the largest private-sector plant closings and mass layoffs of the previous decade in Pennsylvania."
=== Western Integration ===
On April 23, 2021, the Board of Governors approved the proposed west and northeast integration plans, and initiated a 60-day comment period. The vote was 17–2.
On April 28, 2021, a 60-day public comment period commenced, this public comment period was for both Western Integration and Northeast Integration, which was being carried out concurrently. On July 7, 2021, a revised plan was released for Western Integration. This revised plan was ultimately adopted by the Board of Governors during the July 14 meeting. This comment period saw a largely negative reaction to the proposal, with concerns raised about the impact rebranding universities would have on degrees, a lack of understanding why the six universities had been chosen over other universities in the system for merging, concerns about the increased inclusion of online classes in courses and difficulty in understanding how the proposed …
