Editor's note: In the article, Gov. Shapiro gave figures for decreasing enrollment in community colleges and the PASSHE system. Shapiro misspoke during the interview; community college enrollment is down 37% and PASSHE schools are down 30%, not the other way around, according to Shapiro's office and the office of the PASSHE Chancellor.

Higher education is on track to receive a massive overhaul. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro introduced in January his vision for a new system of higher education that unites Pennsylvania’s community colleges with PASSHE under a new umbrella. 

The Slate sat down with Shapiro and Shippensburg University President Charles Patterson in recent weeks to discuss the proposed changes and what they would mean for Shippensburg’s campus community.

“What we’re doing now when it comes to higher-ed in Pennsylvania is not working,” Shapiro said, explaining the problem with the status quo. “We’ve seen a 37% decrease in our PASSHE enrollments. We’ve seen a 30% decrease in our community college enrollments.”

“I’m unwilling to continue to oversee a system that isn’t working for students and isn’t working for our universities,” Shapiro said. 

Shapiro explained that Pennsylvania currently ranks 49th in the nation in state investment in higher education. “We can’t be OK with the status quo. Now is the time to invest, to reform higher ed and make it work for everyone,” he said.

Some faculty and administrators have expressed renewed concern over consolidation of schools in light of Shapiro’s announcement. PASSHE underwent a consolidation in 2021 that merged six of the system’s 14 state-owned universities into two.

Shapiro suggested that school consolidation was not going to be part of this reform. “We want to set up a new system that is designed to add, not subtract; not focus on consolidation, but focus on having them work in cooperation with one another.”

“As it stands today, it's really creating a new system from scratch,” Patterson clarified. “We're looking for ways in which we can seamlessly develop transfer pathways from community colleges into universities, but not talking consolidations.”

On the reform package’s chances of making it through Pennsylvania’s divided legislature, Shapiro said, “The status quo is unacceptable. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you shouldn’t be OK with being 49th in the nation in higher education.”

Shapiro continued, saying, “I think if you’re against this, you have to stand up and explain why you’re OK with being 49th. Why you’re OK continuing to oversee a system that’s focused on subtraction, not addition. That’s a question for any lawmaker who is opposed to this.”

Alongside the Shapiro administration’s blueprint for a new higher education system, the announcement also included proposals to drastically change college affordability. The plan would cap the cost to families making less than the median income of $70,000 to $1,000 per semester.

Patterson explained that this would be achieved through additional financial aid, not limiting tuition. “It would cap the cost of families to pay to go to college at $1,000. That doesn't mean that Pell grants, student loans or fee grants aren't on the table; they are. It's a mechanism by which to limit the cost of families that are earning $70,000 or less.”

Shapiro’s plan also includes a 15% increase in funding for the new system. “That increase in funding is going to allow that system to be far healthier than it has ever been,” he said.

Shapiro also spoke to the importance of student media and student engagement in this process. “You are a critical voice in our communities and our colleges. On our college campuses and in the broader community.”

Shapiro said regarding repeated cuts to student media, “Your voice really matters, and it’s important that you have the resources that you need to put out a great paper. To be able to put out information in real time and breaking news that really matters to students. To editorialize in a way that moves your college community forward.”

As to student engagement, Shapiro encouraged civic engagement. “Your voices really matter.” Shapiro continued, saying, “I need your voices in this conversation now. I need you to be engaged. I need you to call your lawmakers and tell them to be for Governor Shapiro’s higher education plan.”

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