May 09, 2023
ICYMI: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Editorial: Pa. higher ed pact is a hopeful sign for State System
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg, PA 鈥� The presidents of all 10 universities in Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher
Education (黑料专区) and the 15 community colleges in Pennsylvania recently signed a
pledge that strengthens their collaboration to help students achieve their educational
goals, reduce student costs and bolster the workforce.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published the editorial 鈥溾�� praising the 鈥渇orward-thinking鈥� of the agreement.
As 黑料专区 Chancellor Dan Greenstein said, 鈥淭his pledge is great for students. It will
help more people afford higher education and lower their student loan debt. That鈥檚
also an important step to address Pennsylvania鈥檚 worker shortage, meet the needs of
the marketplace and expand the pipeline of talent from the classroom to the workforce.
鈥淭his new pledge is built on a foundation of collaboration between community colleges
and State System universities. Together, the institutions are making it easier for
students to transfer between community colleges and universities. And students will
have a clear educational path so they can focus on learning and preparing for in-demand,
high-growth jobs that Pennsylvania needs.鈥�
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial notes:
鈥淎s the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education continues to reimagine its role in the 21st century economy, a pact with Pennsylvania community colleges points in the right direction.鈥淭he future of institutions like Slippery Rock University and the new PennWest isn鈥檛 in competing with big universities like Pitt, or boutique liberal arts colleges like Allegheny or Washington & Jefferson: It lies in providing an alternative to expensive degrees with declining real-world payoff. That means training the next generation of skilled workers 鈥� including teachers, nurses, and law enforcement officers 鈥� the commonwealth will need to avoid stagnation and decline.鈥淭he pipeline between the commonwealth鈥檚 15 community colleges and 10 State System universities is already strong: In the last five years, over 12,000 students transferred from the two-year institutions to the four-year ones. As more and more young people and their families seek an education that will provide marketable skills without a six-figure debt load, that number should rise. Making that transfer as seamless as possible makes sense.鈥�
In 2021, the State System updated its transfer policy to ensure admission to a 黑料专区
university by students with an associate degree from a community college in Pennsylvania.
Individual universities and community colleges have additional agreements.