What happened? 

Commonwealth University’s finances have risen from $10.42 million dollars to $28 million dollars in deficits in seven months. The rapid increase in deficits has raised many questions about how this financial crisis will impact tuition, student aid, and multiple other funds.  

Why does this matter? 

The rising number of deficits impacts all students and faculty at Commonwealth University. Bloomsburg University combined with Lockhaven and Mansfield to “expand high-quality, affordable academic opportunities and support on-campus student experiences,” based on the CU website. But since the merger, there have been many concerns raised about how much this is hurting the university rather than helping it, particularly in finances.  

Town-hall report: 

Based on a report from the last town hall meeting on June 25th, 2024, $10.2 million dollars was raised in integration-related expenses. Mansfield has been struggling with finances and has been one of the biggest spending factors. Prior to the integration, Mansfield was $8.97 million dollars in debt due to the building and installation of new dorms. Now, based on the new town hall report, $5.21million dollars have gone towards IT infrastructure upgrades. Other integration expenses include alternate faculty work assignments and legacy curricula teach-out coming to $4.81 million dollars.  

What does the future of CU look like? 

Despite the high number of deficits, certain goals were mentioned in the town hall meeting to help with the debt and establish a clear path toward the future. A plan was decided “to guide our priorities and resource allocation with a primary focus on student success.” Some of the other focuses are to refine merit scholarship and enrollment strategies to be fiscally sustainable and to continually find ways to address the affordability gap. With these being the main goals in sight, Commonwealth University has stated that they are committed to creating a meaningful experience for students at all campuses.