From staff reports
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will host four public hearings in June to review the proposed integration of six universities into two powerhouse institutions, doubling the number of opportunities the public has to directly voice their feedback.
The virtual hearings are scheduled for 8 to 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m. June 9 and 10 and are part of a transparent, consultative process outlined in state law that has guided the State System toward its goal of expanding student opportunities through integrations.
“Feedback from the public is an integral part of our efforts to creatively reimagine the structure of public higher education in a way that expands student opportunities, supports their success, and sets these campuses for sustainability deeper into the 21st century,” Board of Governors chair Cindy Shapira said.
“The hearings are not only part of the process outlined in state law, they are also the right thing to do because these efforts are in support of public higher education in the commonwealth,” said Shapira.
Each hearing will include brief presentations by system leaders as well as an opportunity for the public to voice their feedback on the proposed integrations. The public can also submit feedback by visiting PASSHE at www.passhe.edu.
“By hosting morning and late-afternoon hearings, the public will have greater opportunity and choice for when they would like to participate,” Chancellor Dan Greenstein said.
“We made a commitment when this journey began almost a year ago to be consultative and transparent because we are doing nothing less than reimagining how public higher education is delivered in Pennsylvania. This is historic.
The Board of Governors met May 26 as part of a virtual public workshop. They heard updates from the Office of the Chancellor on how it’s receiving and cataloging feedback received since a 60-day public comment period on integrations began April 28.
The process involves organizing public comments by subject matter and their potential as actionable items. The comments are reviewed and evaluated daily by subject matter experts at the State System.
“We’re committed to documenting and showing any improvements to the integrations plans based on public comment before final plans are presented to the board for their consideration,” Greenstein said.
“Transparency is key to the success of integrations. So, too, is the involvement of stakeholders from the grassroots all the way to university and system leadership. We are the public’s higher education system, and as such, we’re committed to continuing to be consultative and transparent to stakeholders across the commonwealth,” added Greenstein.
Integration is possible through Act 50 of 2020; legislation passed by a near-unanimous vote in the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
At both California-Clarion-Edinboro and Bloomsburg-Lock Haven-Mansfield, it proposes single leadership teams, faculty cohorts, enrollment management, and budgets while opening academic programs at the co-equal campuses to all students.
It also places priority on maintaining unique identities and experiences at the six campuses and, while maintaining traditional residential education experiences, expanding into potential growth areas non-degree credential and non-credential upskilling programs in the northeast, and affordable, Pennsylvania-based fully online programming in the west.