Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi delivered a live address to the Penn State community on May 22 following the Board of Trustees’ ratification of the University’s plans to optimize its Commonwealth Campus ecosystem .
Video of the president’s address, and a transcript, are available below.
The following is a transcript of the president’s live video address:
Hello everyone, thank you so much for joining me.
Earlier this evening, the Board of Trustees voted on a recommendation to reshape Penn State’s network of Commonwealth Campuses. I want to acknowledge up front that even when change is expected, it can still feel deeply personal and difficult. This — no question — is certainly one of those moments.
First, to the decision itself. After robust discussion, the board approved the closure of seven campuses following the spring 2027 semester, after a two-year wind-down period. Those campuses are DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York.
We will continue to invest in our Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Brandywine, Erie, Great Valley, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill and Scranton campuses.
While this news confirms what you recently heard was a possibility, I know that it doesn’t lessen the weight or the magnitude of this moment for our institution, for our campuses and for each and every one of you personally.
I thought it was important to address the entire Penn State community directly. I recognize — believe me, I do — that the past several weeks, indeed months, have caused heightened concern and uncertainty. I want you to know that I hear you and I see you, and I care deeply about every student, faculty member, staff member, donor, alum and community stakeholder impacted by this moment.
As we move through this period of change over the next two years, I want to be crystal clear about one thing: Our people come first.
While these campus closure decisions reflect the realities of a much larger environment that we are in and the actions we must take to safeguard Penn State’s future for the next century, they unfortunately eclipse an even more important story, and that’s what I want to acknowledge. It is not for want of your extraordinary talent, commitment or impact. This moment is not a reflection at all of any individual or any campus, but rather the circumstances that have been building for quite some time.
So first, let’s talk about what’s happening — to speak directly to you about the outcome of today’s vote. After the spring 2027 semester and the two-year wind down period, Penn State will close the seven campuses I told you about by spring 2027. This means that Penn State’s network of campuses will include 13 Commonwealth campuses, the Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Dickinson Law, World Campus, Penn College of Technology and University Park — continuing our reach and impact across Pennsylvania.
Together, the remaining campuses enroll over 96% of our students. But beyond this, Penn State Extension continues its important presence in all 67 counties of our Commonwealth. We will also be sure to continue to invest in our Penn State LaunchBoxes, such as the Digital Foundry, as well as outreach to seniors and older adults through programs like OLLI, or the Pullo Center. These are commitments that we are making to remain true to our access mission, and, to continue to provide meaningful opportunities for everyone that we serve, we will maintain that active presence across the commonwealth. In fact, I want you to know that, even after the closures, Penn State will continue to operate the largest campus ecosystem of any university, not just in the Big Ten, but among all land-grant universities in the country.
We strongly believe that these changes position Penn State to be more strategic, more forward-looking in our approach toward our land-grant mission and position us for long-term success in a rapidly, dynamically changing higher education landscape.
But before I share more, I want to emphasize a key point specifically for our students. If you are at a campus that will close, you will have the opportunity to complete your Penn State degree, and we are hard at work to provide the support you need to help you progress towards your goals, including providing each and every one of you with a dedicated Navigation Coach throughout this process.
So why is this happening? As I shared with the Penn State community in a mass e-mail last week, our campuses are deeply woven into the fabric of our communities.
I’ve never lost sight how important that is. That belief has guided my commitment to finding the best path forward — one that stabilizes and strengthens our campuses and continues to enable access to an affordable Penn State education for all who seek it for years to come.
Let me acknowledge we are navigating a difficult and deeply complex reality, but we did not arrive here overnight. Our campuses were built to serve a Pennsylvania that looked very different than it does today. These were built during the Great Depression, before the Internet, before online education, before transportation advances, or, of course, most importantly, the demographic decline.
I know many of you have heard about the demographic cliff, just to demystify it, check quickly on birth rates from 2007 on to the last year, not just nationally, but within Pennsylvania. You will see the steep decline and why this means for at least the next couple of decades to come, we will be in a very challenging environment for higher education.
We have tried together so many approaches to adapt, well before I came and after I did. We’ve tried new recruitment strategies, adding new academic programs and expanding athletic offerings, advocating for funding, enrollment management, but the financial strain, the shrinking population and, candidly, changing student needs mean that some regions demand a new model.
We’ve read more than 500 letters and emails sent by individuals and groups from alumni, faculty, staff, students, elected officials, local leaders who all share how our campuses have shaped their lives. I’ve had countless conversations to that end as well. I remain confident that we will focus our resources — human, financial, intellectual and otherwise — where we can have the most lasting impact.
So what comes next? Many of you are understandably asking questions about how this decision will impact your studies or your work in the months and years to come.
So let’s begin with the students. Whether you’re a current or prospective student, or whether you’re a tenure line or nontenure-line faculty member or a staff member, we have teams of leaders honing transition plans with you in mind. Our goal, our North Star, continues to be to mitigate and minimize the negative impacts on our students, faculty and staff and to be organized to quickly address any unexpected issues.
For our faculty, this includes a firm commitment to both honor tenure and to honor contractual obligations. For our staff who are impacted by closures, we’re actively working to establish priority hiring consideration for open positions elsewhere and anywhere within the Penn State system.
We do not have answers today because we do expect to have the two-year ramp down, but, we have provided responses to a substantial number of frequently asked questions on the Road Map website, along with the ability for you to ask questions, too. We will be regularly adding to that site in the weeks and months ahead, with continued outreach to our campus communities.
I also want to share with you a plan for what happens to these campuses after the spring 2027 semester. Beginning right away, I’ve asked Dr. Renata Engel, our interim vice president for Commonwealth Campuses — no stranger to a Commonwealth Campuses herself — as well as Mike Stefan, our vice president for Government and Community relations — again, no stranger to our Commonwealth Campus ecosystem. These two will co-lead an effort to partner with local, state and federal officials and with local and regional business leaders; community leaders; of course, with donors, with alumni, to reimagine what could best help these communities, whether it’s in terms of economic development, workforce needs or other repurposing for business and other needs. I am so pleased that Renata has stepped into this role, and I’m so grateful that she and Mike will work together.
In closing, I would be remiss if I did not address the weight of this moment directly with you. This process has not just been number crunching, not just a quantitative analysis. It has been qualitative. It has been listening to stories, listening to people, and I want you to know it has been deeply personal. My team and I have read your letters, listened to your stories and reflected on the meaning and memory held in these campuses.
I know there will be a real sense of loss for the communities where our presence will change, but I also believe in our collective ability to reimagine the future of these incredible places. We won’t do it alone, but in collaboration with the community. Together, we will explore how these sites, even after they close in their current form, might continue to serve their regions in new and meaningful ways, whether that future includes Penn State or takes a different shape entirely. At the same time, Penn State will continue to deliver on its mission with a leaner, more responsive, more resilient Commonwealth Campus ecosystem, one that reflects the realities of today while honoring our deep commitment to access.
Higher education is changing, and yet, even in the midst of hard moments, we’re not standing still. We are moving forward with resilience, with purpose and with strength.
Across this institution I see you. I see people rising to meet challenges, finding new ways to serve, to teach and to lead. We are thriving, not despite hardship, but because of the way we face it together. And because of that, I know we will weather, not just this moment, I know we’re positioning ourselves for a stronger, more hopeful future.
As we navigate the next two years, we remain committed to keeping our communities informed throughout this important period of transition and progress.
Above all, thank you — thank you to our students, our faculty, our staff, our donors, our alumni, our community partners — for your courage, for your care, and your belief in what Penn State can be. This is the beginning of a new chapter, and we will write it together. Thank you.