PennWest University seeks new president to reverse enrollment plunge, serve needs of different student populations

There aren’t many universities in their infancy that also are comprised of institutions dating to the Civil War era. In its presidential search, Pennsylvania Western University has walked that fine line between future and past.

Now, the university with merged campuses in California, Clarion and Edinboro has posted to its website a 27-page presidential prospectus. It details the sort of leader needed in a search described as pivotal to Western Pennsylvania’s largest state university.

The search could culminate this spring but could also spill into summer, as officials have made clear they are less interested in speed than finding the best candidate to reverse enrollment losses and ensure financial sustainability.

“The recruitment phase has already begun; ads are running in national publications, and personal outreach to prospects from our search consultants is ongoing,” spokeswoman Wendy Mackall said. “We hope to bring candidates to campus in late April so they can meet with students, faculty and staff before the semester ends.”

But Mackall also said the State System of Higher Education has protocols to ensure leadership continuity should the search continue after interim President R. Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky leaves June 30 for the presidency of West Chester University near Philadelphia.

The prospectus says early work has been done to unify and integrate programs on the three campuses, which collectively are separated by hundreds of miles.

They enroll 11,300 students, employ nearly 1,000 staff members and have a $370 million operating budget.

“The new president will be a higher education leader with demonstrated success at the helm of a large, complex, multi-site organization with experience in major restructuring, increasing enrollment, strengthening finances, inspiring community support, and improving collaboration and a sense of shared purpose,” the prospectus states.

Among the president’s responsibilities will be:

• Sustaining student success, promoting social justice and equity, maintaining high retention and graduation rates, increasing student involvement and engagement in campus life;

• Improving PennWest’s financial health and developing new revenue streams;

• Representing the university, enhancing its position within the State System, the commonwealth, and in higher education broadly.

The document describes a university that, like higher education generally, has evolved from traditional 18- to 22-year- old students residing in campus dorms, to a complex mix of non-traditional and virtual learners.

“A high percentage of our students live off campus, many returning home to meet work and/or family responsibilities,” the prospectus states. “More than 28% of our students live in campus housing, while 33%, including many working adults, are enrolled in fully online programs.”

The student market for regional universities and branches generally has been soft, in particular in the Midwest and Northeast. Along with fewer high school graduates, campuses face skepticism about campus costs and student debt and have been losing students who are finding faster routes into the job market.

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.

But like the rest of the State System, PennWest tuition for the last six years has remained at $7,716 for Pennsylvania residents, about a third what state-related universities including the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State charge.