New Cal U interim president to steer consolidation
Jul. 15—In their first move toward building a consolidated mega school comprising California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, the board of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has named Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson interim president of Cal U.
Her appointment Wednesday places Pehrsson, who joined the State System as president of Clarion University in 2018, at the helm of the three schools that will work toward accreditation as a single unit by fall 2022.
Pehrsson, who also became interim president of Edinboro in late 2020, has been involved in discussions leading up to Wednesday's vote for more than a year. She served as lead president in that effort, even as others were at the helm at California and Edinboro.
"I am proud to lead Cal U into a new era of service to the students, employers and communities of southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond," Pehrsson said. "Strong academics, a beautiful campus and a heartfelt commitment to student success — California has it all. I look forward to getting to know the Cal U community even better, and I can't wait to welcome our students when classes begin in August."
Pehrsson's appointment as interim president at Cal U is effective Aug. 1. It was among the first orders of business for the State System board of governors, following their vote to approve consolidating six struggling state-owned universities into two mega schools — one in Western Pennsylvania and one consisting of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities in the state's northeastern tier.
The consolidation plan is an effort to strengthen and grow the three state-owned universities that have struggled with declining enrollment and increasing tuition over the last decade.
The plan calls for the each of the campuses that have anchored their communities since about the time of the Civil War to remain open. Under the new configuration, they will operate under a single president and administration with a local executive in each campus.
Among the first order of duties facing leaders of the mega schools are approving new names for the two unified institutions, integrating a broad array of curricular offerings across the campuses, and acquiring accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. They also are seeking approval from the NCAA to continue with a full array of athletics at each campus.
Pehrsson succeeds Robert Thorn, who has served as Cal U's interim president since the retirement of longtime president Geraldine Jones. Thorn, a veteran Cal U administrator, will remain with the school as senior vice president and chief operations officer and will serve on the presidential cabinet for implementation of the consolidation plan.
Pehrsson, a New York City native, has had a multi-faceted career. A brief biography released with the announcement of her new appointment noted she has been a business owner, nurse, hospital administrator, mental health counselor, career counselor, college professor, university dean and university president.
Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at 724-850-1209, derdley@triblive.com or via Twitter .
