Radnor officials and the Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, home to about 100 students, are currently in conflict over 17 acres at the campus, writes Josh Moody for Inside Higher Ed.
Radnor’s started the process of taking the land by eminent domain. College leadership said the land isn’t for sale and houses critical parts of the college campus, including the health center, gym, and dining hall.
They feel blindsided by the township’s effort.
Meanwhile, Jack Larkin, a member of the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners, said he believed the land was available, noting that the school had previously sold other parcels and had recently received an offer from a developer.
Stephen Gavazzi, an Ohio State University professor who has written about town-college relationships, said the Radnor situation is a classic “edge and wedge issue,” flashpoints at the physical edge of a campus that can drive a wedge between the institution and its neighbor.
He called eminent domain cases “exceedingly rare.”
“Campuses and communities can get themselves out of binds if they can cooperate and collaborate with one another, even in the midst of a crisis. But it’s very difficult to do,” he said.
Read more details and perspectives about the conflict between Radnor and the Valley Forge Military College in Insider Higher Ed.
