With enrollment numbers continuing to drop, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is pushing forward with its plans to merge six of its universities into two entities, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

However, during the board of governors meeting earlier this week, the system has now decided that all schools will retain their names and sports teams if the NCAA approves it.

Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Bloomsburg Universities will be integrated into one entity and Clarion, California, and Edinboro Universities will form another. The names of the six universities will still appear on their degrees.

These integrations are necessary as the lower enrollment numbers and the pandemic keep exacerbating the system’s financial struggles.

Out of the system’s 14 universities, ten had lower minimum reserves in 2019-20 compared to the five years prior, while half do not have reserves on hand for 180 days. Three have reserves for less than 90 days.

“Time is not our friend,” said Daniel Greenstein, system chancellor. “And the steepness of these curves are alarming.”

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