Oct 13, 2020 2 min read

The state System of Higher Education is expected to make a decision this week on its plan to integrate three public colleges, including California University of Pennsylvania, to make them more financially stable.

The state system’s board of governors will meet Wednesday as plans continue on efforts to reduce costs at the 14 universities.

“The three universities together have to achieve financial stability and affordability in the marketplace,” state system spokesman David Pidgeon said last week.

The meeting agenda posted Monday afternoon includes a motion to allow the chancellor to proceed with developing the integrations affecting six of the schools. Those plans were to be shared with the public Wednesday.

Cal U. announced last month that it would be integrated with Edinboro and Clarion, and that integration would involve sharing services through remote and online learning.

The state system has been redesigning its approach to offering affordable public education, and that effort was accelerated earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The time is now. It’s right now,” Pidgeon said.

The state system has seen an enrollment decline of 2,074 students, which amounts to a 2.17% decrease this fall when compared to the previous term.

On the bright side, half of the universities saw an enrollment increase for the first time in 11 years, Pidgeon said. Cal U.’s headcount increased by .63%.

The state system in 2009 was $6,800 more affordable to attend than the state-related schools, including Penn State. The annual cost to attend a state university was $8,800 cheaper a year than private schools that year. Those numbers dropped to $2,000 and $2,700, respectively, in 2017, Pidgeon said.

Cal U. spokeswoman Christine Kindl said the university is known as being a leader in online learning, and students seem to be more confident in the school for that reason.

“There is every anticipation that we will remain a thriving university in the Mon Valley,” Kindl said Monday.