April 06, 2016

Students lead advocacy effort in support of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Student-led teams from each of the 14 universities that comprise Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education canvassed the Capitol today, meeting with legislators to discuss the important role the universities play in each of the campus communities, as well as in their regions and across the Commonwealth.
The students talked with legislators about their own college experiences and how important the education they are receiving is to them and to their families. About 90 percent of the more than 100,000 students who attend State System universities are Pennsylvania residents, and the vast majority will stay here after graduation, to work, to live and to raise their families.
“We really do represent the future of Pennsylvania,” said Mansfield University of Pennsylvania student Riley Thomas while speaking about the advocacy effort. “Most of us have lived here all of our lives; and most of us will stay here. When you support Mansfield University—when you support the State System—you’re not just helping out me and my family; you really are helping yourself, and your neighbors. You’re helping to build a stronger Pennsylvania.”
In all, nearly 150 students, faculty, administrators, trustees and alumni took part in the two-day advocacy effort on half of the State System. They began their Capital visits Tuesday.
“We have a great story to tell – and it’s one that impacts not just our students, but everyone in the Commonwealth,” said Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. “The contributions our universities make all across Pennsylvania are enormous.”
In addition to meeting with legislators, representatives from each of the universities set up displays in the Capitol Rotunda, where they demonstrated some of their top academic programs and research projects and provided information about their schools to Capitol visitors.

The State System will receive about $433 million from the state this year to help support the operation of the 14 universities. That funding represents one of the best investments Pennsylvania makes each year, said Guido Pichini, chairman of the State System’s Board of Governors.
“Not only do these universities provide opportunities to students who otherwise might not be able to attend college, they serve the entire Commonwealth,” Pichini said. “They generate enormous economic activity in their home communities, in their regions and across Pennsylvania—to the tune of nearly $7 billion a year.
“In total, the universities produce $11 in economic activity for every $1 received from the Commonwealth through our annual appropriation. That’s quite a return on investment, and it is something that benefits everyone in Pennsylvania.”
The State System universities combined have about 12,000 employees and support about 62,000 additional jobs, many with the hundreds of small businesses that thrive in the campus communities, contributing significantly to Pennsylvania’s economy.
“The Commonwealth’s investment in the State System is a smart investment, with an immediate return,” said Clarion University President Karen Whitney. “That investment helps support the high-quality, high-value education we provide to our students. Many of those students are first-generation—the first members of their family to attend college.
“We need adequate resources to equip our classrooms and laboratories with leading-edge technology; to support, recruit, and retain world-class faculty; and to be able to design academic programs that are responsive to the Commonwealth’s needs.”
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 107,000 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.

To view a video on the event, please click here.