State System of Higher Education Chancellor James H. McCormick today joined with officials from Luzerne County Community College to announce the creation of a consortium to operate the Regional Higher Education Center for Northumberland County in Shamokin.

State System universities and Luzerne County Community College will jointly offer academic programs out of the new center. Initially, Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg Universities of Pennsylvania will participate in the consortium. Other universities could offer programs in the future, coordinated by the System’s Educational Resources Group.

The consortium already enjoys wide public support, including that of Rep. Robert E. Belfanti Jr., Sen. Edward Helfrick and the Northumberland County Commissioners, all of whom contributed to its formation.

McCormick praised the collaborative nature of the center.

“The State System is about access to high quality, affordable education for all Pennsylvania citizens,” he said. “It is a great privilege to be associated here in Northumberland County with our colleagues from Luzerne County Community College in helping to fulfill that mission.”

The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 350,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.