Integrations - FAQs

Centered on student success, our shared vision is to expand high-quality educational opportunities for students, position institutions for growth, and meet regional economic and workforce needs across Pennsylvania. At a time when universities across the country, including our own, are financially challenged, integration would creatively ensure that its institutions are open, vibrant, and equipped to support our students toward building a successful future.

Yes. All current students will be able to complete the degree in which they are enrolled in now. Also, all incoming students for Spring and Fall 2022 will also be able to enroll in any currently available academic programs at each campus. Nothing changes for current students or for students who enroll in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022.

Yes. In fact, it has never been a better time to be a student at Mansfield. You will be able to finish your program of study and earn your degree at Mansfield. You will also have access to many new opportunities, experiences, and degree programs that will arise from university integrations.

We’re excited to share with you the academic program array (majors and concentrations) for the Northeast integrated university that will be available to students in the future. As you will see from the linked array, the Northeast integrated university academic programs include a robust set of more than 80 degree programs across a wide variety of disciplinary fields. These academic programs will be phased in over a three-year period as our faculty design the curriculum for these programs.

The Northeast integrated university academic programs include a robust set of more than 80 degree programs across a wide variety of disciplinary fields. The academic program array will be phased in over a three-year period as our faculty design the curriculum for these programs.

ACADEMIC UPDATES - October 2021

Faculty members have received their departmental assignments following several rounds of review and revision. In the coming months, aligned with the three-year phased-in curriculum, we look forward to announcing the academic programs and pathways that will benefit our students. Faculty, supported by integration leaders and university administrators, will work together to develop curriculum and implement it over a three year period. Further details, including college structure and departments (majors, minors, concentrations, and certificates) are forthcoming.

Below are the five colleges and academic departments* set forth by the Academic Affairs team. Further confirmation will come following Council of Trustees approvals and the response from Middle States.

Zeigler College of Business:

• Accounting
• Finance, Insurance, Risk Management, and Economics
• Instructional Technology, Technical Leadership, and Information and Technology Management
• Management
• Marketing and Sales

College of Education and Human Services

• Counseling, Student Affairs, and Education Administration
• Early Childhood Education
• Middle Level, Secondary, and K-12 Education
• Social Work
• Exceptionality Programs: ASL and English Interpreting, Special Education

College of Health Professions

• Allied Health
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Exercise Science
• Nursing – Graduate
• Nursing – Undergraduate
• Physician Assistant

College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities

• Anthropology, Criminal Justice, and Sociology
• Communication Studies
• English
• History, Political Science, and Philosophy
• Languages and Cultures
• Media and Journalism
• Music, Theatre, and Dance
• Psychology
• Visual Arts

College of Science and Technology

• Biology
• Biochemistry, Chemistry, Engineering, and Physics
• Mathematics, Computer Science, and Digital Forensics
• Environmental, Geographical, and Geologic Sciences
• Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies

In addition to the above, students will have the opportunity to design a program of study that will meet their career goals.

* Pending Middle States Commission on Higher Education approval.

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ACADEMIC UPDATES - September 2021

In addition to expanded academic program offerings at each campus, below are some of the developing examples of new academic opportunities that will become available through integration.

• Artist or Musician in Residence opportunities, aligned with faculty expertise, to explore new techniques and develop new skills in state-of-the-art studio settings.
• Business – Plans exist to expand professional development, Business Idea Competition, and more through the AACSB-accredited business program at BU.
• Criminal Justice – Opportunity for alignment with Police Academy (spend 6-months in academy as part of your degree program) or add EMT-certification (6-weeks) at Mansfield.
• Education – Broader opportunities for student-teaching (including residential housing opportunities) are forthcoming, including plans to closely align with districts and employment opportunities they can offer to our graduating seniors.
• Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences field camp opportunities will expand, offering opportunities to explore differences offered through our respective locations. A new soils minor may be offered through BU/LHU soils expertise/partnership.
• Nursing/Physician Assistant Programs – There are plans to offer expanded clinical settings or clinical rotation opportunities.
• Pharm.D. Program – Expand on new BU partnerships with Temple and Farleigh Dickinson universities and their respective Schools of Pharmacy – these partner institutions are excited to expand their reach into Central PA through LHU/MU. Signing ceremonies were held in September 2021.
• Scientist in Residence opportunities that align with faculty expertise and research opportunities. For example, collaborative tree swallow nesting research through BU/MU faculty connections is already taking place.

Yes. Mansfield will continue to offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs as we do now at bachelor's and master's levels. The expansion of degree programs will also allow Mansfield students to access doctoral level programs, which are not currently available at MU. As envisioned, university integration will allow Mansfield students access to an expanded array of courses, minors, majors, degrees, and stackable credentials that can help students maintain efficient time to graduation.

No. You can expect a traditional, residential campus experience at Mansfield with courses delivered on-campus and with the close personal interaction with your professors that MU is known for. There is no plan to move any face-to-face programs currently offered at MU to another campus, and general education courses will continue to be offered at each campus.

Integration will create many new opportunities to access courses, majors, minors, majors, degrees, and stackable credentials. Some courses and programs may be conducted remotely and through hybrid modalities across the identified campuses.

As envisioned, university integrations would allow for courses and programs to be conducted in-person, remotely, and through hybrid modalities across the identified campuses.

Yes. The name Mansfield will remain. Our logo, beloved Mountie mascot, and traditions will remain.

The State System's mission is to provide affordable, high-quality public higher education across the Commonwealth, and this approach is designed to bolster that mission.

Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities received NCAA approval in April 2022 to proceed with their plan to retain a full complement of NCAA athletic programs on the campuses that currently host them.

Each campus will maintain its full menu of sports offerings and remain wholly independent of each other. All athletic programs will continue to use their respective location name, existing logos, colors, mascots, and traditions.

To succeed individually, we must succeed in common. 500+ students, faculty, staff, trustees, and community leaders have been participating in the Northeast Integration planning since September 2020.

Following the April Board of Governor's Meeting, there will be a 60-day public comment period. At its summer meeting, the Board will vote regarding the integration moving forward.

The process for integrating State System universities is defined by law in Act 50. It is transparent, consultative, analytical, and intended to seek solutions, not implement solutions that have been predetermined. The process is conducted in partnership with the General Assembly through quarterly check-ins with House and Senate Education and Appropriations Committees.

The goals and priority considerations for integration are available on the State System Integrations webpage. Visit https://www.passhe.edu/systemredesign/pages/integrations.aspx for details.

The State System is at the beginning of what will be a lengthy review, consultation, and planning process, with an estimated time of over a year from review to final proposal. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the potential employment impacts of any potential multi-university integration, but the State System remains committed to an open, transparent, and consultative process from start to finish.

At its summer meeting, the Board of Governors will vote regarding the integration moving forward. Following a year of implementation planning to operationalize the integration strategies, the integrated entity would come together beginning in July of 2022.

Contingent upon approval of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (our institutional accreditor) – “Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania” would become the accredited, degree-granting university that results from the integration of hitherto separately accredited universities: Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield. Leveraging the continued distinctive identities of the three partner institutions that contribute to it, Commonwealth University will offer a range of benefits to its students and communities, notably in the number of programs, separate complement of athletic teams, as well as co-curricular and career preparation opportunities that will be available.

Additionally — as the accredited entity, as with all institutionally accredited universities, Commonwealth University will:

• Confer degrees upon students at all campuses
• Employ faculty and staff at all campus locations
• Develop a single academic curriculum, assess student learning, and evaluate and improve effectiveness
• Be the official repository of all student records
• Hold institutional accreditation and all special program accreditations
• Recruit and enroll students at all campuses through a single admissions process on behalf of its partner campuses
• Package student financial aid through a single OPEID number, while maintaining three unique federal school identification numbers, allowing students to select a home campus of their choosing.