Cal U reorganizes academic colleges, departments

California University of Pennsylvania will consolidate colleges and departments in a move officials said will streamline academic operations and save $700,000 a year.

Plans call for the consolidation of three undergraduate colleges to form the College of Education and Liberal Arts and the Eberly College of Science and Technology. The academic departments will be reduced from 22 to 11.

The move is part of a larger effort to stem the flow of red ink and enrollment declines at state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Total enrollment at the 14 state-owned universities declined by 24,000 students over the last decade; total enrollment is down 20 percent.

Plans for a comprehensive redesign in the system require Cal U, which has seen a 27% decline in enrollment over the last decade, to have a plan to reach financial sustainability within two years.

Dr. Bruce Barnhart, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, said Cal U’s plan will strategically align accreditations – recognition that academic programs meet standards of excellence – and pair academic programs and faculty that can collaborate and share qualifications.

“Our university is resilient and determined to succeed, even in challenging times,” Barnhart said. “This academic realignment demonstrates Cal U’s strength, adaptability and commitment. I sincerely thank all those who contributed to this plan, and I call on our Cal U community to implement these changes with optimism and resolve.”

Although some academic programs will be housed within a different college or academic department, course content and quality, program accreditation and graduation requirements will not be affected. The reorganization will not affect students’ progress toward graduation, he said.