Earlier this week, Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi captured attention and rose paranoia levels across the state when she announced that the school would likely have to close some of its 12 smaller satellite campuses, or Commonwealth Campuses.
Locally, fear grew that one of those campuses could be PSU-Schuylkill or PSU-Hazleton. Officials in Schuylkill County, especially, reacted quickly and vehemently to Bendapudi’s announcement by defending PSU-Schuylkill against its possible closure.
But those reactions, for the most part, may be unnecessary.
Let’s take a look at what Bendapudi said this week, how local officials reacted, and then make a case for PSU-Schuylkill avoiding closure.
Bendapudi Shocks State with Announcement of Satellite Campus Closures
Bendapudi says that due to declining enrollment, demographic shifts, and financial pressures, the university can no longer sustain all of its Commonwealth Campuses.
The top seven campuses: Abington, Altoona, Behrend (Erie), Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley, are not affected by this announcement. They’ll remain open.
However, the 12 remaining satellite campuses are up for possible closure. That includes Schuylkill and Hazleton.
While Penn State has attempted to stabilize these campuses through enrollment management and advocacy for state funding, Bendapudi says, these efforts have not reversed the overall trend.
A committee led by university leaders will recommend which campuses will remain open and which will close, with a final decision expected before Spring commencement.
However, no campus closures will occur before the end of the 2026-27 academic year, ensuring current students can complete their degrees. The university pledges to provide transition support for affected students, faculty, and staff. Bendapudi emphasizes that these closures are necessary to create a strong and sustainable Commonwealth Campus system for the future.
Schuylkill County Officials React
Despite the vague, albeit ominous tone of Bendapudi’s statement, officials in Schuylkill County were quick to react. All strongly came to the defense of Schuylkill campus, arguing it should stay open. The reaction was similar for the Hazleton campus.
Schuylkill County Commissioners sent a letter on Wednesday to Penn State-Schuylkill Interim Chancellor Cory Scherer and the PSU Board of Trustees expressing their displeasure with the possibility of the local campus closing.
“Schuylkill County’s residents have been very genrous in supporting our local Penn State campus, such as the JE Morgan Auditorium and the Fred Ciletti Memorial Library. The land where the local campus exists was originally sold to Penn State for $1 by the Schuylkill County Commissioners,” the letter reads. “The Schuylkill Campus of Penn State is vital to the future of Schuylkill County.”
Following Wednesday’s Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting, Gary Hess said, “The letter is to get ahead of all this before that decision comes down.”
Commissioner Boots Hetherington said closing Schuylkill campus would prevent a lot of would-be students from attending, if Penn State were to suggest they attend classes online, due to inadequate internet connectivity in many parts of the area.
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) issued a joint statement earlier this week condemning the idea of closing the Schuylkill or Hazleton campuses.
“Both Penn State Schuylkill and Penn State Hazleton are part of the fabric of our region. These campuses teach career-defining skills to many people who otherwise may not have access to higher education and connect them with local, in-demand jobs. They host countless events that bring our communities together and provide stable, family-sustaining wages to hundreds of our friends and neighbors,” the statement reads.
It goes on to say, “There is no plan to close these campuses we would accept. 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.”
The Statistical Case for Penn State-Schuylkill
The chest thumping is to be expected and is likely warranted that either the campuses at Schuylkill or Hazleton would even be up for consideration.
Sure, Penn State could make a case based on these two campuses proximity to each other and to the Berks campus, which is safe from closure, but a deeper dive into the enrollment figures suggests otherwise.
Those numbers show that, despite that proximity, Schuylkill and Hazleton campuses are bucking the trend of Penn State’s satellite campuses, at least in the last five years.
Here’s a chart that shows the enrollment at Schuylkill and Hazleton compared to the average enrollment of the 12 satellite campuses up for possible closure.
In some years, Hazleton’s campus does lag slightly behind the average. But Schuylkill’s enrollment in each of the last five years, from 2020 through 2024, trumps that of the average.
And as the table below shows, PSU-Schuylkill ranks third in total enrollment in 2024 among the 12 satellites up for closure, trailing only Scranton and York. Hazleton is fifth on that list.
In fact, Schuylkill campus only has 215 less students enrolled that one of the untouchable campuses, Lehigh Valley.
Penn State Commonwealth Campus Enrollment (2024)
| Campus | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Scranton | 827 |
| York | 703 |
| Schuylkill | 698 |
| Mont Alto | 613 |
| Hazleton | 515 |
| Beaver | 496 |
| New Kensington | 432 |
| Fayette | 407 |
| DuBois | 385 |
| Greater Allegheny | 353 |
| Wilkes-Barre | 329 |
| Shenango | 309 |
The table below shows the percentage change in enrollment since 2021 among the 12 Commonwealth Campus locations that are up for possible closure. It shows clearly that PSU-Schuylkill is well above all other campuses in enrollment growth and is one of just three satellite campuses – all in northeast Pennsylvania, coincidentally (Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre being the others) – seeing a positive trend in enrollment numbers.
Penn State Commonwealth Campus Enrollment Percentage Change (2021-24)
| Campus | Enrollment Change (% 2021-24) |
|---|---|
| Schuylkill | +17.5 |
| Hazleton | +6 |
| Wilkes-Barre | +4.8 |
| York | -5.3 |
| Shenango | -5.8 |
| Mont Alto | -8.8 |
| Beaver | -10.6 |
| DuBois | -10.9 |
| Greater Allegheny | -10.9 |
| Scranton | -12.2 |
| New Kensington | -12.2 |
| Average | -13.7 |
| Fayette | -22.5 |
All this shows is that it would be unlikely – based on this data, alone – that Penn State’s Schuylkill Campus would be one selected for closure, if and when that day comes.
“It makes no sense,” Schuylkill County Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora said Wednesday.
Outside of those very convincing numbers, should Penn State decide to close Schuylkill, it would also be turning its back on major investments to the campus and the educational offerings there.
“We have one of the most active co-op programs,” Hetherington said earlier this week. “Any student that wants a co-op opportunity can get it here instantly.”
Padora added that Penn State has made major investments in the nursing and chemical engineering curricula.
“They put a lot of money in it,” Padora said.
Hess added, “They just upgraded the laboratory there in the last couple of years.”
“We’re going to fight as hard as we can.”
The initial reaction to Penn State’s news this week has been swift and strong in Schuylkill County.
“The fact that it’s even being considered has me upset,” Hetherington said.
And though it’s probably unlikely, it doesn’t appear local officials are going to rest on the laurels of that strong data and large capital investments, especially recently.
“We’re going to fight as hard as we can,” Padora said.
**CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that “some” of the satellite campuses could be closed, not two, specifically.**
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