Residents of the region will know a lot more about the new community college shortly after the New Year.

The new Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania will serve residents of Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren counties. Officials said an operational and financial plan is currently under review at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The review is expected to be completed by early February.

The board of trustees have recently released several requests for proposals, including a request for space for its administrative center. Because of the college’s unique distributive delivery model, the trustees do not anticipate having a traditional “main campus” model, but rather a strong network of many facilities and resources throughout the entire region, of which only one resource is an administrative center.

Officials said at a minimum, the administrative center will house some college administrative functions and require office space and access to technology.

A special committee will make a recommendation to the board in mid-February, according to officials.

In addition, the trustees are also seeking a marketing and public relations firm to assist in developing and carrying out a marketing and branding campaign, including identification of a new name for the college. “What this college is not is easier to explain than what it is because it is not online and it is not a traditional campus,” said board chairwoman and former state Sen. Mary Jo White. “We need the services of a firm to help convey this.”

Officials said this is the first financially operational year for the college, and the trustees are currently seeking the services of an auditing firm as well. The search for the college’s first president is also underway. The trustees hope to name a president in early spring of 2017.

The college will offeraffordable and accessible education, includingopen admissions/enrollment/entrance policies (i.e. no criteria beyond a high school diploma/GED), low tuition and, the ability to participate in or near a person’s home community.

The college was enacted into law in 2014 with the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-Oil City, and Reps. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, and Kathy Rapp, R-Warren.

For more information about the college initiative and to view the requests for proposals, visit the websitewww.communityedcenter.com/rrcnorthernpa, or contact Duane Vicini, the college project manager at dvicini@ecuapa.org or 814-757-5731.