A newly formed two-year state community college serving nine counties in northern Pennsylvania could offer classes for students in fall of 2016.

The Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania has been several years in the making. It would serve Cameron, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Potter, Venango and Warren counties, most of which do not have a community college.

“We’re still pretty early in the planning stages,” said Mary Jo White, chairman of the college’s board of trustees and a former state senator who served in Butler County. “It’s an exciting prospect.”

During her time as a senator, White said she saw what a difference a community college made in an area and wants to share that opportunity to underserved Pennsylvanians.

“Butler County was the only one of my six counties (I served) that had a community college,” she said. “I realize what an asset that is to the community.”

The Rural Regional college does not have a definitive central location.

It also would overlap with Butler County Community College’s newest satellite campus, BC3 @ Brockway, which serves students in Clarion, Clearfield, Elk and Jefferson counties. That campus opened in late 2013.

Nick Neupauer, BC3 president, said a new college in that vicinity provides more opportunities for potential collaboration.

“I see it as a very big complement to what we do at BC3 @ Brockway,” Neupauer said. “There’s no reason why we couldn’t collaborate.”

A plan is still in the works for Rural Regional College leaders to submit to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the school to receive approval and accreditation.

White said she anticipates establishing partnerships at several educational entities to provide services to such a large area. And she’s spoken to Neupauer about that.

“Dr. Neupauer seems very supportive,” she said. “Most community colleges have a footprint, and you need a pretty big footprint to cover these nine counties.”