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A pending House bill seeks to bring more public involvement to the process for closing a campus at public institutions of higher education.
A memo filed by Rep Jill Cooper, R-Allegheny, with bipartisan cosponsors gives an additional job to the state Education Secretary when deciding whether to approve a campus closing application or not.
The secretary would publish a notice about the application in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and post information on the department's website.
The public would have a 30-day comment period after that under Cooper's proposal.
The secretary would respond in writing to any objections raised with the final decision.
Also the proposal provides for a public hearing on a campus closing if the lawmaker who represents the affected community, the local host government or a "meaningful" showing of public interest asks for it.
Cooper's proposal comes more than a year after Pennsylvania State University announced plans in May 2025 to close seven Commonwealth or branch campuses at DuBois, Fayette, Mount Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
Penn State is one of four state-related universities in Pennsylvania.
Penn State is working on transition plans for the seven campuses. The application seeking the secretary's approval is pending, said Cooper.
Meanwhile, the newly created state Board of Higher Education is scheduled to meet Thursday with an item on the agenda to "vote to approve closure procedures".
Efforts to obtain information about the agenda item from the education department were unsuccessful.
The board is tasked with developing procedures for higher ed institutions to follow to ensure an "orderly closure" for a campus.
The mandate spelled out in the board's 2024 enabling law refers to having a "teach out" plan, preserving student records and giving notice to employees in a campus closing.