In what might be its final plea, some Penn State New Kensington professors are asking the university’s board of trustees to temporarily pause any decisions to shutter branch campuses and to establish a task force to try to resolve any demographic and financial issues at the satellite colleges.
“We urge you to delay any closure decisions until the Board has examined the impact of such closures on each of the communities served by the campuses, and has defined and implemented a process to collect and review alternative measures to President (Neeli) Bendapudi’s proposal and to the budget model that has made campus success impossible,” read the statement from PSNK’s Faculty Senate.
PSNK’s Faculty Senate asks the board to issue a two-year moratorium on campus closure decisions and to form a task force with representation from all campuses to look into ways to resolve issues affecting Penn State.
Bendapudi in February announced 12 of Penn State’s 19 branch campuses — including its New Kensington, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, and Beaver campuses — are at risk of closure because of declining enrollment and finances.
The board of trustees will convene at a special meeting yet to be announced in mid-May to consider Bendapudi’s plan for the closures. No campus would close before the 2026-27 school year.
University spokesman Wyatt DuBois said Wednesday the meeting is not finalized yet but is anticipated to occur after spring commencement, which is Friday through Sunday.
A meeting date will be announced publicly at least three days in advance, he said.
In the meantime, some PSNK professors and their colleagues statewide plan to attend a regularly scheduled board meeting Friday, said PSNK professor Andrea Adolph.
The statement from PSNK’s Faculty Senate notes that, since the announcement about potential closures, professors have heard from students, parents, donors, legislators and others who stressed that closing campuses would lead to “serious setbacks.”
That would include slower economic development, less employment opportunities and higher education being even more out of reach for the majority of students who currently attend commonwealth campuses.
“No plan has been introduced, deliberated or discussed with the many university stakeholders as to how campus closures will impact degree completion,” PSNK’s letter said. “Decision-makers have no plan for how these sweeping changes will be implemented.”
It said a lack of transparency has led employees and students to leave Penn State or reconsider enrollment. Additionally, campus closures would limit students’ access to degree programs and lead to the loss of local jobs and depletion of a community’s tax base, it said.
Since Benadpudi’s announcement, some trustees have spoken out against the proposed closures, and PSNK’s Faculty Senate appreciates those efforts, the letter said.
Instead, efforts should be made to resolve budgetary and enrollment concerns “in innovative ways that could keep campuses open.”
“There is urgent need to audit the budget calculations, adjust the budget model and provide adequate time for stakeholders to consider alternatives for resolving current issues while preserving what campuses provide to communities across the state,” PSNK’s letter said.