Harrisburg, PA – Chancellor Dan Greenstein of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education issued the following statement today commending State System’s universities and Pennsylvania community colleges for signing a pledge strengthening their collaboration to help students achieve their educational goals, reduce student costs and bolster the workforce.

The presidents of all 10 State System universities and 15 community colleges in Pennsylvania have signed the pledge. A ceremony was held today at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC).

More than 12,000 community college students have transferred to State System universities in the past five years.

“The presidents of State System universities and community colleges led this effort, and I commend them for further strengthening their partnership to benefit students,” said Chancellor Greenstein. “This pledge is great for students. It will help more people afford higher education and lower their student loan debt. That’s also an important step to address Pennsylvania’s worker shortage, meet the needs of the marketplace and expand the pipeline of talent from the classroom to the workforce.

“This 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.

“I thank the presidents for their hard work and commitment to partnership to provide a high-quality education for their students.”

Additional Information
The State System’s transfer policy, updated in 2021, ensures admission to a PASSHE university by students with an associates degree from a community college in Pennsylvania. Individual universities and community colleges have additional agreements. The pledge today furthers that commitment across all 10 State System universities and 15 community colleges.

The pledge includes:

• Ensuring students are aware of all their higher education opportunities.
• Smoothing the path for students to transfer from a community college to a PASSHE institution.
• Establishing a reverse transfer agreement allowing students to transfer credits from a university back to a community college.
• Allocating financial aid at universities for community college graduates.
• Working to ensure the success of community college graduates who transfer to PASSHE universities.

A LCCC press release has more information.

CONTACT: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu