PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania state university system will be pared down from 14 schools to 10 under a new integration plan approved Wednesday.
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Board of Governors agreed to the mergers, but full approval is still a few months away.
Chancellor Daniel Greenstein supports merging six state universities into two combinations of three.
"So why integration?" he said. "Because integrated institutions can do more together than they can on their own."
Despite the vote in favor of integration, PASSHE chair Cindy Schapira said the next step is a 60-day public comment period.
"Public input is critically important to this process," she said. "The vote today would help make these plans the best that they can be, getting that public input before the board votes on them in July."
Two virtual public hearings are scheduled for June 9 and 10, prior to the final vote in July.
The PASSHE Board of Governors has been moving toward this goal for a number of years, pointing to the increased costs of operating campuses that are reporting reduced enrollment. On top of that, the colleges are in areas that are economically hurting.
The vote is in favor of integrating Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities of Pennsylvania in the northeastern part of the state, and Edinboro, California and Clarion universities in the western region.
Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center argued the mergers would be an economic disaster to communities surrounding those schools. Local businesses that rely on the universities for their livelihood fear that the mergers will result in shuttered doors. Students and faculty are also concerned about fewer course options.
Bashar Hanna, who is serving as the interim president at the three northeastern schools, said serving the students is their No. 1 priority.
"The essence and the foundation of all of these plans is built with the premise of students first, and their success is absolutely our highest priority," he said.
The board is seeking public comment for the next six weeks.
PASSHE's other public universities — Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania — are unaffected by the proposed mergers.
