TREND MOVES TO BRANCH CAMPUSES
For the first time in the 30-
year history of The Pennsylvania State
University's Commonwealth Campuses,
freshmen and sophomore students at
the branches outnumber their counter
parts at the main campus.
Penn State's 19 branch cam
puses this year have a total enroll
ment 0f'9,741 first and second-year
students compared to 9,462 at the
University Park campus, according to
final registration figures for the Fell
Term.
Included are students working
toward two-year associate degrees, and
lower division baccalaureate degree
students.
The enrollment on the Common
wealth Campuses this year is an increase
of more than 32 per cent over a year ago
the largest increase ever in a single
year. It is also an increase of more
than 300 per cent over the enrollment
at the Campuses just ten years ago.
Responsible for the increase,
according to Penn State officials, is
itthe growing trend of students to go to
a Penn State campus near their home,
and the resultant growth of the physi
cal plants at the branches.
More than *3O million in new
construction has been programmed at the
1 - ranches within the last two years.
Sparking the Commonwealth Campuses'
growth have been funds from local, State
and Federal sources.
Counting funds now available for
construction, the physical plants at the
Commonwealth Campuses will exceed the
total physical plant worth of the entire
University in 1953.
In the coming years, fresh
men and sophomores at the common
wealth Campuses are expected to
continue to exceed the numbers of
freshmen and sophomores at Univer
sity Park with 16,500 students ex
pected at the brahches by 1970,
and 38,000 by 1980.
The increase in branch campus
students comes as no surprise to
President Eric A. Walker.
In fact, so closely are the
Commonwealth Campuses linked to the
main campus, says Dr Walker, that
for many years the whole future
development of Penn State has
been planned in terms of the in
creasing role these units will play
in the University's ability to
satisfy the growing educational
needs of the State.
"We decided some time ago, for
a number of practical reasons,"
says Dr. Walker,"that we would
have to limit our enrollment at
University Park.
"Since the costly and complicated
laboratories here are used mostly
for graduate and upperclass work,
it is obvious that we will have to
continue to assign more freshmen
and sophomores at our Commonwealth
Campuses.
In view of the important role
that Dr. Walker attributes to the
campuses across the commonwealth,
he stands very much opposed to the
state of Pennsylvania's Master Plan
of education that suggests turning
over Commonwealth Campuses into
Community Colleges. This would
cripple the long range plans of the
Pennsylvania State University, plans
that call for increasing dependence
on these for undergraduates.