Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (LHU) is a public university in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The main campus consists of and the branch campus covers . It offers 69 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs.
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 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. 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 and Mansfield Universities in response to financial difficulties and declining enrollment, and each institution would represent a campus of a single university. 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.
Campus
The campus covers on the western side of the city of Lock Haven. The university owns another at the LHU Clearfield Campus and at the Sieg Conference Center. University property also includes a new East Campus in the former Lock Haven High School building.
Residence halls
LHU has five traditional residence halls, one hall of suites and one apartment building. * = Halls that are scheduled to be demolished.
Academic buildings
Akeley Hall, completed in 1930, is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It was originally constructed as a laboratory school but now houses the Computer Science, Accounting and Management Department as well as many computer labs.
Sullivan Hall was originally constructed as a library in 1938, and was demolished in 2016 and replaced with an amphitheater. The three-story structure housed The Office of the President, Offices for the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice President of Student Affairs, and the Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Technology, Housing, Social Equity, Cultural Diversity, Institutional Research, and Planning and Assessment and The Linda J. Emanuel Teaching and Learning Center.
The main building of Ulmer Hall, renovated in 1996, was constructed in 1952 and contains laboratories for the natural and earth sciences and classrooms. A building addition in 1969 added a greenhouse, planetarium, additional classrooms, laboratories and research facilities. A four-million dollar renovation was completed in 2014 to transfer many services to the building such as the ROTC program, the Registrar's Office and Financial Aid, as well as Counseling Services. Ulmer Hall also houses the executive suite which includes the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management.
Russell Hall was originally constructed as a residence hall and was the last single-sex residence hall on campus, housing women only until it was renovated to house administrative offices. It has been recently demolished and replaced by a green space which is part of the University Commons encompassing the space that previously also included Sullivan Hall. Raub Hall was completed in 1964.