PA University Consolidation Plan: Final Vote Looms

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is expected to take a final vote next week on plans to merge six state universities into two.

The system's board of governors will meet July 14-15 and likely will decide whether to combine

California, Clarion and Edinboro in the western part of the state and Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield would combine in the eastern portion.

Preliminary consolidation plans for both the western and eastern universities are available online. System officials said the final plans will be posted before next week's meeting. If approved, the merger would take effect in the fall 2022 semester.

System officials contend the move could result in $18.4 million after five years and prevent some of the universities from financially collapsing. Current plans call for all six campuses to remain open and have two university teams with integrated leadership.

The preliminary plan has prompted controversy and criticism, and at least one state senator has asked for a two-year moratorium on implementing it. During a public comment period that ended June 30, many people contended that the plan was being rushed and could have a detrimental education effect on students attending the six universities.

A study released in April by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst asserted that the consolidation could result in the loss of 1,531 system faculty and staff jobs by 2023 - an overall system job reduction of 14 percent.