PA's California, Clarion, Edinboro Universities Renamed

LANCASTER, PA — Three of the six Pennsylvania state universities being merged into two institutions received their new integrated name Thursday. California, Edinboro, and Clarion will operate under the name Pennsylvania Western University beginning July 1.

California will be known as Pennsylvania West-California, Edinboro will be called Pennsylvania West-Edinboro and Clarion will be Pennsylvania West-Clarion.

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The state System of Higher Education board approved the change during a meeting at Millersville University.

The board delayed the renaming of the other three schools being merged: Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield. But given Thursday's action, Pennsylvania Eastern or Pennsylvania Northeastern seemingly would be fitting choices.

Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, current Clairion president and interim California and Edinboro president, said the goals for the new name were to choose one "that is distinctive, easy to remember and not a conflict" with other universities.

How the new name would perform in online searches also was a factor, Pehrsson said, because that is how most students initially begin researching a university.

The name was chosen after workshops with students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and community members, Pehrsson said.

Students of the three newly renamed universities will get to pick the new logo from among three choices emailed to them Thursday.

The State System contended the merger was necessary because over the past decade, it has lost 21 percent of its enrollment and hasn't adjusted cost structures.

Numbers released Tuesday by the State System amplify that fact. They reflect a historic drop in enrollment this school year, with student numbers falling to their lowest point in more than 20 years. There are presently 93,704 students enrolled in the state's 14 universities, more than 2,000 less than last year and marking the 11th straight year of net enrollment decline across the state.

Pennsylvania ranks 48th in the nation in terms of public funding for higher education, so relying on the state for a bailout is unrealistic.

Additionally, as enrollments contract, the universities that are merging would struggle to offer the full range of programs required by their students and in their regions had they remained independent.

In addition to the six integrated universities,the other schools in the state system are Bloomsburg, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Mansfield, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.

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