Jul 23, 2022 3 min read

Fresh from a funding boost from Harrisburg and the merger of six of its campuses, the board of governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) outlined plans for the next phase of its redesign of the system Thursday.

The primary goal? Boosting enrollment substantially.

“We can rebuild,” said Daniel Greenstein, PASSHE’s chancellor, at the board’s meeting. “We can reinvigorate. We can reinvest.”

Declining enrollment over the last decade is a large part of the reason the campus that was once known as California University of Pennsylvania now goes by the name PennWest California, following its official merger on July 1 with Edinboro and Clarion universities to form Pennsylvania Western University. Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Mansfield universities in the northeastern part of the state also merged to form Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. In the next three years, Greenstein said the system should try to increase enrollment by 20% in order to help close a skills gap in Pennsylvania. He explained that 60% of jobs in the state require a higher-education credential, but only 50% of working-age Pennsylvanians have one.

“It’s not about us,” he said. “It’s about the state, our owner.”

Finding those students might prove challenging, given demographic trends that will see the number of high school graduates decline over the next few years. Greenstein suggested PASSHE campuses need to strengthen ties to high schools and community colleges, and increase online offerings so that adult students looking to get degrees or boost their skills can enroll. He also pointed out that 37% of students who enroll in the state system don’t graduate, and improving retention and graduation rates should be a key goal.

“We’re at a watershed moment, where we have what so many of us fought so hard for and worked so hard to accomplish,” Greenstein said.

The merger of the campuses was one component of a three-phase redesign plan announced in 2017. The first two phases centered on stabilizing university finances, the university integration, and securing additional state funding. The system met the third goal this month with a $75 million increase in its funding in the state’s 2022-23 budget. It also received $125 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. This is allowing the system to freeze tuition for the fourth year in a row.

Officials are describing the third phase of the redesign as “the most impactful,” with its focus on expanding enrollment and completing work toward a degree. The five priorities of the third phase are:

n Expanding student opportunities and improving student outcomes.

n Increasing affordability by increasing financial aid, enhancing partnerships with employers, and more.

n Making sure universities are financially viable.

n Seeking increased state funding and expanding Harrisburg’s funding of direct-to-student aid.

n Supporting the professional development of faculty and staff.

Cindy Shapira, who chairs the PASSHE’s board, said in a news release, “This is an exciting moment for the future of higher education and the students we serve in Pennsylvania. Higher education across the country is evolving, and Pennsylvania’s State System universities are adapting to it. This innovative new phase of our system redesign will expand opportunities for students to help them enroll, succeed, graduate, and enjoy rewarding careers in Pennsylvania while strengthening the universities for the future.”