While most of us have been getting ready for the holidays, this past weekend marked an important milestone for many others as commencement ceremonies across our 14 State System universities were conducted. I would like to congratulate our undergrad and graduate students on this exciting achievement and wish them success and happiness as they continue their journeys.
As a lifelong educator, I’m proud of the dedication of our students and all those who have helped them attain this goal. Along with their families and friends, our students were supported by countless faculty and staff at each of their universities. It was those individuals who helped on the days when life was challenging, and the road ahead seemed impossible; but with that support, these newly minted graduates pushed through to success. And they did so knowing that they can overcome any obstacle that might stand in their way, something that will be invaluable in their careers.
As I mentioned in my previous post, a college education is one of the best investments anyone can make. According to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual with a bachelor’s degree can expect lifetime earnings to be more than double that of someone with a high school diploma alone. Add a graduate or professional degree, and that figure goes even higher.
In turn, investing in higher education, is one of the best investments the state can make. Nearly 90 percent of State System students are Pennsylvania residents, most of whom will remain here after graduation to live, work, and raise their families, supporting the state’s economy as they do.
I’m personally looking forward to seeing even more from our graduates as they leave campus and make a difference in our Commonwealth and the world.
Finally, we all would like to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season and the very best in the new year.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
The high cost of not going to college
Is college really worth it—all of that time and effort, not to mention how much it costs, to earn a degree?
Articles about rising college costs and growing student debt dominate the national headlines. There was even a feature film made on the subject—Ivory Tower—which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and made its television debut Thursday night on CNN. There’s no doubt it’s a question on the minds of many high school students and their families as they ponder the future.
Certainly, paying for college is a major investment—for many, second only to the cost of buying a home. But, how do you judge a good investment from a bad one? The best way is to consider its rate of return.
While not every job requires four years of college, according to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual with a bachelor’s degree can expect lifetime earnings to be more than double that of someone with a high school diploma alone. Add a graduate or professional degree, and that figure goes even higher. It’s hard to argue that a college education isn’t one of the best investments you will ever make.
What’s more, unemployment among college graduates is about one-third that compared to those without a degree. Put another way, earn a college degree and you’re much more likely to have a job, and one that pays more. In that sense, the cost of not going to college is very high.
Still, the price tag can be daunting, especially to someone who comes from a family background where no one has gone to college before. The thought of going into debt to pay for college scares away many talented potential students—an important issue that calls for serious and ongoing dialogue.
That’s why it’s important to keep the price of high-quality higher education as affordable as possible, which is the mission of the 14 universities within Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Our state-owned universities are focused on three things: access, quality and value. We are working to ensure the high-quality, high-demand degree programs we offer align with the demands of our students and their future employers. We continue our efforts to increase efficiency and accountability as a means to keep tuition manageable for Pennsylvania’s families.
In fact, the average price of tuition and fees at the State System universities is approximately half that of state-related schools Penn State, Pitt and Temple and a fraction of what many private universities charge. What’s more, the average total price of attendance—combined tuition, fees, room and board—at our 14 institutions is below the national average.
There is little question that higher education funding is an investment for the Commonwealth too, and the rate of return is just as high because our graduates form the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future. Nearly 90 percent of State System students are Pennsylvania residents, most of whom will remain here after graduation to live, work and raise their families, supporting the state’s economy as they do.
Is college worth it? The answer to that question remains a resounding yes—both for Pennsylvania’s families and for the Commonwealth as a whole.
Articles about rising college costs and growing student debt dominate the national headlines. There was even a feature film made on the subject—Ivory Tower—which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and made its television debut Thursday night on CNN. There’s no doubt it’s a question on the minds of many high school students and their families as they ponder the future.
Certainly, paying for college is a major investment—for many, second only to the cost of buying a home. But, how do you judge a good investment from a bad one? The best way is to consider its rate of return.
While not every job requires four years of college, according to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual with a bachelor’s degree can expect lifetime earnings to be more than double that of someone with a high school diploma alone. Add a graduate or professional degree, and that figure goes even higher. It’s hard to argue that a college education isn’t one of the best investments you will ever make.
What’s more, unemployment among college graduates is about one-third that compared to those without a degree. Put another way, earn a college degree and you’re much more likely to have a job, and one that pays more. In that sense, the cost of not going to college is very high.
Still, the price tag can be daunting, especially to someone who comes from a family background where no one has gone to college before. The thought of going into debt to pay for college scares away many talented potential students—an important issue that calls for serious and ongoing dialogue.
That’s why it’s important to keep the price of high-quality higher education as affordable as possible, which is the mission of the 14 universities within Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Our state-owned universities are focused on three things: access, quality and value. We are working to ensure the high-quality, high-demand degree programs we offer align with the demands of our students and their future employers. We continue our efforts to increase efficiency and accountability as a means to keep tuition manageable for Pennsylvania’s families.
In fact, the average price of tuition and fees at the State System universities is approximately half that of state-related schools Penn State, Pitt and Temple and a fraction of what many private universities charge. What’s more, the average total price of attendance—combined tuition, fees, room and board—at our 14 institutions is below the national average.
There is little question that higher education funding is an investment for the Commonwealth too, and the rate of return is just as high because our graduates form the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future. Nearly 90 percent of State System students are Pennsylvania residents, most of whom will remain here after graduation to live, work and raise their families, supporting the state’s economy as they do.
Is college worth it? The answer to that question remains a resounding yes—both for Pennsylvania’s families and for the Commonwealth as a whole.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Take the Business Plan Competition Challenge
Last year, more than 140 student teams competed in the State System’s annual Student Business Plan Competition. I had the honor to see firsthand some of the incredible ingenuity and imagination of our students. As examples, a student from Shippensburg was part of the winning team that created Oak Hill Farm Naturals—an all-natural fly repellant for use on horses. The second place winners, also from Shippensburg, developed new recreational facility management software. The third place winner, an IUP student, created the Dirt-Doc— a user-friendly search engine to advertise the buying and selling of topsoil or other earth products.
So much hard work goes into these business plans, but the benefits are well worth it. Not only do students get the opportunity to work with faculty and business mentors to fine tune every detail of their plans, but they also get to hone “real world” skills such as team building, public speaking, and strategic planning. Of course, prizes include $10,000 for 1st place, $5,000 for 2nd place, and $2,500 for 3rd place.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Honor to whom honor is due
Today we honor all veterans—past and present—who have given of themselves in service to our country. As a nation of free people, we express sincere gratitude for their protection, courage, and bravery.
Whether active-duty, in-reserve, or returning from service, veterans should have access to support during their transition into higher education. At the State System, not only do our 14 universities offer special assistance to veterans, ranging from admissions and financial aid counseling to tutoring, but we now provide veterans with class scheduling preference that will afford them an early opportunity to lock-in their preferred courses. These are just a few simple things we can do for those who have done so much for us already.
We also owe gratitude to the many military veterans who are already part of our campus communities. Without their service and their sacrifice, the rest of us would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we do today. Everyone should say thank you to our veterans; not just today, but every day.
Whether active-duty, in-reserve, or returning from service, veterans should have access to support during their transition into higher education. At the State System, not only do our 14 universities offer special assistance to veterans, ranging from admissions and financial aid counseling to tutoring, but we now provide veterans with class scheduling preference that will afford them an early opportunity to lock-in their preferred courses. These are just a few simple things we can do for those who have done so much for us already.
We also owe gratitude to the many military veterans who are already part of our campus communities. Without their service and their sacrifice, the rest of us would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we do today. Everyone should say thank you to our veterans; not just today, but every day.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
A year on the job: Looking back, looking forward
A year on the job as chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education has taught me a lot. It also has confirmed some things I already believed when I arrived here from Florida 12 months ago: the State System’s 14 universities are remarkable institutions—vitally important to their communities and the Commonwealth. At the same time, they were facing some of the same challenges that universities across Pennsylvania and America were facing—and still are.
During my first year, I learned that there are no easy answers here, but to guide us through these challenges we have set a goal of becoming the most flexible, collaborative and student-centered university system in America.
Here’s what I mean.
Our 14 universities are alike in many ways, though each is unique in its own way. While some continue to grow in enrollment, a number of them are seeing flat or declining numbers because of fewer students graduating from Pennsylvania high schools. This kind of fluctuation has happened before in the Commonwealth and, as expected, is affecting public and private universities across the state.
Why does that matter? Because almost 90 percent of our 112,000 students come from Pennsylvania—and the vast majority of those are “traditional” students between the ages of 18 and 22—any fluctuation in that demographic has a significant impact on overall enrollment. How we respond requires flexibility—rethinking the way we recruit students and retain them once they arrive on campus. That is a challenge we are tackling head-on.
At the same time, nontraditional, older students—including veterans and active military—require even more flexibility. That means expanding the number of online offerings and providing flexible learning environments—serving these students where they are, when they are able to learn. That’s not for our benefit; that’s in the best interest of the Commonwealth.
The Board of Governors is also providing the universities with greater flexibility in how they operate—giving the universities and their Councils of Trustees more control over pricing and speeding up the program-approval process that enables the universities to launch new programs.
While these enhancements are important, the issue of funding continues to occupy our attention. After collaboration with the campuses earlier this year, the Board approved a new allocation formula for the distribution of the funds the System receives from the state, all with the goal of providing the universities with greater funding predictability into the future.
Here’s a sobering fact: The current-year allocation from the state is essentially the same as what the State System received in 1997, even though our universities are serving about 18,000 more students than they did back then. Think about that: the System has grown by the equivalent of a large university since 1997 with no additional support from the Commonwealth. That has to change.
Because we are committed to affordability, modest tuition increases over the years haven’t even come close to making up for the loss of state support. In most years, the tuition increase has been deliberately held down to about the rate of inflation, which has required the universities to take significant steps to reduce their costs in order to balance their budgets.
One way we achieve greater efficiency is through sharing services, which is a major benefit of being part of a university system. By pooling resources, the institutions are able to realize significant savings in areas such as payroll management, information systems, legal services, construction support and others. These savings can be reinvested where they matter most, in the classroom.
We have taken a close look at shared services to ensure they deliver a quality product at a good price. Nothing is perfect, but the feedback we have received shows we are quite good at this, and are leading the national trend toward more shared services. We will continue to make improvements and look for additional collaborations that will produce additional cost savings for the universities.
Under the heading of being more student-centered, each decision we make must be driven by how it will affect our students. All of the universities are making critical choices about which degree programs and support services best serve our students’ needs and prepare them for the future.
We have eliminated dozens of low-demand programs while adding others in emerging fields. Contrary to the myth, this kind of program analysis and alignment is not just a response to declining resources; it is an essential action taken to ensure that each university and the entire State System stay current in addressing the needs of students and their role in this great Commonwealth and our global society.
The quality of our academic programming—whatever the mix—is dependent on the efforts of our dedicated faculty. Our shared focus on preparing students for success unites us in the effort to create rich learning environments on-campus, off-campus and online—wherever faculty and students connect.
An anniversary is always a good time to look back, but I prefer to face forward, focused on what’s ahead. If we remain committed to our guiding principles of being more flexible, collaborative and—most important—student-centered, I am convinced the future of the State System will be even brighter than its past.
During my first year, I learned that there are no easy answers here, but to guide us through these challenges we have set a goal of becoming the most flexible, collaborative and student-centered university system in America.
Here’s what I mean.
Our 14 universities are alike in many ways, though each is unique in its own way. While some continue to grow in enrollment, a number of them are seeing flat or declining numbers because of fewer students graduating from Pennsylvania high schools. This kind of fluctuation has happened before in the Commonwealth and, as expected, is affecting public and private universities across the state.
Why does that matter? Because almost 90 percent of our 112,000 students come from Pennsylvania—and the vast majority of those are “traditional” students between the ages of 18 and 22—any fluctuation in that demographic has a significant impact on overall enrollment. How we respond requires flexibility—rethinking the way we recruit students and retain them once they arrive on campus. That is a challenge we are tackling head-on.
At the same time, nontraditional, older students—including veterans and active military—require even more flexibility. That means expanding the number of online offerings and providing flexible learning environments—serving these students where they are, when they are able to learn. That’s not for our benefit; that’s in the best interest of the Commonwealth.
The Board of Governors is also providing the universities with greater flexibility in how they operate—giving the universities and their Councils of Trustees more control over pricing and speeding up the program-approval process that enables the universities to launch new programs.
While these enhancements are important, the issue of funding continues to occupy our attention. After collaboration with the campuses earlier this year, the Board approved a new allocation formula for the distribution of the funds the System receives from the state, all with the goal of providing the universities with greater funding predictability into the future.
Here’s a sobering fact: The current-year allocation from the state is essentially the same as what the State System received in 1997, even though our universities are serving about 18,000 more students than they did back then. Think about that: the System has grown by the equivalent of a large university since 1997 with no additional support from the Commonwealth. That has to change.
Because we are committed to affordability, modest tuition increases over the years haven’t even come close to making up for the loss of state support. In most years, the tuition increase has been deliberately held down to about the rate of inflation, which has required the universities to take significant steps to reduce their costs in order to balance their budgets.
One way we achieve greater efficiency is through sharing services, which is a major benefit of being part of a university system. By pooling resources, the institutions are able to realize significant savings in areas such as payroll management, information systems, legal services, construction support and others. These savings can be reinvested where they matter most, in the classroom.
We have taken a close look at shared services to ensure they deliver a quality product at a good price. Nothing is perfect, but the feedback we have received shows we are quite good at this, and are leading the national trend toward more shared services. We will continue to make improvements and look for additional collaborations that will produce additional cost savings for the universities.
Under the heading of being more student-centered, each decision we make must be driven by how it will affect our students. All of the universities are making critical choices about which degree programs and support services best serve our students’ needs and prepare them for the future.
We have eliminated dozens of low-demand programs while adding others in emerging fields. Contrary to the myth, this kind of program analysis and alignment is not just a response to declining resources; it is an essential action taken to ensure that each university and the entire State System stay current in addressing the needs of students and their role in this great Commonwealth and our global society.
The quality of our academic programming—whatever the mix—is dependent on the efforts of our dedicated faculty. Our shared focus on preparing students for success unites us in the effort to create rich learning environments on-campus, off-campus and online—wherever faculty and students connect.
An anniversary is always a good time to look back, but I prefer to face forward, focused on what’s ahead. If we remain committed to our guiding principles of being more flexible, collaborative and—most important—student-centered, I am convinced the future of the State System will be even brighter than its past.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Studying abroad is important for all students in all countries
Here is some advice for students: get your passport. All across the State System, international study has become a valuable part of a student’s higher education experience. It doesn’t matter if you spend two weeks in Belize or a semester in Indonesia, you will walk away with an invaluable life experience that will shape your future. Perhaps you aren’t yet sure which career path to follow as you pursue your degree. A study abroad experience can open your eyes to opportunities you never knew existed. (This is true of many vitally important co-curricular activities, such as internships, which will be the focus of a future blog.)
As international study is important for our State System students, it’s equally important for students from other countries who seek the same enriching opportunities here in the U.S. An example of how the State System is currently engaging the international community is the Pennsylvania Higher Education Initiative in India. The program is designed to help colleges and universities recruit qualified international students. A number of our State System universities have direct connections with high schools and junior colleges throughout India, and the opportunities to promote their university in this growing market are rich.
So, as you plan ahead for your summer semester, give serious thought to how an international experience can make you a better student today, and a more well-rounded member of society, tomorrow. Click here to read about the remarkable experiences some of your fellow students have had.
As international study is important for our State System students, it’s equally important for students from other countries who seek the same enriching opportunities here in the U.S. An example of how the State System is currently engaging the international community is the Pennsylvania Higher Education Initiative in India. The program is designed to help colleges and universities recruit qualified international students. A number of our State System universities have direct connections with high schools and junior colleges throughout India, and the opportunities to promote their university in this growing market are rich.
So, as you plan ahead for your summer semester, give serious thought to how an international experience can make you a better student today, and a more well-rounded member of society, tomorrow. Click here to read about the remarkable experiences some of your fellow students have had.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
A Special Message from Chancellor Brogan (Fall 2014)
It’s a new academic year, and we are working to enhance communication with our State System family. I hope you will take a minute to view this short video message from me, and then click “subscribe” to receive updates regarding the System and our 14 universities.
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