Amid declining enrollment and budget deficits, Penn State is adopting a regional governance model that consolidates leadership at branch campuses in York and Franklin counties, as well as other areas of the state. Enrollment at Penn State branch campuses statewide has fallen by about 24% over the last 10 years, the university said in announcing the changes.
Effective July 1, Penn State Brandywine chancellor Marilyn Wells will add oversight of Penn State York and Penn State Mont Alto, which is near Chambersburg.
David Christiansen, chancellor of Penn State York since 2018, confirmed to biznewsPA yesterday that he is retiring as of July 1.
Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Francis Achampong also is retiring after 13 years in the role.
Other schools facing leadership consolidation include Penn State Beaver and Shenango in western Pennsylvania; Penn State Fayette, Greater Allegheny and New Kensington in the southwest; and Penn State Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the northeast.
Penn State also is combining IT, finance and facilities teams at branch campuses under a single operational umbrella, a move expected to yield savings for the campuses.
Regional campus leaders, meanwhile, plan to engage with state and local officials to explore creation of economic and workforce development hubs and to launch rural health hubs with the Penn State College of Medicine.
The changes are similar to an approach taken by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which went further in consolidating academic programs at some of the campuses under its purview.
The background: Penn State’s consolidation plan follows its decision earlier this year to offer buyouts for employees who left voluntarily.
As of last week, 383 employees had accepted buyouts, about one in five of those eligible, Penn State said.
The savings come out to $43 million, depending on whether any of the vacant positions need to be backfilled, the university added.
More than three-quarters of the employees, or 77%, were in staff roles, rather than faculty.
The branch campuses have a combined budget deficit of about $49 million, according to the university.
The York-area campus had 702 undergraduate students as of fall 2023, down from 820 in fall 2019, according to a Penn State dashboard.
Undergraduate enrollment at Mont Alto was 587 last fall, down from 730 in fall 2019.
Penn State Brandywine had 1,223 undergrads as of fall 2023, down from 1,332 four years earlier.
Penn State Harrisburg, in comparison, had 4,164 undergrads last fall and 4,246 in fall 2019.
