Dive Brief:

• The foundation of a Pennsylvania state university has hired a firm to lobby in favor of a bill that would allow the school to leave the state system.
• The move pits the school, West Chester University, against the leaders of the State System of Higher Education, who say the proposed legislation would drive up tuition and hurt the both the universities that depart and those left behind.
• West Chester is the state system’s largest university, with 15,845 students, and one of only two schools out of the 14 in the system with rising enrollment.

Dive Insight:

Et tu, West Chester? The Pennsylvania state legislation that West Chester wants passed would allow any school in the state system with an enrollment of at least 7,000 to secede by buying its property from the state. The goal of the legislation would be to allow the successful schools to grow without having to prop up the financially weak universities with declining enrollments in the 112,000-student system. Bravo Group, the lobbying and public relations firm hired by West Chester, says it has been talking to other universities that support the bill, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It has started a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, along with the slogan: Stronger Pennsylvania Public Universities. The state system’s chancellor and lawmakers are questioning West Chester’s use of foundation funds on the lobbying effort.