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State University Enrollments Continue to Drop

Pennsylvania state universities are experiencing an ongoing decline in enrollment, with a drop of 2.3 percent, from 109,606 in September 2014, to 107,126 this fall.

The situation is even more worrying when considering the trend over the last 5 years which has shown an overall decline of 10 percent from a high of 119,513 in 2010. West Chester University is the exception, increasing enrollment by 15 percent since 2010.

This has caused Chancellor Frank Brogan to use his annual State of the System address to sound a warning that the state university system must become more creative and innovative if it is to survive and meet the changing needs of students in an era of declining enrollment.

“We must be willing to challenge every assumption in order to ensure a sustainable future for each of our 14 universities within the system,” said Brogan. “We must innovate and collaborate to achieve greater efficiencies as we work to deliver Pennsylvania’s best value in higher education.”

Cottage Industries Offers Innovative Design Build Process Improvements

Cottage Industries, the full-service residential design and construction company has announced significant improvements to its design build process to give its customers a more streamlined experience.

The process enhances all services which are offered by the company, starting with the initial in-home consultation which leads to the development of a design proposal that outlines the client’s goals, design steps to be followed, and ballpark cost among other things.

With the plan in place, the construction proposal is then drafted, and when signed by all parties, construction begins. A punch list to ensure no detail has been overlooked and the timing schedule is also provided to the client.

“These procedures allow the client to take steps that are comfortable and incremental to achieve their goals for the home,” said Adam Sherman, co-founder of Cottage Industries. “Every project receives hands on treatment, as a home is a family’s commitment to their future, thus excellence is required.”

Section of Route 41 to be Closed Due to PennDOT Bridge Project

A $7.5 million project to rehabilitate two bridges on Route 41 (Gap Newport Pike) in Atglen Borough and West Fallowfield and West Sadsbury townships will begin construction on October 20.

The Route 41 bridges stand approximately 850 feet apart and carry an average of 13,412 vehicles per day, 27 percent of which are trucks.

During construction, which is scheduled to finish in December, Route 41 will be closed and detoured between Route 10 (Limestone Road/Church Street/Octorara Trail) and U.S. 30 (Lincoln Highway), with local access maintained to the impacted area.

PennDOT will place upgraded traffic signals and modified intersections along the detour route before the bridge construction project begins, to ensure smooth traffic flow for heavy trucks and other vehicles.

Bentley Systems Names Florence Zheng Its First Chief Talent Officer

Exton based Bentley Systems has announced Florence Zheng as its new Chief Talent Officer. Zheng has been promoted to the newly created position at the infrastructure software solutions provider from her position as Vice President for Talent Management.

In her new job Zheng will be primarily responsible for talent management and development as well as overseeing the company’s global human resources functions to ensure they are aligned with Bentley’s overall talent management strategy.

“Talent management and talent development are fundamental to our company’s ongoing success, as well as to the success of each of our colleagues around the globe,” said Bentley’s CEO, Greg Bentley. “Florence has the knowledge, experience, and leadership skills needed to help us realize and leverage the full potential of our company’s industry-leading colleague advantage.”

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Top picture courtesy of the Chester County Planning Commission.