When will Penn State announce which campuses will close? Bendapudi gives update
Penn State will briefly delay its decision on which commonwealth campuses will close, President Neeli Bendapudi told the community in an email Thursday.
Bendapudi planned to share her decision before spring commencement, she said during the initial announcement in February that a number of the smaller commonwealth campuses are under consideration for closure. At that time, she noted if the timeline needed to be adjusted to make the best decisions, they would do so. In her email Thursday, she said she is making that adjustment.
“Final exams and commencement are rapidly approaching — activities of great significance for our entire community. My team has consulted with students, faculty, and staff on the timing of any announcements, and I agree with their broad recommendation to hold until after these milestone events. As a result, I have decided to delay the announcement of campus decisions until mid-May,” she said.
The university’s board of trustees will meet in mid-May to consider Bendapudi’s recommendations on the make up of the campus system. Bendapudi noted that until action is taken by the board, no decision is final. There will be “immediate communication” from Bendapudi and other university leadership after the board meeting, she said. There will be in-person and virtual opportunities for students, faculty and staff to ask questions and support each other, Bendapudi said.
“I know this delay may bring mixed emotions — relief for some, renewed frustration for others. Please know that this decision reflects our belief that you deserve both clarity and compassion. Thank you for your continued patience and commitment to Penn State and to each other. We are navigating this moment together — and we will move forward together as well,” she said.
Bendapudi announced in February that 12 of its 19 commonwealth campuses are under consideration for closure: Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and York. She charged Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor, Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, and Michael Wade Smith, senior vice president and chief of staff, to co-lead a group that will give her a final recommendation of which campuses should close.
Factors they’ll take into consideration include enrollment, Penn State’s evolving land-grant mission, population shifts, student experience and success, and the higher education landscape in Pennsylvania.
