The Pennsylvania State Senate has adopted a resolution recognizing the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) for “25 years of significant work in this Commonwealth.”

PASSHE was created by the Legislature in November 1982 and began operations on July 1, 1983, bringing together the 13 former state colleges and Indiana University of Pennsylvania under a unified System. All former normal schools, then teachers colleges, the 14 PASSHE institutions are now comprehensive universities, together offering high-quality degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.

The PASSHE 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 Oil City (Clarion), Clearfield (Lock Haven) and Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), as well as several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.

The universities combined enroll more than 110,000 students, making PASSHE the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with the lowest cost among all four-year institutions in Pennsylvania. Nearly 90 percent of PASSHE students are Pennsylvania residents. Approximately 405,000 of PASSHE’s more than 650,000 alumni live and work in Pennsylvania, earning an aggregate annual income of more than $7 billion, contributing significantly to both the regional and statewide economies.