PSU’S new commonwealth campus leader wants to ‘redefine’ those campuses
Margo Dellicarpini, Penn State’s incoming vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor, says higher education is at a turning point.
That’s why, in her new role, Ms. Dellicarpini has plans to “redefine” the way the university’s 20 branch campuses interact with Penn State’s mission and serve their communities.
“I believe that we are at an inflection point as an institution of higher education,” Ms. Dellicarpini said in a news release, “and that we have the opportunity to redefine how commonwealth campuses support the overall land-grant mission of Penn State, and how they serve as anchor institutions in their communities, building on strengths and history while looking to the future and positioning campuses for the next exciting and successful era of the university.”
Ms. Dellicarpini, who currently serves as dean and chancellor of the Penn State Abington campus in Montgomery County, will enter the commonwealth campus leadership role on Oct. 1. She succeeds Kelly Austin, who left the job in May after his 2022 appointment.
Prior to taking Abington’s helm in 2021, Ms. Dellicarpini served as a vice provost and dean at the University of Texas at San Antonio, professor and dean at Morehead State University in Kentucky, and professor at Lehman College in New York. A first-generation college student, Ms. Dellicarpini holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics, master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a doctorate in linguistics from Stony Brook University in New York.
The new leader is tasked with guiding the branch campuses during a pivotal time in Penn State history. The university currently faces a $63 million deficit that school leaders hope to balance by fall 2025.
On top of that, branch campus enrollment has plummeted while the main campus in University Park enjoys growth. Between fall 2018 and 2022, overall branch campus enrollment dropped 16%, from 28,861 students to 24,109. Only one branch campus, Schuylkill, saw enrollment growth during that period.
Of the Western Pennsylvania campuses, Penn State Fayette has experienced the steepest enrollment decline of 34%, from 640 students in 2018 to 424 in 2022.
Other regional enrollment drops were 33% at Penn State Shenango (from 419 students to
281), 24% at Penn State Behrend in Erie (from 4,312 students to 3,295), 21% at Penn State Greater Allegheny (from 462 students to 363), 21% at Penn State New Kensington (from 585 students to 460) and 16% at Penn State Beaver (from 622 students to 522).
Penn State Abington, the institution that Ms. Dellicarpini began leading in 2021, saw its student population fall 18%, from 3,746 students in fall 2018 to 3,090 in 2022. Enrollment at that campus did slightly increase by less than 1% between fall 2021 and 2022.
In the release announcing Ms. Dellicarpini’s appointment, Penn State officials cited plans for a new building as a key accomplishment under Ms. Dellicarpini’s twoyear stint at Penn State Abington. The Montgomery County school gained township approval to build its first new academic space on campus since 1973, per the release.
Officials also touted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Abington campus as achievements under Ms. Dellicarpini. The dean appointed the campus’s first cabinet-level diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging director and developed a hire initiative to increase the diversity of faculty demographics, scholarly activities and course offerings.
The campus’s DEI efforts haven’t escaped controversy, though. In June, Ms. Dellicarpini was one of several defendants named in a lawsuit that alleged Abington’s DEI policies discriminated against white people.
In Penn State news release, Justin Schwartz, the university’s executive vice president and provost, said he believes Ms. Dellicarpini’s leadership at
Abington has equipped her to lead the commonwealth campuses.
“Coming from Abington, which is a large, diverse campus in an urban area, Dr. Dellicarpini understands the mission and unique needs of a commonwealth campus, the priorities of the university, and how to effectively blend the two for the benefit of students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Mr. Schwartz said. “She brings great energy and excitement to her role as chancellor, and I am thrilled to have her extend that enthusiasm in her new role leading Penn State campuses across the commonwealth.”
Nearly half of the university’s residential freshmen begin their Penn State careers at one of the branch campuses. Some graduate at their commonwealth campus, while many others transition to the University Park campus during their junior year through the school’s 2+2 plan.
Undergraduate tuition at the commonwealth campuses is between $13,824 and $15,388 for in-state students, compared
to $ 19,672 at University Park.