Penn State Branch Closures: PA Lawmaker Seeks To Slow Process

HARRISBURG, PA — A Pennsylvania lawmaker is introducing a legislative package whose immediate impact would be to slow Penn State's plans to close a number of its branch campuses.

State Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, whose Fayette County legislative district includes one of those branches that could be shuttered, said the three bills are about fairness, fiscal responsibility and protecting the future of communities.

“Penn State and other state-related institutions receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the Commonwealth," Grimm Kruppa said. "As a publicly funded, land-grant university, Penn State has an obligation o serve all Pennsylvanians – not just those in urban or wealthy areas.”

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi announced last month that some of the 20 campuses would have to be closed. She cited declining enrollment as the reason, and said many of the counties where the branches are located are expected to suffer population decreases for the next 30 years.

Bendapudi has appointed a group of university officials to study which of 12 of the 20 campuses to close. Those branches are Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and York.

The panel is expected to make its recommendations to Bendapudi by the end of this semester and she expects to make a decision before commencement.

Grimm Kruppa's bills, should they become law, would slow that process. They include:

• The State-Related University Accountability Act, which would ensure publicly funded state-related universities cannot close branch campuses without legislative oversight and public input.

• The Economic and Workforce Impact Review Act, which would ensure state-related universities cannot close branch campuses without first assessing the economic and workforce consequences for the affected communities.

• The Taxpayer-Funded Education Access Protection Act, which would protect regional access to higher education and ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly by state-related universities.

“The proposed closure of branch campuses, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged regions, is a direct betrayal of Penn State’s mission and an unacceptable misuse of public funds,” Grimm Krupa said. “These universities have an obligation to weigh the full consequences of their actions."