April 25, 2022
State System Chancellor to Highlight Promises Kept During Legislative Hearings
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Chancellor Dan Greenstein
will discuss how the System of state-owned universities has fulfilled its commitments
to the legislature and the Wolf administration during two legislative hearings this
week related to university integrations.
Achievements in the past six weeks:
Froze in-state tuition for a record fourth consecutive year.
Secured approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee to allow the integrating
universities of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield in the northeast and California,
Clarion, and Edinboro in the west to offer a full complement of athletic programs
on each campus.
Secured approval from the institutional accrediting agency, Middle States Commission
on Higher Education, for the integrating universities’ plans. Accreditation assures
students, families, and communities the universities provide a high-quality education
when students enroll their first class in August.
“The State System is keeping our promises to the General Assembly to redesign our
System, and that process is delivering positive results for our students and Pennsylvania’s
workforce,” said Chancellor Greenstein. “In the past six weeks, the integrating universities
accomplished two major goals with approvals from the NCAA and our institutional accreditor.
Plus, the Board of Governors voted to freeze tuition at all System universities, because
with all of the other rising costs in our economy, middle- and low-income families
that rely on the State System should not have to worry about paying more for tuition
at a public university.”
To offset the need of a tuition increase, the board last October requested $550 million
from the state, as well as $201 million in direct-to-student aid and at least $75
million of the remaining $150 million in federal funding the General Assembly and
governor have committed to continue the robust transformation of state-owned universities.
There is a critical shortage of well-educated workers that Pennsylvania’s employers
need to thrive. The State System is redesigning to fill that gap, and additional state
funding is needed to maintain the tuition freeze. All Pennsylvanians deserve access
to a quality and affordable higher education that will strengthen our economy.
Basic tuition for in-state undergraduate students at the System's universities has
been $7,716 for the last three years.
Pennsylvania ranks 46th in the nation in terms of investment per student in state-owned,
four-year universities, and state funding has declined 35% ($252 million) from 2000/01
when adjusted for inflation.
Today, six in ten jobs require a college degree or credential, but only 51 percent
of Pennsylvania workers have that education. That talent gap is experienced across
health care, information technology, education, and other vital industries and leaves
businesses unable to hire the talented people they need to succeed.
Public higher education is an engine of workforce development. System universities
work closely with local employers, and last year created 23 new degree programs and
60 new certificate programs to address workforce needs. They conferred nearly 24,000
degrees and certificates in high-demand areas like STEM, health, business, and education.
The State System is also controlling costs, trimming $173 million in operating costs
and forgoing at least $63 million through the three years of tuition freezes, all
while investing $100 million in student aid from the universities.
According to a study last year, State System universities contributed $4 billion in
economic impact to Pennsylvania, representing $8.30 for every dollar of state funds.
More than 800,000 System alumni live in Pennsylvania, and most state-owned universities
are among the largest employers in their communities.
The
Joint House Appropriations and Education Committee meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 26 and the Joint Senate Appropriations and Education Committee meeting is 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 27. The hearings are required by Act 50 of 2020,
which authorized the State System redesign.
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Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education oversees 14 four-year public universities
educating more than 93,000 students across the Commonwealth. The State System offers
more than 2,300 degrees and certificates in more than 530 academic areas.