HARRISBURG (TNS) — The provost and vice president of student affairs at Southern Utah University has been named as the next president of Pennsylvania Western University, which has campuses in California, Clarion and Edinboro.

Jon Anderson, who also serves as a professor at the 15,000-student university in Cedar City, Utah, will take over the leadership of the State System of Higher Education university on July 1, succeeding R. Lorraine Bernotsky who will become president of West Chester University that same day. The 50-year-old Anderson’s salary has yet to be finalized, said State System spokesman Kevin Hensil.

Anderson emerged as a finalist from a national search to continue the work of making this university created from three separate institutions three years ago and is building its online presence a success and turning around the university’s declining enrollment. The 2023-24 academic year saw PennWest’s student count drop to 11,305, down 1,473 students. Its first-year student numbers also declined by more than 20% to 1,617. It is one of the most financially challenges universities among the 10 schools in the State System.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to put down roots in western Pennsylvania and help shape the future of PennWest,” Anderson said, following his appointment during a special meeting of the system’s board of governors on Wednesday. “The role of a regional university is to serve the students and elevate communities and PennWest lives that mission every day. I’m honored to be a part of its history and its future story.”

During his time at Southern Utah, the university saw an increase in enrollment, launched a doctoral program and added in-person and online degrees and majors aligned with the regional industry needs.

“Dr. Anderson believes in the transformative power of an affordable college degree to break the cycle of poverty and give people the tools to succeed, which aligns perfectly with PASSHE’s mission,” said system Chancellor Dan Greenstein. “He is a strategic planner with experience leading a public university with several locations and an online program, like PennWest, and will honor the uniqueness of the California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses. His commitment to collaborating with students, faculty and staff to ensure students continue to receive a high-quality education and vibrant campus experiences will make him an excellent president at PennWest.”

Ken Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, is hoping Anderson can build on the sense of competence, openness and collegiality that Bernotsky restored during her time as PennWest’s interim president as it stumbled through the early stages of integrating the three public universities into a single institution.

“There are battle scars that remain at PennWest and there does also remain a sense that the faculty were forced to step up to make the institution work at times, keeping that institution going with duct tape,” said the faculty union president. “Really, they went way beyond their responsibilities to make sure that students were taken care of. Unfortunately, in that process they felt that too often they were being taken advantage of, that they were left to figure out details on the fly because of a lack of details in the integration process that was approved” by the system board.

While he said the faculty felt the presidential search process was rushed, they still look forward to helping the university progress but want assurances there won’t be “irrational” cutting of programs or faculty layoffs.

“We all know that there are big challenges ahead for PennWest,” Mash said, but assured the new president the faculty will work with him to make the institution be the best it can be for the students it serves.

System board Chair Cynthia Shapira, who served on the search committee, said, “PennWest has made great progress in recent years, and Dr. Anderson is an excellent person to lead the university as it creates rewarding opportunities for students and provides the workforce that western Pennsylvania needs.”

Anderson earned his doctorate in business administration at the University of Kentucky, a master’s in business education at University of West Georgia, a bachelors in sociology at Utah State University, and an associate’s degree in general studies at Ricks College. Prior to his work at Southern Utah, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Middle Georgia State University, which has five physical campuses, as well as held administrative positions at University of West Georgia and University of Kentucky.