Penn State’s closing of seven commonwealth campuses because of declining enrollments is its own fault. However, it fails to acknowledge its camouflaged complicity in that decline.
University Park is the gatekeeper for all campuses. It favors student placement at University Park to increase revenue to support its own growth.
Since 1967, University Park’s construction spiraled and student enrollment increased from 22,000 to 48,000.
To pay for it, enrollment grew. Annual student costs increased, with out-of-state students paying $24,000 more. When students with equal qualifications compete for admission, the out-of-state applicants have a $24,000 edge!
University Park’s enrollment spike resulted from feckless enforcement of an old “2 and 2” policy. With some exceptions, the policy required students to attend their first two years at a commonwealth campus and then two years at University Park.
Today, that policy has been watered down. It requires applicants to choose their first and second “non-binding” campus choices. University Park’s gatekeepers decide who will be admitted and to where.
Most applicants’ first choice is University Park. With its gatekeeping power, University Park fills its classrooms first, often with out-of-state students who pay more. Failure to enforce the old policy guarantees tenuous commonwealth campuses and a thriving University Park.
Penn State’s president and trustees clutch their pearls, claiming declining enrollments, while manipulating the admissions process. They ensure a viable University Park at the expense of commonwealth campuses.
Let go of the pearls, reverse the closures and enforce the original “2 and 2” admissions policy.
Gary D. Discavage
Altoona