By BEN DESTEFAN

DuBois Courier Express

DuBOIS — Penn State University has published a report recommending the closure of seven commonwealth campuses at the end of the 2026-27 academic year, including Penn State DuBois.

The university made the report public Tuesday after media outlets first reported the potential list of branch campus closures Monday. The board of trustees has not voted on the recommendations. The board is scheduled to meet in an executive session to discuss the report Thursday.

From there, a public meeting will be scheduled when the board will vote.

In the report, the workgroup tasked with reviewing 12 branch campuses for possible closure recommends closing DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York “after a twoyear wind down, with transition planning and student support at the forefront of implementation.”

“These campuses face overlapping challenges, including enrollment and financial decline, low housing occupancy, and significant maintenance backlog,” the report states. “The projected low enrollments pose challenges for creating the kind of robust on-campus student experience that is consistent with the Penn State brand. Keeping them open would require an estimated $19 million in annual financial support, $21 million in annual overhead expense, and more than $200 million in future facilities investment — resources that could be redirected to enhance and strengthen the campuses that remain. These campuses currently enroll 3.6% of Penn State’s students and employ 3.4% of Penn State’s faculty and 2.2% of Penn State’s staff.”

The workgroup also recommends keeping Beaver, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Schuylkill, and Scranton open.

DuBois overview According to the report, Penn State DuBois has a current enrollment of 385 students.

Enrollment at DuBois is down 60 percent since its peak in 2008 (963 students) and has declined 32 percent in the last five years.

Financially, for fiscal year 2024, the DuBois campus had a net revenue of $4,835,762 with total expenses listed at $8,909,800.

Referencing investments at DuBois, the report notes approximately $800,000 in annual scholarships are awarded each year and the pending launches of the Industry 4.0 Academy and a licensed practical nursing (LPN) program.

The report also highlights the wildlife technology program with a “healthy enrollment,” and the applied materials engineering program “meeting workforce demand in the pressed/ powder metal industry.”

Additionally, “Penn State DuBois will soon be the only viable, rural higher education option in the tri-county areas it serves upon the closure of Triangle Tech – DuBois and Jefferson County Vocational Technical Practical Nursing Program are expected to close in 2025 and Commonwealth University – Clearfield Campus expected to close in 2027.”

The report states the following under “rationale for closure” of the DuBois campus: “Penn State DuBois is recommended for closure due to persistent and compounding structural challenges that undermine its longterm viability within the Commonwealth Campus ecosystem. Chief among these is a sustained and substantial enrollment decline. Despite strategic efforts to stabilize numbers, Penn State DuBois has experienced a 46% decrease in headcount enrollment over the past decade — a trajectory that shows little sign of sustained reversal despite a slight uptick between 2023 and 2024.

This decline has not only impacted the student experience but has also significantly eroded the campus’s financial sustainability.

“The demographic context further complicates the picture. The DuBois region is among the most demographically constrained in Pennsylvania.

Population projections indicate continued aging and decline across surrounding counties such as Clearfield, Jefferson, and Elk, leaving little opportunity for organic enrollment growth in the local market over the coming decades.

“While the campus has commendably focused on workforce-aligned programming and maintained strong community partnerships, these notable and significant strengths have not translated into enrollment stabilization. The academic portfolio, though responsive to regional employer needs, remains relatively narrow and difficult to scale with some exceptions such as the Wildlife Technology program.

Penn State DuBois also lacks residential housing, which limits its ability to attract and retain students from beyond the immediate region and further constrains potential growth strategies.

“Operational viability has become increasingly strained. The campus is small, with limited economies of scale, and struggles to maintain the breadth of services and experiences expected of a Penn State education.

Its continued operation requires disproportionate central support relative to its size and output. Given the University’s need to concentrate resources and elevate institutional efficiency, the opportunity cost of maintaining Penn State DuBois is high compared to potential reinvestment elsewhere in the

ecosystem. “Finally, while Penn State DuBois has demonstrated a positive campus culture and committed leadership, there is broad acknowledgment — both locally and centrally — that the structural conditions facing the campus cannot be overcome through innovation alone. Recent closures indicate that other institutions have reached similar conclusions about the difficulty of operating in this region. Closing Penn State DuBois enables the University to consolidate offerings in stronger, more sustainable regional hubs while maintaining support for students through transitional pathways to other campuses or online through Penn State World Campus.

“In light of these factors, the recommendation to close Penn State DuBois is based not on a lack of effort or value, but on the strategic imperative to reallocate limited resources toward campuses with greater potential for growth, impact, and long-term success.”

Report’s conclusion “The recommendation to close seven Commonwealth Campuses — Penn State DuBois, Penn State Fayette, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State New Kensington, Penn State Shenango, Penn State Wilkes-Barre, and Penn State York — was not made lightly,” the report’s conclusion states.

“It reflects the sobering realities of sustained enrollment declines, high operating deficits, and substantial infrastructure costs that no longer support a path toward long-term viability. While each of these campuses has played an important role in its community and in Penn State’s history, continued investment in their operations would come at the expense of broader institutional sustainability.

“Closure at the recommended campuses would stem an annual net loss of nearly $20 million in direct expenses at these locations — funds that could be redirected toward programs, personnel, and infrastructure that serve a larger share of the student body. In addition, closing these campuses avoids more than $200 million in maintenance backlog obligations and substantial future capital investments.

“The decision to close campuses opens the door to reinvestment.

Those funds no longer used to sustain the campuses recommended for closure, can now be directed towards high-impact programs at the 13 Commonwealth Campuses that will remain open.”