在周五, 2024年5月17日, 重点大学 announced that it is in the final stages of executing a letter of intent and funding agreement with a strategic partner to create a new partnership that will provide Keystone with a roadmap for a long-term path forward. While details of the agreement are not yet public, the day-to-day operations of the College and its academic mission will remain essentially unchanged. Both parties felt that discussions had crossed a critical point which would allow the College to announce that an agreement is imminent.
Any agreement will be subject to the final approval of the College’s accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which will be notified of the parties’ intentions as soon as the signed agreement is finalized. Approvals from the Pennsylvania Department of Higher Education and the United States Department of Education will also be necessary. 在检讨期间, 这可能需要一年的时间, Keystone intends to continue uninterrupted operation of classes, as well as all other college activities and intercollegiate sports, and continues to accept and enroll freshman and transfer students for the Fall 2024 semester. Keystone will conclude its current academic year with its 153rd commencement on Saturday, 5月18日, 在校园.
“重点大学 is absolutely thrilled to reach this point in our discussions with our strategic partner,” said Keystone President John F. Pullo,老. “For the past several months, we continued to say we were hopeful that an agreement with an innovative partner could be reached while fulfilling every obligation to our accreditor to prepare for closure, 有必要吗?. We are so thankful to our students, 教师, 工作人员, 校友, and friends who continued to believe in us as well as to the 教育al partners that are included in our teach-out plan. 自1868年成立以来, Keystone’s motto has been “Progress Through Effort” and we continue to work long and hard to secure a positive outcome so we can look to the future with promise and optimism. The agreement is just the beginning as there will be much work to do on our path forward in the days ahead. But we do have a path forward and we intend to work very closely with Middle States to ensure successful continuation of operations.”
5月15日, the College submitted all of the necessary components of an “implementable teach-out plan” and institutional status report as requested by MSCHE. That plan is under review by MSCHE.
“This partnership agreement demonstrates the need for innovation and forward-thinking in today’s highly competitive 教育al market,蒂姆·普莱尔说, Vice President of Enrollment, Institutional Advancement and 市场ing. “With a continued decline in college-age population, 以及其他挑战, many colleges and universities across the nation, 包括重点, will continue to find themselves in financially difficult situations. The need to find and develop strong partnerships with organizations willing to share responsibilities, 目标, and missions is becoming increasingly more important, 即使是至关重要的. We believe we have found just such an innovative and dedicated partner and are grateful to join with them on our journey.”
Recognized as one of the best 教育al values in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Keystone offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science-based programs in business, 通信, 教育, 自然科学, 环境科学, 以及社会科学. Located on a beautiful 276-acre campus, 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, 研究, 社区参与.
