Penn State Closing Multiple Campuses Due to Drop in Enrollment and Financial Issues

Penn State Closing Multiple Campuses Due to Drop in Enrollment and Financial Issues

There is more of this to come. The days of the higher education gravy train are coming to a close.

From Pennsylvania Public Radio:

Penn State president says the university will close some campuses

Penn State’s administration will close some campuses after the 2026-27 academic year, according to a message President Neeli Bendapudi shared with the Penn State community Tuesday, saying “we cannot continue with business as usual.”

“The challenges we face — declining enrollments, demographic shifts and financial pressures — are not unique to Penn State, but they require us to make difficult choices,” Bendapudi said. “Across higher education, institutions are grappling with similar headwinds, and we have reached a moment where doing nothing is no longer an option.”

In that message, Bendapudi said the seven largest Commonwealth campuses, Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg and Lehigh Valley, will remain open.

The future of the 12 remaining campuses will depend on recommendations from Executive Chancellor Margo DelliCarpini, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Tracy Langkilde, and Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Michael Wade Smith.

Bendapudi said this committee will offer recommendations no later the end of this semester, and she expects to make an announcement before spring commencement.

Penn State’s leaders recently said they would not rule out campus closures as the university overhauls its budget process.

At Tuesday’s faculty senate meeting, several people said they had just heard the news about Commonwealth campus closures.

Josh Wede, the faculty senate chair, said he did not get a heads up about the news.

“We know what shared governance is. And what is happening now is not,” Wede said.

Bendapudi said the decision to close campuses is an administrative decision.

“I’m not saying input will not be sought, but I am saying that the decision will be mine,” Bendapudi said.

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