STATE COLLEGE – The Penn State Board of Trustees has shifted its focus from the decision to close the Mont Alto commonwealth campus among seven to collaborating with communities on repurposing their buildings and grounds after the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, according to published reports.
A meeting at Mont Alto has been set for Aug. 28. An invitation from Dr. Renata S. Engel, interim vice president for Commonwealth Campuses; Mike Stefan, vice president for Government and Community Relations; and Trustee Rob Fenza to an addressee “identified as a community representative” to a meeting in the campus’ Allied Health Building from 9-11 a.m. There was no public announcement, and the meeting is not open to the public.
The evident shift was discussed at an Aug. 21 executive board meeting and goes along with the university’s move toward finalizing the closures. Despite vocal opposition from faculty, students, local leaders and some lawmakers, the board’s actions and the university’s justification for the closures suggest that efforts to save these campuses face significant barriers.
“There have been discussions with local leaders and potential partners on how these campuses could continue serving their regions after the transition, and there’s been coordination, clearly, with academic student support and workforce planning to ensure a smooth transition for all of our students, our faculty and our staff,” the Centre Daily Times quoted board chairman David Kleppinger as saying at the meeting.
The executive committee is responsible for oversight of community and government relations as the university continues through the process of closing seven of its commonwealth campuses after the 2026-2027 school year, he said, according to the report. Each executive committee meeting will include an update on the process.
Kleppinger said the university has dedicated “hundreds of hours” to listening sessions with stakeholders in affected areas. Engel, the interim vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor, said such sessions have already taken place for the Fayette, DuBois and Wilkes-Barre campuses, with plans for Shenango, New Kensington, York and Mont Alto to gather ideas for repurposing facilities into training centers, community hubs, or other “regional assets.”
At the meeting in Mont Alto, Fenza, the board’s liaison for the transition, said the select stakeholders are proposing partnerships and program preservation to ensure the infrastructure continues to serve regional needs.
The decision to close the campuses was approved on May 22 by a 25-8 vote and followed a 143-page report citing declining enrollment, demographic shifts, a projected “demographic cliff” of fewer college-age students and financial pressures, including $200 million in deferred maintenance costs.
These factors, combined with competition from other institutions, redundancy with nearby Penn State campuses, low housing occupancy and aging regional populations, justified the closures, according to Penn State officials. The university has ceased accepting new students or transfers at these campuses beyond fall 2025, with a wind-down period through spring 2027.
Opponents, including faculty, students and local communities, have argued that the closures threaten educational access, particularly for diverse and first-generation students, and could harm local economies. In addition, a local parent, Sheila Vieira, who also has a PhD in mechanical engineering, has done her own data analysis that find fault with the way Penn State went about determining which campuses should close.
The University Faculty Senate passed a resolution criticizing the process’s lack of transparency and calling for a pause to explore alternatives. Faculty members like Julie Gallagher of Penn State Brandywine expressed concerns about low morale and the impact on students who rely on these campuses for accessible education.
The Penn State Faculty Alliance, in a petition signed by hundreds, demanded an immediate halt to the closures, arguing that they undermine Penn State’s land-grant mission and lack sufficient analysis of their impact. Local lawmakers, such as Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20) and Rep. Brenda Pugh (R-120) near Wilkes-Barre, proposed public hearings and a state transition program to mitigate community impacts. Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa (R-Fayette) called the Fayette campus closure “unacceptable,” emphasizing its role as a lifeline for rural students.
Krupa has also introduced a resolution seeking a feasibility study of converting the Fayette Eberly campus into a senior military college.
Despite this pushback, the situation appears bleak for opponents. The board’s vote, supported by the lengthy report, reflects a strong consensus among university leadership. President Neeli Bendapudi has described the closures as an administrative decision reflecting the need to adapt to demographic and financial realities amid an unsustainable status quo.
There has been no public reversal campaign that has gained significant traction, despite the efforts of Vieira, two determined rising senior leaders at Mont Alto and the development of a website, while the university moves toward repurposing. This series of commonwealth campus meetings, while promising regional development, reinforces the Penn State plan to focus to post-closure planning.
The board’s engagement strategy, as Kleppinger noted, has made “remarkable” progress within a two-year timeline. For opponents, the absence of a clear mechanism to reverse the board’s vote, combined with the university’s exemption from Pennsylvania’s open records law, limits their leverage.
Community voices remain strong, but the path to saving these campuses may be narrow, with the university’s resources now aimed at seeking new uses for the campuses rather than reconsidering the original decision.
