PennWest announces intent to transfer Venango satellite campus to Oil Region Alliance

VENANGO, Pa. — Pennsylvania Western University, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution made from the 2022 merger of Clarion, Edinboro and California universities, has announced its intent to transfer ownership of its Venango satellite campus.

The Venango campus is a part of PennWest Clarion and is located in Oil City. It sits on 65 acres and currently only serves students training to be nurses in the Associate of Science in Nursing program. According to PennWest, enrollment at the Venango campus declined from 450 students in fall 2001 to 95 in fall 2023.

PennWest is looking to transfer ownership of the property to the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism, the nonprofit organization that manages the assets of the federally designated Oil Region National Heritage Area. The transfer is contingent upon approval from PASSHE’s Board of Governors and the state legislature. The ORA said that it plans to utilize the property to “further its mission of heritage preservation, economic development, recreation, tourism and arts revitalization.” It will host job training programs on the site and continue to support the Venango Conservation Hall of Fame in the campus’ Rhoades Center and the Barbara Morgan Harvey Center for the Study of Oil Heritage in the Charles L. Suhr Library.