Michael T. Mondak speaks about recent PA House Appropriations Committee Hearing on Higher Education

On Wednesday morning, PA state representative Charity Krupa of Fayette County harshly grilled the president of Penn State University in a House Appropriations Committee Hearing on state-related universities in Harrisburg.  Rep. Krupa took a shot at the university president for being a hypocrite by turning her back on seven branch campuses while at the same time asking for a total of $394.4 million in funding.  Krupa specifically mentioned that the university also approved $1 billion in discretionary spending (including $700 million earmarked for the ongoing renovation of Beaver Stadium, $50 million to buy out James Franklin's contract, and a $1.4 million raise in the president's salary).

Krupa asked why taxpayers are being asked to pay more while there is no more money to keep seven branch campuses open (including Shenango) without transparency with the public and accountability.  She pointed out that her proposed legislation would require advance notice given to the commonwealth, economic and community impact report, and a clear transition plan for students, a workforce plan for employees and a long-term strategy for use of property.

When Krupa grilled the university president on the status of the nursing program at the Fayette campus, which her district covers, the president of the university started to talk about athletics having a separate budget from the academic budget, Krupa reminded her of the five-minute time limit.  The president said not one dollar of appropriations, or student tuition goes towards athletics due to the lack of student activity fees, which Krupa labeled as "smoke and mirrors".  Yet, the president of the university refused to give a direct answer.

Krupa has said on social media that if Penn State wants nearly $400 million in our tax dollars, they owe every single constituent of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania (including in Mercer County) answers, transparence and accountability - especially when some rural and urban communities are being left out to dry.

This is proof of why the university president (who I refuse to name in public) is a Dumb Dora who is so dumb!  (Your reply to this comment, with apologies to Match Game, should be:  HOW DUMB IS SHE?!)

I am calling upon members of the Sharon City Council, the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Mercer County Commissioners, state representative Parke Wentling, state senator Michele Brooks, US representative Mike Kelly, the Sharon Herald newspaper and the team from WKBN 27 First News to look into this matter because the university leadership has not yet formally submitted notice to the state department of education that these seven branch campuses will close at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.  There is still time for us to call for a delay to the pending closure.  I have proposed the following blueprint that will preserve the legacy of the Penn State Shenango campus beyond June 30, 2027, and somewhere in it, includes the preservation of the stately Nittany Lion mascot costume.

Together, we can take action starting at dawn on Monday morning to try to delay a closure of the Shenango campus and/or preserve the legacy of the campus beyond June 30, 2027.