Penn State administration will hold a virtual meeting Dec. 9 to provide updates on the seven Commonwealth Campuses that will close in two years, and also the 13 campuses that will remain open.
Fotis Sotiropoulos, Penn State’s executive vice president and provost, and Renata Engel, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor, will discuss their visits this fall to all 20 campuses, where they’ve met with students, faculty, staff and campus leadership, according to Penn State.
The meeting is the latest update of a busy year for Penn State Commonwealth Campuses: in May, university trustees voted to close the New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Mont Alto, Wilkes-Barre, DuBois and York campuses at the end of the Spring 2027 semester, due to declining enrollment, finances and a reported lack of potential for growth.
Officials said they would continue investment in the remaining 13 Commonwealth Campuses, which locally, include Greater Allegheny and Beaver.
According to Penn State, the closing campuses represent 3.6% of Penn State students, 3.4% of faculty and 2.2% of total staff.
This fall, university administration held invitation-only meetings at each of the closing Commonwealth Campuses to brainstorm ideas of what the future could hold at those properties.
Ideas generated at the New Kensington meeting included workforce development, according to those that attended the meeting. Fayette leaders established a task force to determine a possible future use of the Eberly Campus property.
In October, Penn State officials said they were optimistic that transition plans would be in place at every closing Commonwealth Campus before they close in two years.
Meanwhile, enrollment figures released Oct. 30 showed a 5.7% drop overall at the Commonwealth Campuses.
At the Dec. 9 meeting, Engel and Sotiropoulos will answer questions, reflect on comments from the Commonwealth Campus visits and discuss work underway to develop a strategy for the future, according to Penn State. University students, faculty and staff can submit questions online at Penn State’s website.
“The conversations throughout the fall with each campus community have been candid, constructive and deeply engaging,” Engel said. “This town hall provides an opportunity to connect what we heard across our visits and to continue addressing questions about ongoing campus transitions and our shared future.”
