June 25, 2012

Higher education report card highlights three PASSHE programs

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

The report card prepared by the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, specifically mentions in the Pennsylvania section of the report PA Universities Online, which serves as a portal for online courses and programs offered by the 14 PASSHE universities; the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center, which provides students a course equivalency guide for transferring individual courses; and PASSHE’s nationally recognized performance-funding program. The three highlighted PASSHE initiatives are included in the report’s sections on policy environment and innovation.

Pennsylvania’s grades range from A to F in the report. It takes into account pricing policies and initiatives not only of the 14 PASSHE universities, but also of the four state-related universities – Penn State, Temple and Lincoln universities and the University of Pittsburgh – and their branch campuses and the state’s 14 community colleges.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 120,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000 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.