PennWest University embarks on search for new president

Efforts to identify PennWest University’s next president are advancing this week after the school finished assembling a 25-member search committee.

Members are a mix of State System of Higher Education leaders and representatives from the California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses, which were merged in 2022 to create Western Pennsylvania’s largest state-owned university.

The panel is seeking a successor to Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, PennWest’s founding president, who stepped away in February 2023. Interim PennWest President R. Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky is leaving in July to become West Chester University’s leader.

Officials at PennWest say this is a pivotal time for the recently created university, given its switch to a three-campus structure and a challenging student market. They have said finding the best pick is of more importance than specific timetable.

“Just as we carefully and deliberately selected the members of the presidential search committee, we will be thorough in our selection of the next leader for PennWest,” spokeswoman Wendy Mackall said Wednesday. “Our hope is to do that in the coming months, but the priority, of course, will be to find exactly the right person to guide our university forward.”

The search panel “reflects the extensive and diverse reach of our three campuses,” PennWest Council of Trustees Chair Kathy Pape said in a message posted to PennWest’s website Monday.

It is chaired by PennWest trustee Larry Maggi. In her message to campus, Pape identified the members with whom he will work.

The committee will solicit views from across the university and develop a candidate profile. It will “serve as the benchmark against which candidates will be assessed,” she said.

Candidates will be screened by the committee, and the process will include interviews, open forums and presentations, enabling the campus community to interact with candidates.

The panel will make recommendations to PennWest trustees, who must submit the names of two finalists to the State System in Harrisburg.

As of last fall, PennWest enrolled 11,305 students, 22% or 3,172 students smaller than the 14,477 students that California, Clarion and Edinboro universities attracted in 2021 before they were merged.