黑料专区

As a very young girl, Cynthia Shapira, the daughter of a dentist father and a traditional homemaker mother, was certain that girls could do anything boys could do. And academic achievement was a high priority in her home growing up.

鈥淥ur parents placed the highest expectations on me, and on my brothers,鈥� she said. Report cards were scrutinized; parent-teacher conferences solemnly attended. Cindy loved school and took it seriously鈥攖o the point where her parents, concerned that she was a bit too zealous about grades, once offered her a dollar for every 鈥淐鈥� she would bring home.

鈥淚 declined the offer,鈥� she says.

Her dad encouraged her to become a dental hygienist. It was a great profession, but Saturdays and summer vacations spent in her father鈥檚 dental office, assisting him at the chair, didn鈥檛 convince her.

Ms. Shapira had other ideas鈥攈er love of history, culture, and politics driving her to other pursuits.

Years later, after graduating from top-level east coast universities, she applied for a prestigious internship program in Washington, D.C., and was accepted. Then she interviewed with the CIA鈥攂etter fitting her passion for government work鈥攚ith an eye toward foreign service.

鈥淚 had a great interview at Langley and was offered a job right on the spot,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut my parents said no鈥攖his was only five years after Watergate. I was 22鈥擨 listened to my parents in those days.鈥�

So she took a management-consulting job with Peat Marwick (now KPMG) in its public service division instead, and soon was working on some groundbreaking initiatives that eventually brought her into contact with the world of higher education. In July, she was elected chair of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education; the fifth in its history, the first woman.

Ms. Shapira's career journey began in the nation鈥檚 capital, a long way from her childhood home in southern California. Shapira's career journey began in the nation鈥檚 capital, a long way from her childhood home in southern California.

鈥淢y parents were born and raised in Pittsburgh. My mother was second generation; my father a first-generation American,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y father鈥檚 parents didn鈥檛 speak much English鈥攈e actually didn鈥檛 learn English until he started public school in Pittsburgh.

鈥淗e was the first in his family to go on to higher education. For him, college was the opportunity to learn a profession and escape from poverty. He went to the University of Pittsburgh and then Pitt Dental School on scholarships. He believed that the highest thing you could achieve was to be a professional.

鈥淗e paved the way for his two younger brothers, who also attended Pitt and became pharmacists. My mother graduated from Pitt with highest honors and was one of the few women in her class accepted into law school鈥攚hich she turned down to get married. I think she always regretted not going to law school.鈥�

Ms. Shapira鈥檚 parents relocated to Carmel, California, when her father was drafted as an Army dentist, and decided they weren鈥檛 going back to Pittsburgh.

鈥淭hey wanted to stay in Carmel, but in those days it was 鈥榬estricted鈥欌�擩ewish people couldn鈥檛 buy houses in many neighborhoods. My father couldn鈥檛 get a dental practice started. So, they moved to Los Angeles. Their priority was to keep 鈥榯rading up鈥� as my father became more successful so that we kids could attend public schools with the best reputations.鈥�

When it was time for college, Ms. Shapira decided she wanted to head east, even though she had never been farther in that direction than Flagstaff, Arizona.

鈥淚 applied to Wellesley and Smith (colleges), and I managed to get in,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ack then your parents didn鈥檛 necessarily take you to college and settle you in. I got on a plane from L.A. to Boston and somehow found my way to the Wellesley campus some 16 miles away that night. I was so late that I missed orientation.鈥�

鈥淭hat education was a privilege and a gift from my parents,鈥� she pointed out.

After graduating from Wellesley with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, she enrolled in Harvard University鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government, then was accepted into the first class of the President鈥檚 Management Internship Program, which was created to encourage bright, young graduate students to go into government service. The first class included about 200 members from across the country.

鈥淵ou had a choice of different agencies to go into. I wanted to work for the CIA,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would have been a great spy.鈥�

Going to work at KMPG turned out to be fascinating. One of Shapira鈥檚 first major projects involved studying the role of the federal government in regulating day care and funding pre-school.

鈥淚t was a few years after Head Start, but the general area of early childhood care and education was still somewhat unchartered,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter that, I was assigned to a project working with a really fascinating man by the name of Dr. Fenwick W. English. He was a former public school superintendent who came up with the idea that鈥攋ust as you could do a financial audit of a school system鈥攜ou could also do a performance audit.

鈥淲hat is the school system supposed to do, or produce, and what is it actually doing? What should be the student outcomes? What is the gap between the two? How do you map together the curriculum鈥攚hat is actually being taught in the classroom, and how the students are performing鈥攖o promote the best results?鈥�

It was groundbreaking work that sent her all over the country.

She met her first husband, a neurologist and Pittsburgh native, and moved to Pittsburgh. Later, divorced for many years, she met her husband of almost nine years, David Shapira. Her passion for government service, civic engagement and the community led her to become a very active volunteer, including currently serving as chair of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Federation.

She also serves or has served as a board member of Brandeis University, the Allegheny County Airport Authority, the United Way, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Pittsburgh Promise and Point Park University, among others. She served as vice-chair of Governor Tom Wolf鈥檚 Transition Team.

鈥淲e have such a vibrant community benefit sector that exists not to make profit, but to better life for everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love this work because it serves a really important purpose in our country. It creates tremendous opportunities for partnerships among government, community organizations, foundations and the private sector鈥攖o invest in people.鈥�

Governor Wolf appointed Ms. Shapira to the Board of Governors in December 2015. Six months later, she was elected chair.

While she has plenty of experience in higher education鈥攈aving worked in the past with public university systems in Georgia, Massachusetts and North Carolina, as well as with many private higher education institutions鈥攕he had never been involved with the State System before.

鈥淚n a way, I think that could be very beneficial,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 come in with preconceived notions about what can or cannot be done. I start from a clean slate.鈥�
So far, she said, she has been impressed with the experience.

鈥淚 think we have an outstanding board,鈥� she said. 鈥淪uch smart people who are dedicated to higher education, to the Commonwealth, and who love this system and these universities. We have such a positive group there. I believe we also have an outstanding administration. I have nothing but admiration for the chancellor and all of the executive staff I鈥檝e met so far; also the university presidents. We have a really good foundation.鈥�

鈥淎nd we have fabulous students,鈥� she added, noting her first encounter with students at the state Capitol during the System鈥檚 鈥渁dvocacy days鈥� event in April.

鈥淚 love to see students engaged,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e so altruistic. If they get involved now, it can become a lifetime service commitment.鈥�

Pointing out the important work of the faculty and staff at the universities, she continued, 鈥淚 am passionate about the State System access and quality education mission. We have the components of excellence. My goal is to capitalize on that, to look at the System as a whole as being excellent.

鈥淲hat does that mean to us as a System? How do we define our criteria, or pillars of excellence? What are the hard decisions we have to make to get there? Most of all, how can we ensure our stewardship and fiduciary responsibilities to the students and taxpayers and to the other important stakeholders, the faculty and administration; the communities in which our universities reside?鈥�

Yes, the System faces significant challenges, but Shapira said she looks at things differently than many others.

鈥淯sually, it鈥檚 framed as a negative. I want to frame it in positive terms,鈥� she said. 鈥淔irst, how can we be excellent as a System?; then look at everything else and see where all the pieces fall into place.鈥�

Ms. Shapira said the System might need to take a more focused look at and place a greater emphasis on fundraising as an essential part of supporting the universities鈥� budgets.
鈥淲e talk about our budget based around tuition and state funding,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a real big third pocket out there. I know we do fundraising and we have the apparatus in place. But I want to learn more to see if it is emphasized enough; as much as it could be.鈥�

She also sees a need for more long-range planning for the System鈥檚 future, admitting the significant challenges given the universities鈥� long histories contrasted with the relative newness of the State System itself, which was founded in 1983.

鈥淭hese schools came together relatively recently as a system, but were not born as a system,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are different campus cultures. We have challenges and opportunities to do more things than we are doing now. Let鈥檚 get the conversations started.鈥�

Her broad range of experience might be the greatest benefit she brings to the table, she said.

鈥淲hat I mostly bring is some different experience鈥攁nd my own successes and failures鈥� in a lot of areas,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are many different models and ways to do business. There isn鈥檛 just one way to do things. We shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to take some risks. And so much can be learned from other systems, even if they aren鈥檛 the same as ours. A lot of them struggle with the same issues we do.鈥�

She said she is 鈥渃ommitted to doing the best I can for the System.鈥�

While her passion and commitment to civic engagement comes through clearly in her words and actions, it is just as clear she has even more on her plate.

鈥淚鈥檓 a mom, which I take very seriously,鈥� she said. And, she added, with a little laugh, 鈥淚 am a domestic goddess鈥攁nd you can say that. I love cooking and doing family parties and organizational events. I very much enjoy it, and I鈥檓 good at it.鈥�

Along with her husband at home, she has two grown children, three adult stepchildren and David鈥檚 six grandchildren. She and her husband watch every Pittsburgh Steelers game.

鈥淚鈥檓 a California girl鈥擨 grew up following the Dodgers and the Lakers, but I鈥檓 also a huge Steelers, Pirates and Penguins fan. I love sports,鈥� she said.

Doesn鈥檛 everyone?

Ms. Shapira recently visited Israel, and relayed this story:鈥淚 was in Jerusalem walking along the street and the person I was with pointed out a restaurant across the street. He said, 鈥楧uring American football season, that鈥檚 the Steelers bar.鈥� "

They really are everywhere.

Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with more than100,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.

The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.