About 29,000 students attending six state-owned universities — three in Western Pennsylvania — gained a public assurance that they can earn degrees without leaving their individual campuses, even if the schools are merged in fall 2022.
State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, speaking to the General Assembly, delivered his most explicit remarks so far to address unease over combining California, Clarion and Edinboro universities in the west, and Blooomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities in the northeast — into two multicampus institutions.
At the start of daylong hearings before the Appropriations and Education committees of both chambers, Mr. Geenstein received praise for progress being made on the system’s redesign. But he also faced tough questions from senators including Lindsey Williams, D-West View, minority chair of the education committee, about the vitality of future academic offerings, student debt load, and the State System’s struggles to graduate underrepresented minorities and to recruit them as faculty and staff.
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