This article is about the private college in Pennsylvania. For the private school in Texas, see Keystone School. For the private school in Beijing, see Keystone Academy.
Keystone College
Former names
Keystone Academy (1868–1934) Scranton-Keystone Junior College (1934–1944) Keystone Junior College (1944–1995)
Although the college's official mailing address is La Plume, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County, much of the campus is in Factoryville in Wyoming County. It was founded in 1868 and enrolls approximately 1,200 students in around 40 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In May 2024, following over a decade of enrollment and revenue decreases, the college' accreditor, by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), issued the college a "show-cause order" requiring the college to prove compliance with its accreditation standards by August 1 or have its accreditation withdrawn.[1]
History
Keystone Academy was founded in 1868 by John Howard Harris. The academy was originally chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1868, with instruction beginning the following year in the local Baptist church in Factoryville. At the time it was chartered, Keystone Academy was the only high school between Binghamton, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania. Louis Arthur Watres was a longtime trustee of Keystone Military Academy, and was one of the leaders who transformed the school into Scranton-Keystone Junior College in 1934.[2]Laurence Hawley Watres succeeded his father as a trustee, and remained on the board until 1962, when he was designated a trustee emeritus.[2] In 1944, the name was shortened to Keystone Junior College. The current name Keystone College was adopted in 1995.
In the 2010s and 2020s, the college experienced significant drops in enrollment and revenue. In 2012 the college enrolled 1,683 students but a decade later it enrolled 1,131 students.
In early 2024, the college explored a merger with the Washington Institute for Education and Research (WIER), a Washington, D.C. non-profit organization, but the deal fell apart. Shortly thereafter, the college's accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), issued the college a "show-cause order," requiring the college to prove compliance with its accreditation standards by August 1 or have its accreditation withdrawn. The college has already provided MSCHE with a teach-out plan that described how students can complete their degree programs if the college closes.[1] On June 25, 2024, the college laid off 29 faculty and staff and closed three programs with low enrollments.[4] In August 2024, the college announced it had signed a merger agreement with the Washington Institute for Education and Research, whereby Keystone would become a subsidiary of WIER.[5][6]
Campus
Sickler Hall
Keystone's scenic 276-acre (1.1 km2) campus, located at the gateway to the Endless Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, features hiking trails and a freshwater stream. The campus is 15 miles northwest of Scranton on U.S. Routes 6 and 11, and is located in both Lackawanna and Wyoming counties.
Woodlands Campus
Keystone's 170-acre Woodlands Campus features approximately seven miles of hiking trails that are open to students and the public seven days a week from dawn until dusk.[7]
Academics
Keystone College offers more than 50 degree options at the undergraduate and graduate levels in several academic programs within two schools. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
