Gov. Shapiro pitches plan to restructure state-owned universities, community colleges

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday will propose uniting Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities and its 15 community colleges under a new governance structure to make higher education in the state more efficient and affordable.

The move is part of a blueprint for reform that emerged from a working group Shapiro assembled last year to re-examine institutions that he said are underfunded by government, charge students too much, and offer duplicate programs as they compete for limited state dollars.

The plan would preserve local leadership, he said, while uniting the two campus systems behind creating viable career pathways to affordable credentials and degrees.

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed,” Shapiro said in remarks prepared for delivery Friday. “For some, that means going right into the workforce — but for those who want to go to college or get a credential, we need to rethink our system of higher education.

“Whether you want to take one course to brush up on your skills, earn a certificate to qualify for a promotion, or pursue a degree that will lead to a new career — you deserve accessible, affordable higher education.

“That’s true for every student, whether you attend one of our historic HBCUs, a community college, a PASSHE institution, a state-related university, or an independent college or university,” the governor said.

Pennsylvania ranks 48th for affordability and 49th for state investment in higher education, Shapiro said.

Shapiro is not the first governor to unveil a plan to reform Pennsylvania’s unwieldy system of public and private campuses that, unlike many other states, lacks a coordinating body to ensure schools do not create duplicate programs.

His effort would likely require sign-off from the state Legislature.

In his state budget address slated for Feb. 6, Shapiro said he will seek a significant increase in funding for the state-owned and community colleges.

Also under the plan:

• Pennsylvanians “making up to the median income will pay no more than $1,000 in tuition and fees per semester at state-owned universities and community colleges.”

• Direct appropriations to publicly funded colleges and universities “would be disbursed through a predictable, transparent, outcomes-focused formula that will incentivize colleges and universities to focus on what’s most important to the Commonwealth.”

• For students at state-related universities, including the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, and independent colleges, PHEAA grants would increase by $1,000.

• The performance funding criteria would include “increasing enrollment, the number of first-generation college students that receive credentials, and the graduation rate,” according to the plan.

Emphasis would be placed on fields in demand such as education and nursing, and growing fields like advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.

• Performance-based funding would be driven by the state Department of Education, meaning state-related universities would no longer need a two-thirds vote by the state Legislature to receive their appropriation. It’s a requirement that has politicized the budget process.

The 10 State System of Higher Education universities enroll nearly 85,000 students and include in Western Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University and PennWest University.

Nearly a quarter million students attend the state’s 15 community colleges, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

The plan does not appear to address the appropriate number of campuses that should be maintained between the State System and state-owned universities, which has beena topic of increased scrutiny as enrollments have declined in the state since 2010.