodius, as well as other buildings.

The five-story Maria Hall would not be included in the initial sale, though the community college would have the option to purchase the building after five years, the proposal said.

The board plans to make higher education more accessible for adults in the region.

With a complete articulation agreement in place with Marywood University, students attending the college would receive Middle States Commission for Higher Education approved credit which could be transferred to other institutions in cases where students wished to pursue four-year degrees, according to the board's proposal.

Board member Carl Jensen said the community college would provide short-term training and certificate programs. Their focus would be on the trades, according to Jensen.

The college would target non-traditional students including adults ages 25 to 35 who may have children or work full-time jobs.

"To meet those needs, we'd offer hybrid, weekend or online course delivery," Jensen said.

The college would also help reduce recidivism, according to Tuesday's presenters. The board shared data claiming 95 percent of those incarcerated will be released and 67-percent of those individuals will be reincarcerated within three years. The cost to house an inmate for one year in Pennsylvania is $42,727, the presenters said.

The board compared the cost of housing an inmate to the $15 per household it asked of the county.

However, according to Montour County agreements, the total the board presented to house an inmate for a year was nearly double the total cost in local prisons.

On Tuesday, Montour County entered into an inmate board agreement with Snyder County at a rate of $65 per day or $23,725 a year. The same agreement with Union County will cost Montour$70 per day or $25,550 a year.

Tuition, costs, revenue

Anticipated tuition and fees at the Susquehanna Valley Community College are listed in their proposal as follows: $292 per credit for sponsoring county residents attending in-person, $328 per credit for sponsoring county residents online or hybrid, $399 per credit for out-of-county residents attending in-person, $415 for out-of-county residents online or hybrid and $448 for out-of-state residents.

Total tuition for students would be $21,000 which would be split into thirds with $7,000 to be paid by the student, $7,000 to be paid by the county of the student's residence and $7,000 to be paid by the state, according to the proposal.

The community college's break even analysis estimates a total first-year revenue of $4,304,000 which accounts for a total of 200 enrolled students. County funding would make up $1.4 million of the college's total revenue in the first year.

The analysis also lists one-time fixed costs including the purchase of the Villa Sacred Heart for $3 million, though the property is listed online at more than $9 million, as well as $1 million for capital expenditures, $300,000 for accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and $75,000 for an MSCHE application.

Other expenses for year one, including items like faculty salaries, maintenance costs and technology costs total $6,903,452.

Though the college would end year one with a loss of more than $2.5 million, the board said they expect to break even in year two.

The total revenue for year two, at an estimated 300 enrolled students, would be $6,771,000 with $2,205,000 coming from county funding. Year two expenses would total $2,720,859, resulting in a profit of more than $1.4 million, according to the board's analysis.

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