Harrisburg – Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Chancellor John C. Cavanaugh has been appointed to the State Higher Education Executive Officers’ (SHEEO) Federal Relations Committee.

The appointment was announced by Reginald L. Robinson, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents and chair of SHEEO’s executive committee. SHEEO is a national organization that represents public college and university systems and coordinating boards for postsecondary education.

The Federal Relations Committee will be responsible for shaping SHEEO’s federal priorities and strategies and leading its communications with the Congress and the next presidential administration during the transition period and over the next four years. The committee will pursue the implementation of the recommendations outlined in an open letter SHEEO sent to the presidential candidates this past year.

The SHEEO letter urged the candidates running for president to “clearly and explicitly commit your campaign and your administration to reestablishing and sustaining a higher education system that is second to no other nation in its quality and productivity” in order to meet a growing demand for postsecondary education in the labor market and increasing global competition for higher wage jobs. It provides specific recommendations for federal policy and outlines the state responsibilities that are essential for meeting these national priorities.

“While both the states and federal government are clearly challenged by current economic conditions, our long-term prosperity and national security depend, more than ever, on the knowledge and skills of the American people,” said SHEEO President Paul Lingenfelter. “A strong, effective partnership between the states and the federal government in higher education is essential to our future. I am grateful to each member of SHEEO who has agreed to serve on this committee.”

David E. Skaggs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, will serve as committee chair, and James H. McCormick, chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System and former PASSHE chancellor, will serve as vice chair.

Others who will serve on the committee are Reed Dasenbrock of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, Robert Donley of the Iowa Board of Regents, Judy Erwin of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Glen D. Johnson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Daniel J. LaVista of the Virginia State Council of Higher Education, Michael P. Meotti of the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, Kevin P. Reilly of the University of Wisconsin System and James O. Rose of the Wyoming Community College Commission.

Now in its 25^th year, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with more than 112,500 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 405,000 PASSHE 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. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.