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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: Cruel summer, down-ballot dilemma, 'left-behind counties,' Chesapeake Bay cleanup, and PA's new license plates. |
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At least four private Pennsylvania colleges have announced plans to close their doors in recent weeks, disrupting students' education.
The reasons behind the closures vary, TribLIVE reports, but trends point to declining enrollment and accreditation issues. A fifth school, Waynesburg University, has been warned its accreditation could be in jeopardy.
The Hechinger Report says on average about one U.S. university or college has announced plans to close or merge per week this year, displacing students, most of whom wind up leaving higher education for good.
“It’s traumatizing to have that rug pulled out,” Stephen Wells, provost at Community College of Allegheny County, told TribLIVE.
The Hechinger Report adds of impacted students: "Fewer than half transfer to other institutions, a State Higher Education Executive Officers Association study found. Of those, fewer than half stay long enough to get degrees. Many lose credits when they move from one school to another and have to spend longer in college, often taking out more loans to pay for it."
An April piece by CNN on the closure of Cabrini University in Radnor after 67 years touched on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected enrollment, and the end of related federal aid that kept many schools afloat.
Public universities are not immune from such pressures. At Pennsylvania's largest, Penn State, enrollment declines are being linked to a budget shortfall now driving buyouts and other belt-tightening measures. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"It’s a ridiculous precedent to set that my university, Temple, is disciplining me for being part of the Penn encampment and getting arrested."
—An unnamed Temple student on disciplinary action taken against them by Temple over a pro-Palestine protest at UPenn; the Temple News reports communication between the schools preceded the action. |
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Berks County residents are extremely frustrated with the diminished capacity of the local newspaper and they are concerned about a lack of access to trustworthy information in their community, according to a groundbreaking study by Spotlight PA.
In response to the findings, Spotlight PA is planning to launch a new regional reporting bureau in Berks County to be supported primarily by people living and working in the region. Read the full story, and then support the effort »
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ROCKY WATERS: Join us Thursday, July 18 from 6-7 p.m. ET on Zoom for a live panel on Pennsylvania’s private water industry, how it is regulated, and how communities are affected when service is subpar. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org. |
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| An airplane over Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, via Don N. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 WILD'S WARNING: It was internal polling indicating President Joe Biden could be a drag on down-ballot Democrats in November that led U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D., Pa.) to air concerns about his candidacy in a call with other Democrats Saturday, News of the United States reports. Wild is one of those down-ballot candidates, and the Morning Call (paywall) says the Biden comments could complicate her bid.
• Where Pa. Dems stand on Biden bid, via The Inquirer (paywall).
• Pa. voters go independent 'at expense of Dems,' via Politics PA.   GASSED UP: A federal court has quietly blocked a Biden administration pause on approvals of new natural gas exports, the same that prompted a rare rebuke from Pennsylvania's two sitting Democratic U.S. senators. Politico reported on warnings that the move could hurt his chances of winning Pennsylvania in the fall. Grist, meanwhile, has a look at the short-lived policy's negligible impact and what might come next.  VENDOR SCHEME: A "vendor impersonator scheme" has cost Westmoreland County a "significant" amount of money," per TribLIVE. “This was not a data breach,” the county's municipal authority solicitor, Scott Avolio, told the outlet. “It was literally a fraud.” Avolio said operations won't be impacted. An investigation is underway. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. Please include your first name and last initial.
E A S G R A A L L P
Yesterday's answer: Aardvark
Congrats to our daily winners: Eric F., Ada M., David T., Bob C., Jeff F., Johnny C., Bruce B., Jane R., Rhashidah P.-J., Judith D., Beth H., Karen W., Jody A., Carolyn R., Daniel M., George C., Pat E., Stacy S., Ceil W., Lynne E., Don H., Jon W., Rosemary C., Elizabeth R., Connie A. O., Benjamin M., Annette I., Cynthia B., Art Z., Ted W., Daniel S., Thomas B., Wendy A., Vanessa J., Beth T., Richard A., Eddy Z., Elaine C., Kimberly D., Carol L., Matt A., Timothy A., Becky C., Karyl S., Stanley J., Georgina L., Nell M. A., Marie B., George B., John P., Karen K., Mary S., Liza J. B., James D., Leslie B., William Z., Deb W., Antoinette F., Susan N.-Z., Michael T., Kerry T., Perry H., Starr B., Tom M., and Marc G. |
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