7 months after PennWest president announced departure, the search for a successor has yet to begin

Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson announced in February that she was leaving PennWest University’s presidency, but in the seven months since, Western Pennsylvania’s largest state-owned university has yet to begin seeking a permanent successor.

Now, the person serving as its interim president, R. Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky, could be poised to leave too.

State System of Higher Education leaders signed off on a request this month by another system school, West Chester University, to make Bernotsky the sole candidate — initially, at least — to succeed that school’s president, Christopher Fiorentino. In July, Fiorentino announced plans to retire in June 2024.

Bernotsky had a 27-year career at West Chester and was its provost when she was effectively loaned to PennWest after Pehrsson announced Feb. 14 that she was transitioning to another State System job, effective immediately. Pehrsson has since retired.

West Chester secured approval from State System Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, in consultation with the executive committee of the system’s board of governors, to allow the university’s search committee to explore Bernotsky’s candidacy “before deciding whether to proceed to an open national search,” said Nancy Santos Gainer, a West Chester spokeswoman.

Such a move is a departure from the typical presidential search process. But it’s occurring of late as more public and private campuses opt to forgo or shorten costly and time-consuming presidential searches that can slow institutional momentum in areas including academic decision-making and fundraising.

Like West Chester, the century-and-a-half-old campuses of California, Clarion and Edinboro that merged to become PennWest in July 2022 have a proud history and distinct traditions.

But while West Chester, the system’s largest university with 17,300 students, generally has seen growth since 2010, PennWest and most of the system’s other campuses have struggled with strained finances and enrollment declines. In April, PennWest announced it was consolidating its six academic colleges into three as it seeks to cut costs while rebuilding enrollment.

Bernotsky did not respond to a request for comment.

“Dr. Bernotsky appreciates the support of WCU’s Council of Trustees,” PennWest spokeswoman Wendy Mackall said. “At this time, however, she wishes to respect the process as she remains committed to her PennWest appointment through June 30, 2024.”

West Chester’s creation of a search committee this month followed a July 24 announcement by Fiorentino that he intends to retire next June after seven-plus years as interim and then permanent president. Mackall did not explain Monday why PennWest has yet to announce its own search.

“There is no set timeline for a presidential search process to begin, but the (PennWest) Council of Trustees has some flexibility because Dr. Laurie Bernotsky continues to serve as interim president,” said State System spokesman Kevin Hensil.

As PennWest president and later as president-in-residence, Pehrsson’s salary was $383,460, according to data posted to the website PennWatch. Bernotsky’s salary as interim president is $331,700, according to PennWatch.

In fall 2022, PennWest experienced an 11% enrollment decline, though freshmen numbers increased by 1.5%.

Collectively, the three-campus institution, with 12,780 students, is the second largest among the state system’s 10 universities after West Chester in suburban Philadelphia. PennWest is Western Pennsylvania’s second largest public university after the University of Pittsburgh.

Pehrsson, who was PennWest’s founding president, announced in February she was transitioning to a new role with the State System as president-in-residence and CEO for an entity called PennWest Investment. Officials described that entity as one that would develop support for the university.

In February, Greenstein said Bernotsky would remain at PennWest until a national search is completed.

Asked in February about the move, Kenneth Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, said the new institution was dealing with financial, enrollment and other operational issues related to the merger.

“PennWest continues to confront a number of situations, and it seems to me like a pivot to try and figure things out,” Mash told the Tribune-Review at the time.

Asked Monday if there was concern that a protracted wait for a permanent successor to Pehrsson might slow university momentum, Joyce Overly, president of APSCUF’s Clarion campus chapter, indicated otherwise.

“The only thing I will say on the matter is that presidential searches should be careful and deliberate, not rushed,” said Overly, an associate professor of chemistry.

At West Chester, trustees say they hope by Dec. 1 to either recommend to the State System that its board of governors appoint Bernotsky or that it move to a national search. But they said speed is not the top priority.

“West Chester University takes the selection of its next president seriously and is most concerned with executing an inclusive, comprehensive search process that will yield the best candidate,” Gainer said.

In a note to campus this month, West Chester Trustees Chairman Robert Tomlinson said board members “were struck by the tremendous momentum we’ve gained over the past six years” under Fiorentino and expressed a desire “to continue building on that success.”

He lauded Bernotsky’s performance to date as interim PennWest president in explaining his board’s decision on Sept. 7 to pursue a single-candidate approach.

Trustees “have been fortunate to witness the incredible outcomes she has produced at PennWest by creating a strategic framework that is allowing a sister institution to forge its own path toward a sustainable and equitable future,” he wrote.