By Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA State College |
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi has asked university trustees to approve closing seven of its commonwealth campuses because the current statewide model “subsidizes decline,” according to internal records obtained by Spotlight PA.
“Fulfilling our land-grant mission does not require a four-year campus in every corner of Pennsylvania,” the president wrote. Instead, under the proposal, online classes could replace some in-person offerings and a leaner university with fewer locations could invest in the parts of Pennsylvania where Penn State believes it can still succeed.
Bendapudi has proposed closing Penn State’s DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York campuses. More than 500 employees and thousands of students would be affected by the move.
“These are not just campuses; they are homes, launching pads, and sources of deep pride. And yet … if we delay action, the pressures we face—demographic, financial, competitive—will continue to mount. In time, those forces will make decisions for us, not with the care, intention, or commitment to students and communities that this process allows,” Bendapudi wrote to trustees.
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