Margo Dellicarpini, the chancellor of Penn State’s commonwealth campuses, will leave her position at the end of June to serve as provost of The College of New Jersey.
Her departure will come just weeks after Penn State’s planned announcement on branch campus closures. Ms. Dellicarpini is currently co-leading a study to determine which campuses will shutter.
In a news release, Ms. Dellicarpini attributed her departure to her desire to be closer to family. It is “difficult to say goodbye,” she said.
“Leaving Penn State is bittersweet, as I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside talented colleagues and dedicated students who make this institution so special. I am proud of what we have accomplished together in advancing student success, academic excellence and community engagement,” Ms. DelliCarpini said in the release.
“...I will always be grateful for my time at Penn State and I look forward to seeing the future commonwealth campus ecosystem being in a position to foster opportunity and supporting student growth across the university.”
Ms. Dellicarpini became Penn State’s vice president for commonwealth campuses and executive chancellor in October 2023. Prior to that, she had served as dean and chancellor of the Penn State Abington campus in Montgomery County since 2021.
During her year-and-a-half tenure as chancellor, the branch campuses have undergone significant changes. In July, Penn State leaders slashed $49 million from the commonwealth campuses’ 2025-26 budget, dropping it to $340 million. They announced in February that they plan to trim an additional $25 million from the campuses in 2026-27.
Also over the summer, Penn State offered a buyout accepted by two in 10 eligible branch campus faculty and staff, and combined leadership at 11 campuses in an effort to reduce costs.
In January, Ms. Dellicarpini told faculty senators that Penn State’s current ecosystem was “not sustainable.” She said the university was exploring “creative avenues” to keep the ecosystem “vibrant,” including dual enrollment pathways and economic and workforce development hubs.
But just weeks later, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi announced that 12 of the university’s 19 satellite campuses — including every campus in the Pittsburgh region — were at risk of closure. Ms. Bendapudi attributed this decision to campus enrollment declines, projected drops in Pennsylvania’s college-aged population, and what she sees as a lack of funding from the state.
Penn State leaders will determine which campuses will close by the end of the spring semester.
At The College of New Jersey, Ms. Dellicarpini will lead academic affairs and manage resource allocation. The public university, which borders Trenton, enrolls 7,400 full-time undergraduate students.
She will begin her tenure there July 1.
“Dr. DelliCarpini will be a stalwart leader of our extraordinary faculty and a wonderful partner for the college’s leadership team,” college President Michael Bernstein said in a news release. “She possesses impeccable academic credentials, brings an impressive record of academic administrative leadership, and has a strong appreciation for the teacher-scholar model.”
A first-generation college student, Ms. DelliCarpini holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics, master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a doctorate in linguistics from Stony Brook University in New York.
Prior to taking Penn State Abington’s helm in 2021, she served as a vice provost and dean at the University of Texas at San Antonio, professor and dean at Morehead State University in Kentucky, and professor at Lehman College in New York.
First Published: March 25, 2025, 6:24 p.m.
Updated: March 26, 2025, 2:44 p.m.
