Students, faculty nervous for future of Penn State branch campuses

Gabrielle Green is in it for the long haul at Penn State New Kensington.

The 18-year-old from Altavista, Va., is a second-semester freshman at the Upper Burrell campus. She is studying biobehavioral health and plans to obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree at the school.

So conversations among university leadership this past week about possible changes at Penn State’s branch campuses have some in the Alle-Kiski Valley — including Green — nervous for the future of Penn State New Kensington.

“I really like it,” she said. “The smaller setting is very comfortable to me, and the professors are helpful.”

During a Penn State Faculty Senate meeting last week, Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor, shared “several strategies” that university leaders are considering to strengthen the branch campuses, said university spokesman Wyatt DuBois.

“As (DelliCarpini) said, the current commonwealth campus structure, which was created decades ago in a completely different higher education environment, is not sustainable now or into the future,” DuBois said.

But Green and other students and faculty at Penn State New Kensington see things differently.

“The branch campuses are sustainable for me because the cost is a lot cheaper, especially being out of state,” Green said. “Having the branch campuses allows me to go to Penn State, get that Penn State education and not pay a big amount. It’s helpful.”

In addition to the University Park campus in State College, Penn State has 19 commonwealth campuses that include its New Kensington branch in Upper Burrell.

Last year, Penn State offered a buyout program at the campuses, which resulted in an overall 10% reduction in personnel. Penn State also shifted and consolidated the campuses’ leadership and leaned more heavily into shared services among campuses.

At Penn State New Kensington, the impact was greater.

Last year, 40% of eligible staff there took voluntary buyouts. Popular Chancellor Kevin Snider left campus at the end of last year, part of a new leadership structure that aligns New Kensington, Fayette and the Greater Allegheny campus in McKeesport under the direction of one chancellor.

Now some wonder whether more changes, include shuttering branch campuses, are in the offing.

“They sort of skirt the question,” said Andrea Adolph, an English professor at Penn State New Kensington. “It reminds me of last year. … I think we all are a little bit nervous about what things can mean.”

Any changes Penn State would make would be aimed at enhancing student experience and would come in response to shifting demographics, finances and enrollment trends and projections, DuBois said.

“No decisions have been made about the specifics of those changes, but all options are on the table,” he said.

Long past year

Morale among faculty and staff at the Upper Burrell campus is “tough,” Adolph said.

“I think it’s been low, and now we’ve been through so much through the past year,” she said.

Last year, students and staff underwent a letter-writing campaign to university leaders and penned an open letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro advocating against proposed budget cuts to branch campuses.

“So many efforts have fallen on deaf ears,” Adolph said.

Staff and students at Penn State Fayette held an advocacy event recently, and Adolph is considering the same at New Kensington.

Julio Palma Anda, a chemistry professor at Penn State Fayette, said the faculty senate’s discussion over the future of branch campuses was a “critical conversation.”

“We needed to ensure there was an official record of the ongoing challenges facing the commonwealth campuses,” he said. “For more than a year, the commonwealth campuses have suffered due to a flawed budget model that has led to severe cuts, job losses and increased anxiety among faculty and staff because of the uncertainty.”

What stood out at the faculty senate meeting, he said, was President Neeli Bendapudi’s “inability to directly address questions.”

“Instead, she deferred to other members of her leadership team to respond,” he said. “This was deeply disappointing but not surprising. The meeting made it clear that there is a lack of confidence in the direction the administration is taking our university.”

Despite feeling the odds are against them, faculty continue to keep the faith, Adolph said.

“We try to do as much as we can for our students,” she said. “For me, that’s not changed.”

Palma Anda has a similar outlook. He said branch campuses provide a higher education to students statewide who might not otherwise have access to it.

“I sincerely hope that university leadership and the board of trustees recognize the damaging effects of their current actions and change of directions,” he said. “All Penn State campuses are interconnected, and harm to one of them ripples across the entire university. Unfortunately, I don’t have much confidence that this broader impact is being fully considered by the university leadership.”

Green said her grandfather was a Penn State graduate and the university was her dream school. When searching for colleges, she felt that a branch campus would be a better fit than University Park.

Despite home being 7½ hours away, Green said it wasn’t hard to feel comfortable on campus.

“The community is really good at the school,” she said. “It’s easy to make a lot of friends. New Kensington has a small school community and lots of connections.”

Impact on community

While the campus isn’t in New Kensington’s city limits, the university’s impact on the city is outstanding, said Mayor Tom Guzzo.

“The relationship the city of New Kensington has with Penn State has been instrumental and has played a significant role in our downtown revitalization,” Guzzo said. “Obviously, our goal is to continue to work with (Penn State New Kensington.)

“The entities that they have brought to our downtown, The Corner Launchbox and The Digital Foundry, have established themselves as important pieces in helping people realize their dream of owning a business and training people for manufacturing and tech positions for job opportunities in our industrial park and throughout the Valley.”

Losing Penn State New Kensington would be a “tremendous loss” to Upper Burrell, said township supervisors Chairman Ross G. Walker III.

“I hope it’s not on the chopping block because Penn State is a tremendous neighbor to the township,” he said. “We want to keep Penn State New Kensington in Upper Burrell. It’s a wonderful employer and (former Chancellor) Kevin Snider is a wonderful friend. We don’t want to see anything happen to Penn State New Kensington, that’s for sure.”

He acknowledged that any decision about Penn State New Kensington is outside the township supervisors’ control.

“Whatever the township could do, or any suggestions we could do to help, we would certainly take it under consideration,” he said.

Burrell School District Superintendent Shannon Wagner said it is important for the university to keep a presence in the Alle-Kiski Valley. She said the university collaborates with local school districts for programming, something she would like to see grow.

“It’s important that we have the university in our backyard,” Wagner said. “It gives our kids opportunities (like dual enrollment.)”

Nate Krajci, 19, of Lower Burrell is a freshman at Penn State New Kensington studying computer science. He plans to spend three semesters there and before heading to University Park to finish his degree.

Having the college close to home is convenient and saves money, he said.

A Burrell graduate, Krajci said Penn State New Kensington did a good job reaching out to the high school, showing interested students places like The Digital Foundry and promoting careers.

“It was good integration,” he said.

Campus outlook

Penn State’s fall 2024 branch campus enrollment stood at about 23,250 students, according to the university.

Penn State New Kensington had a fall enrollment of 432 students. That number has decreased gradually since fall 2020, when enrollment stood at 528 students.

Future State and the Academic Program and Portfolio Review, which are Penn State initiatives to get feedback from faculty, students and the community about the future of university programs, “are providing a wealth of information,” DuBois said.

“The university is actively working to analyze this information and enrollment data from the past 10 years and projections well into the future — as well as the impact on our people — to determine how its campus structure will evolve,” DuBois said. “Each campus is different — some of which are thriving and have growth potential — so there is no one-size-fits-all approach.”

DuBois said Penn State overall is “in a strong and stable position.” He said university leadership will share details, and the data and reasoning, behind its decisions.

Christopher Sefcheck, superintendent of New Kensington-Arnold School District, said his schools have a good relationship with the branch campus “and will continue and build no matter what changes are made.”

“Relationships evolve to meet the needs of the times, and we want to grow alongside our longtime partner,” he said.

Penn State New Kensington student Angelina Shirey, 18, said she thinks it’s inevitable that some branch campuses will close, but that might not be New Kensington’s fate. The college does a good job getting students involved in the community, she said.

“There’s a lot of opportunities here,” said Shirey, a Kiski Area School District graduate. “We get emails all the time to get us out (into the community), get our names out.”

Shirey is in her second semester studying forensic science and hopes to become a medical examiner. She plans to spend two years at New Kensington and two at University Park.

She’s satisfied with the education she’s receiving so far.

“It’s kind of sad,” she said. “It’s so much better for people who can’t afford to go up to (the main campus). It’s an easier drive. You’re closer to your family.”