Some worry Pennsylvania's plan to merge 6 state universities will kill troubled schools

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Kayla Shutters loves Lock Haven University’s bucolic setting along the Susquehanna River, its tree-lined Ivy Lane, the close-knit relationships with professors who know her by name.

During the pandemic, the triple major in art, English and psychology spent her days inside the fine arts building, taking some classes on Zoom, others in person, and drawing, painting and sculpting in her art studio.

But if she had to do it over again, Shutters, 21, said she would have chosen another college — given the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s plan to merge Lock Haven with Bloomsburg and Mansfield universities.

“I’m nervous about the future and what’s going to be offered,” said the native of Weedville, in Elk County.

Professors at the 2,900-student state university worry that many might transfer. A survey of students showed 61% of respondents would be less likely to attend Lock Haven if, as proposed under the merger, they have to take some classes online. Faculty are concerned enrollment will drop so much that their school, a top employer in Clinton County and the heart of their community, will eventually become a branch of Bloomsburg or be phased out entirely.

Read more: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/07/some-worry-pennsylvanias-plan-to-merge-6-state-universities-will-kill-troubled-schools.html