Chancellor Frank Brogan of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has announced a review that will lead to big changes to schools in the state. This comes in the midst of a budget crisis that is affecting the nation.
According to CBS News, Brogan said that the previous way of doing things is "simply not good enough anymore." He announced a review of Pennsylvania's public higher education system.
Brogan oversees 14 state universities. The review could lead to mergers or closures of one or more of five area schools: California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana, and Slippery Rock.
He admitted that higher education in Pennsylvania is facing consistent challenges in enrollment. There are less college-aged students in the state.
In the past six years, California's student enrollment has dropped by about 1,900 with 9,400 in 2010 and just 7,553 students in 2016. Clarion had a 2,100 decrease while Edinboro and Indiana went down by 2,500 and 2,300, respectively.
Lehigh Valley Live reported that Chancellor Brogan believes that Pennsylvania's university system may need to go through mergers or closures in some campuses. The state funding for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which is $444 million last year, is the same amount provided to the university 17 years ago.
Brogan also praised the faculty for their dedication, describing them as "the heart and soul" of the institutions. Board of governors chairperson Cynthia Shapira expressed her praise to the hard work and dedication of the faculty and staff at the 14 universities in the state.
The chancellor did not mention of a timeline on the review and when the changes will be applied. He did, however, promise a closer look at the system before pushing through with the "dynamic changes."
State system universities include Cheyney, Bloomsburg, California, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.
