Strategic review of 14 Pennsylvania-owned universities to be unveiled
Consultants who have been reviewing the 14 state-owned universities will present their findings to the State System of Higher Education.
Representatives from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in Colorado will speak July 12 before the state system’s board of governors at Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.
The group was hired to help the board address declining enrollments or make recommendations on whether any of the universities should be closed or merged.
Cal U., Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock are among the local colleges within the state system.
Cal U. has put its union faculty on notice that it’s considering laying off professors next year as it’s among the universities that have experienced a significant drop in enrollment. It had 7,553 students attending classes last fall, down 20 percent from a record high of 9,483 in 2001, system records indicate.
State System spokesman Kenn Marshall said the consultants have not shared any information regarding their findings with the board of governors or office of the chancellor, that everyone involved will hear them for the first time July 12.