Trending
Pennsylvania State University plans to announce succession plans in coming months for the seven branch campuses slated for closing in 2027.
"We want these communities to be strong," Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said Wednesday at a House Appropriations Committee budget hearing.
"We are doing our very best to work with communities to keep them successful," she said.
Penn State created a three-member team with two executives and a board member to engage in discussions with community groups about new occupants for the seven campuses.
At stake is the future of two-year campuses at DuBois, Fayette, Mount Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York.
Penn State's trustee board voted to close the seven campuses last May citing declining enrollment, costs and limited potential for growth. The campuses will close at the end of the spring 2027 semester.
Reps. Charity Grimm Krupa, R-Fayette, and Chad Reichard, R-Franklin, pointed out Penn State seeks more state aid in Fiscal Year 2026-27 as it's closing branch campuses.
Reichard asked Benapundi to commit that Penn State won't abandon the campuses and keep up maintenance after the closing date in June 2027.
"Yes," she said.
Krupa criticized Penn State for a lack of transparency about the closings.
She asked about the future of a nursing program at Fayette. Benapundi said she couldn't speak to specific programs.
The state Board of Higher Education addresses the impact of campus closings in its new strategic plan for postsecondary education.
The plan calls for ensuring closings and mergers happen in transparent and predictable ways.
It suggests creating advisory groups to tackle such subjects as future access to postsecondary education in the surrounding region, "teach out" plans to ensure affected students can complete their education and guidelines for analysis of the impact of closings on affected communities.