Editing Commonwealth University-Lock Haven (section)

==History==
LHU was founded in 1870 as the '''Central State Normal School'''. By 1927 it was known as the '''State Teachers College in Lock Haven''' and in 1960 the name was changed to '''Lock Haven State College'''. In 1983, the school joined the [[Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education]] (PASSHE) and became known as '''Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania'''. The Clearfield campus in [[Clearfield, Pennsylvania]] was established in 1989.

LHU's previous president [[Craig Dean Willis]] retired from Lock Haven in 2004. The vacancy left by Willis was promptly filled by [[Keith T. Miller]]. Upon Miller's departure, Barbara Dixon, former president of [[Truman State University]] was appointed Interim President in 2010.<ref>[http://www.passhe.edu/executive/systemrelations/Communications/media/Pages/nrd.aspx?q=434] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527094114/http://www.passhe.edu/executive/systemrelations/Communications/media/Pages/nrd.aspx?q=434|date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> In 2011, Michael Fiorentino, Jr. became the president, until his retirement in 2018. The current president of Lock Haven University is [[Robert Pignatello]].

In July 2021, Pennsylvania higher education officials announced that Lock Haven would merge with [[Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania|Bloomsburg]] and [[Mansfield University of Pennsylvania|Mansfield]] Universities in response to financial difficulties and declining enrollment, and each institution would represent a campus of a single university.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Susan |title=In unanimous vote, state system merges Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield; California, Clarion and Edinboro universities |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-state-university-merger-20210714-k4n6g4uto5hgndsfbvuyaidqzm-story.html |website=Call.com |date=July 14, 2021 |publisher=The Morning Call/Tribune News Service |access-date=August 8, 2021 }}</ref> In March 2022, the new institution was created to oversee the three universities, and was named the [[Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania]]. This consolidation was different from the PASSHE consolidation in Western Pennsylvania that also took place in July 2022, which saw the former California, Clarion, and Edinboro universities become campuses of the new [[Pennsylvania Western University]] and adopt the academic brand name of "PennWest ''Location''". By contrast, "Commonwealth University" is not being used as a public-facing brand.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Jan |title=Three Pa. state universities are given a new name that surprisingly wasn't already taken |url=https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/03/three-pa-state-universities-are-given-a-new-name-that-surprisingly-wasnt-already-taken.html |access-date=March 8, 2022 |work=[[pennlive]] |date=March 2, 2022 |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitford |first1=Emma |title=Pa. System Picks New Name for Consolidated Universities |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/04/pa-system-picks-new-name-consolidated-universities |access-date=March 8, 2022 |work=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |date=March 4, 2022 |language=en }}</ref>

In January 2025, Commonwealth University announced that the Clearfield campus would close by the end of the 2026{{En dash}}27 academic year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth University campus in Clearfield closing |url=https://www.sungazette.com/uncategorized/2025/01/commonwealth-university-campus-in-clearfield-closing/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=[[Williamsport Sun-Gazette]] |language=en-US}}</ref>