State Rep. urges residents to comment on potential closure of Penn State campuses
HAZLETON – An area state legislator is asking concerned residents to comment on Penn State’s plan to potentially close local campuses.
Penn State provided an update Friday on the potential closure of Commonwealth campuses, including Hazleton and Schuylkill. Twelve campuses are being considered for closure.
Many of the campuses serve rural and under-served areas of Pennsylvania.
Penn State Hazleton and Schuylkill are the only four-year residential universities in the lower Anthracite region. The only other higher-education options are community colleges branch campuses in Hazleton, Shamokin, and Tamaqua, and Alvernia University’s CollegeTowne in Pottsville.
Penn State Schuylkill had been planning classroom space in Downtown Shenandoah, Inc.’s Center for Education, Business, and the Arts. The classroom would be the first higher education facility in northern Schuylkill County since the 2005 closure of McCann’s School of Business and Technology. It would also be the first in Shenandoah in a century.
Penn State in the update attempts to justify the closure considerations by noting enrollment declines and population shifts.
The update says enrollment has declined by 39% across the 12 Commonwealth campuses slated for closure. Rural counties are expected to lose 5.8% of their population by 2050, they say. However, several counties where campuses may close are expected to grow by 2050 according to the same data.
Penn State says they plan to keep a “presence in the Northeast and the Pittsburgh regions.”
Six state legislators issued a statement last month condemning the idea of closing Penn State Schuylkill or Penn State Hazleton.
State Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) and State Reps. Jamie Barton (R-124), JoAnne Stehr (R-107), Tim Twardzik (R-123), Jamie Walsh (R-117), and Dane Watro (R-116) all condemned the plan.
“There is no plan to close these campuses we would accept,” they continued. “The opportunities they bring to Schuylkill County, Luzerne County, and beyond are life changing. Shuttering them would be a devastating loss for our region. We look forward to presenting our joint opposition directly and often to Penn State’s leadership.”
Watro is now calling on concerned residents to comment on Penn State’s proposal.
Those comments can be directed here: [email protected].
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