State Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola of Susquehanna Twp. (Dauphin County) has been named to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) Board of Governors.

The 20-member board has overall responsibility for planning and coordinating the development and operation of the State System. The governors establish broad fiscal, personnel and educational policies under which the 14 PASSHE universities operate.

The Board comprises 11 members who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, four legislators, three students, the governor or his designee and the secretary of education or his designee. Senator Piccola was appointed to the Board by Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph P. Scarnati III to replace the late Senator James J. Rhoades, who had served on the Board since 2001.

Piccola, who was named chairman of the Senate Education Committee in January, has served in the Senate since 1995. He is a member of the Community, Economic and Recreational Development, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Judiciary and Rules and Executive Nominations committees. He served as Senate majority whip, the third ranking Republican in the chamber, from 2001 to 2006. He previously served in the House of Representatives for 19 years.

“As the new chairman of the Education Committee, I look forward to working closely with the Board of Governors and the entire PASSHE,” Sen. Piccola said. “Together we can meet the many challenges before higher education, including making a post secondary degree affordable to all students.”

Piccola is a graduate of Gettysburg College and the George Washington University School of Law.

He served on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Academic Standards, helping to establish new academic standards for Pennsylvania’s public schools. He also authored the “Education Empowerment Act,” landmark legislation designed to assist poorly performing school districts in the state, and was a leader in creating the South Central Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Program, Inc., a scholarship organization that provides tuition assistance to families in the region.

The Board of Governors originally comprised 16 members. Four legislators were added to the Board in 1988. Legislative members of the Board are appointed by the party caucus leaders in each chamber of the Legislature.

Other legislators serving on the Board are Senator Vincent J. Hughes of Philadelphia, Representative Michael K. Hanna of Lock Haven and Representative Matthew E. Baker of Wellsboro.

Other members of the Board of Governors are Chairman Kenneth M. Jarin of Newtown; Vice Chairs C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni of Bryn Mawr and Aaron A. Walton of Allison Park; Larry L. Brink, Uniontown; Jessica E. Carson, Quarryville; Marie Conley Lammando, Harrisburg; Paul S. Dlugolecki, Mechanicsburg; Daniel P. Elby, York; Ryan R. Jericho Canonsburg; Kim E. Lyttle, Indiana; Guido M. Pichini, Wyomissing; Governor Edward G. Rendell; Christine J. Toretti, Indiana; and Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak. There are two vacancies.

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.