The Fayette County commissioners have created an educational authority, a proactive measure they said could help address the future of the Penn State Fayette campus property.
The university plans to close the 100-acre North Union campus in 2027.
The three commissioners unanimously established the Fayette County Educational Authority, which will be run by five board members appointed by the trio. The authority’s focus will be to address the future use of the Eberly campus with the goal of keeping it an educational institution after Penn State leaves.
“What we are doing is trying to position ourselves that if they make a decision regarding the campus property, that we have the entity prepared to accept the property and to own and operate the property,” Commissioner Scott Dunn said at the commissioners’ meeting Thursday, adding nothing has been decided regarding the property’s future.
The Penn State Board of Trustees voted in May to close seven branch campuses, including Fayette and New Kensington, after the spring 2027 semester. Officials have said declining enrollment, flat state funding and increasing operational costs led to the decision.
All seven campuses slated for closure lost money in 2024 and have seen their enrollments decline drastically, officials have said. As of August, enrollment at the Fayette campus was 352 students.
The county commissioners said a transition team has been evaluating the situation and recommended the creation of the educational authority under the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act. It will have no oversight regarding any public or private grade schools.
“We’re just being proactive so we don’t have any lag time once we get answers from the Penn State Board of Trustees,” Commissioner Vince Vicities said. “If we get answers and we have the authority in place, we’re doing things simultaneously to focus on the goal of having higher education at the campus as soon as Penn State leaves.”
The Penn State campus is the only four-year institution in Fayette County, where the population is 129,000. The rate of people living in poverty is 14%, higher than the state average of 11.6%, according to census data.
About 21% of Fayette County residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with the state average of 36%.
Commissioner Harry Kaufman said he hopes to keep higher education options in Fayette County.
“We need it with our poverty rate being where it is; this is the only way out,” he said. “Hopefully we can make this happen and keep this campus alive, not as Penn State but as the Eberly campus, and bring the educational needs that our employers have to that site.”
The authority can acquire, maintain, operate and finance educational facilities and has the ability to enter contracts, secure grants and issue bonds, according to the resolution passed to govern it. No costs are associated with its creation.
“Our goal ultimately with the Penn State campus is to provide college education, training, trades and workforce development on that site,” Dunn said. “Simply, this creates the entity to accept the property should Penn State Board of Trustees agree to transfer the property.”
