A Pennsylvania court ordered the state's Department of Education to release internal Penn State trustee records to @spotlightpa.org and @news4mass.bsky.social, siding with arguments made by attorneys from @rcfp.org and the Cornell Law School 1A Clinic.

"Across the board, the urban-rural divide so central to the state of the country remains a defining division among local news haves and have-nots." - @niemanlab.org

Also! The court said Penn State must unredact this document. Penn State has argued releasing the information would “create distrust and confusion” or “damage employee morale and retention.” The court ruled that “such vague jargon and conclusory statements fall woefully short” of proving harm.

BREAKING: A state court ordered Penn State University to release internal Board of Trustees documents — records about a private trustees retreat and a nonpublic board committee meeting. The university has 30 days to turn over the records.

The pending acquisition of WPSU by @whyy.org could mean some notable changes to the workforce of State College's public media outlet. I spoke with WHYY's CEO about them for this week's Talk of the Town newsletter.

New: Penn State’s board underwent training on the Sunshine Act as part of the board's legal settlement with Spotlight PA over alleged violations of the transparency law. But when we asked for the names of participants (something they agreed to release), well ... www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Today's Spotlight PA newsletter update: All the things happening with Penn State's board in the next few weeks.

Penn State is now outspending Penn, Pitt, and Temple to lobby lawmakers in Harrisburg. I wish I could tell you what exactly PSU is influencing (like what bills, policies) but I can’t, thanks to PA’s lax disclosure laws and Penn State’s open records exemption. www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

This is Sue’s story. But it could be the story of any of the roughly half a dozen families I spoke to for this investigation. And it’s the story of what failure over three decades means for real people, a mother and son.

After years of closed-door meetings between top Penn State administrators and trustees, the university is now required to publicly reveal the nature of those gatherings and who was involved. www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Penn State University’s Board of Trustees will complete a training on the state’s open meetings law and disclose more information about its closed-door gatherings as part of a settlement with Spotlight PA. The agreement ends 18 months of litigation. www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Anne Danahy of WPSU and I spoke with WITF's Asia Tabb about Penn State's recent campus closure decision.

Closure www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

BREAKING: By a vote of 25 to 8, Penn State's board approved the closure of the DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York campuses after May 2027. Story here. www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Today, at 5 p.m. ET, the Penn State Board of Trustees will vote on closing seven campuses — DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York. You can tune into the meeting here: trustees.psu.edu/thursday-may...

In a new op-ed, a former Penn State trustee says someone local should sue the university board over its recent private meeting to discuss campus closures. The board is scheduled to vote on closing 7 campuses on Thursday afternoon.

“It sounds to me like they’re discussing the issue behind closed doors because it is uncomfortable and controversial,” one lawyer said. “But those aren’t reasons for executive sessions.” www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Following the publication of our story, Penn State released the full text of the closure recommendation report. www.psu.edu/news/adminis...

Breaking: Spotlight PA obtained nearly 250 pages of internal Penn State records detailing President Neeli Bendapudi's proposal to close seven commonwealth campuses. Here's what they say: www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege...

Penn State trustees discussed campus closures at this morning's executive session. That's all we really know (transcript of the board chair's comments at the public meeting below). Penn State hasn't yet announced the date of the meeting, nor released any other details. But the decision is coming.

NEW: We've learned that Penn State's board will not consider campus closures on a case-by-case basis, but will instead take a simple majority vote on one proposal this month. But the board's plan to hold a virtual-only meeting for the vote could run afoul of a Pennsylvania transparency law.

Penn State's chapter of American Association of University Professors is officially asking the university to reverse its plan to close campuses. "By neglecting to include faculty in decision making, the Penn State administration is also violating basic principles of shared governance."

Coincidently, I was staying nearby to a group nuns during spring break 2013. Seeing their total joy and jubilation over the selection of Pope Francis remains a core memory.

Current and former trustees have come out in opposition to Penn State's plan to close up to 12 of its commonwealth campuses. "We aren’t running a business. We are an educational institution charged with fulfilling a mission and promise made in the mid-19th century."

Another Penn State departure (though a few days old): Carlos Rodriguez, associate vice president for finance and business services for the Commonwealth Campuses, is headed to Michigan Tech to be their chief financial officer.

It's official. No quote in the press release from the university president either. www.psu.edu/news/adminis...

Scoop: Margo DelliCarpini, Penn State’s VP of Commonwealth Campuses, is leaving the university, sources confirmed in recent days. The departure comes as Penn State considers closing up to 12 of its 20 statewide campuses.

Hi folk. Maybe you realized I've been slow on stories this year. That's because for the past 3 months, I poured over the last 2 years of campaign contributions to the governor & legislative leaders. @spotlightpa.bsky.social has the first of those findings today. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03...

Since Penn State announced its multimillion-dollar budget deficit in summer 2022, the university has deeply cut the budgets to its graduate school, engineering college, and two programs for academically advanced students, a Spotlight PA analysis found.

In this week's Talk of the Town newsletter, I wrote about how Penn State is disclosing even less financial information than previous years, what the change means, and the university's explanation for why.

When rumors began circulating that Penn State could close campuses, I began researching whether such a plan would require Board of Trustees approval. I couldn't get a straight answer. Now, Penn State has announced it will shutter locations. And I still can't get a straight answer.

In Pennsylvania, applying for commutation of a life sentence is kind of like playing the lottery. Only 17 women have received it in half a century. In 2023, Gail Stallworth thought she'd beat the odds. But what would happen to her was rarer still. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03...

Interesting analysis from a Penn State professor in this article.

Re: potential closure of Penn State campuses. Offered without comment. From @news4mass.bsky.social at Spotlight PA #AcademicSky #EduSky #HigherEd

The Penn State trustees won't put Barry Fenchak on the ballot in the alumni trustee election, citing concerns about code of conduct violations. This is the first election under updated bylaws that give trustees more power over who can appear on the ballot. www.centredaily.com/news/local/e...

Penn State faculty announce unionization effort.

As Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi told faculty of her plans to close up to 12 campuses, she made repeated references to reports that previous leaders failed to act on. You don't get to see them. PSU says they're "internal reports for planning and analysis only and are not publicly available."

Penn State finally announces what it has long alluded to: Some commonwealth campuses will close. The statement notes that campuses near urban centers or areas of population growth will not be closed. The 12 others are under consideration for closure. www.inquirer.com/education/pe...

America needs a working-class media. Superb piece by Alissa Quart in @columjournreview.bsky.social

Can perhaps not be underscored enough that James Franklin and Penn State were dropped as defendants in this lawsuit because a filing deadline was missed. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/u...

Thanks to a legal carve out, Penn State does not have to make public all the salaries of its employees. But it does publish the salaries of the top 25 highest-paid employees. You can see how the defensive coordinator's salary compares to the university president, CEO of the health system, etc.

Here's a roundup of other great local coverage of Penn State's commonwealth campus non-answers: radio.wpsu.org/2025-01-22/p... triblive.com/local/valley... www.centredaily.com/news/local/e... onwardstate.com/2025/01/23/p...

Penn State won’t give a straight answer about whether it's considering closing some of its commonwealth campuses, which enroll a more racially diverse group of people, a greater percentage of Pennsylvania residents, and more first-generation college students than its flagship at University Park. 1/

There's still time to register for our (free!) event tomorrow night about Penn State, transparency, journalism, and whatever else you'd like to discuss.

In September 2023, Bucktail Medical Center was on the verge of shutting down, a closure that would make the closest emergency room an hour's drive away. But thanks to a $1 million state grant, the rural hospital has a future, for now.

A core memory of my childhood is balmy summer nights, shooting hoops outside with Uecker on the radio until it got so dark that the AM radio feed cut out. Those were some bad Brewers teams that Ueck still made fun.

Bob Uecker. RIP.

Registration is open!

The case could, for the first time, result in the public gaining access to emails between the legislators who make laws and the lobbyists who try to influence them.

This. This is why local journalism matters.