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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Exactly 79 days into his job, Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Dale Jones was cautious in suggesting specific plans for the campus during a breakfast event Wednesday, but he did offer one deal in the works: an agreement with Luzerne County Community College that would let LCCC graduates continue their work toward a bachelor&#8217;s degree at any Penn State campus.</p><p>He also offered a general ambition: Give students cause to linger longer on a bucolic and isolated campus that has no student housing.</p><p>&#8220;We already enjoy the campus,&#8221; Jones said during the keynote speech of the campus&#8217; Executive Management Series breakfast at the Westmoreland Club. &#8220;I want us to super-enjoy it.&#8221;</p><p>Jones took over as chancellor and chief academic officer Jan. 16, and during his speech he stressed &#8220;my primary objective has been to listen and observe,&#8221; rather than to come across as already having all the answers.</p><p>He gave a list of challenges institutions of higher education are all facing, including shifting demographics that result in fewer high school graduates, more students coming to college unprepared, escalating student debt and growing demand for accountability in higher education</p><p>He also mentioned the decline in state and federal money for higher education, and the need for schools to raise more money from alumni and other donors &#8212; a cause that should be an easy economic sell.</p><p>&#8220;When donors support Penn State Wilkes-Barre they are also investing in the local labor force, economic development activities and enrichment opportunities that make our community stronger.&#8221;</p><p>Jones touted Penn State&#8217;s investment in the area, highlighting the Invest Penn State initiative set up to increase technology businesses statewide, including money for Wilkes-Barre Connect in the basement of the former Woolworth building on Main Street, which gives start-ups access to various services including equipment for video conferences around the world.</p><p>And while he talked only broadly about plans for the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus, he did stress a desire to keep students &#8212; all commuters &#8212; want to stay on the grounds longer.</p><p>Asked after the breakfast, he said student housing &#8212; an obvious, if costly way to get them stay on campus &#8212; is not in the foreseeable future, but that he believes the campus can bring in more speakers and performers, and possibly increase program offerings and extra-curricular activities.</p><p>Schools &#8220;need to rethink some of the traditional approaches to higher education,&#8221; he said, suggesting more flexible offerings for non-traditional students, and possible consolidation where it makes sense.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Dale Jones spoke at the campus&#8217; Executive Management Series breakfast at the Westmoreland Club on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL-04062017-jones-mg-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Dale Jones spoke at the campus&#8217; Executive Management Series breakfast at the Westmoreland Club on Wednesday. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL-04062017-jones-mg-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jones discussed ways to keep Penn State Wilkes-Barre students on the Lehman Township campus longer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL-04062017-jones-mg-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jones discussed ways to keep Penn State Wilkes-Barre students on the Lehman Township campus longer. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL-04062017-jones-mg-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Guests at the Westmoreland Club, including Robert Edgerton, left, were on hand to greet Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Dale Jones. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL-04062017-jones-mg-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Guests at the Westmoreland Club, including Robert Edgerton, left, were on hand to greet Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Dale Jones. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

New Penn State W-B chancellor wants to entice students to stay on campus more