Outgoing State System chancellor tapped by firm for national role

State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein will join the consulting firm Baker Tilly and its higher education advisory practice.

Greenstein, 64, will lead initiatives that deal with fast-evolving needs of higher education institutions, “prioritizing improved student outcomes and long-term institutional sustainability by optimizing operations, aligning academic portfolios with market needs and effectively leveraging technology and data analytics,” the company said in a statement announcing Greenstein’s hiring.

Greenstein said the position enables him to remain in higher education, working on a national scale.

“I care deeply about this industry. I can’t imagine a future without a healthy and viable post secondary sector, and it’s in trouble,” Greenstein told TribLive later Tuesday. “And you know, the question is, where can I help? Where can I have the greatest impact?”

What makes Baker Tilly attractive is “they work across the country. They work with a lot of universities and colleges. They work across a variety of problem areas,” he said.

Baker Tilly has dozens of locations across the country and abroad. Among its 11 locations in Pennsylvania are Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, State College, Allentown, Lancaster and Wiliamsport.

He will start work on Nov. 1.

Company officials pointed to Greenstein’s six-year leadership of the system and its 10 universities, a period that brought increased state funding and moves toward greater campus collaborations but also controversial mergers of six of the 14 universities in 2022.

“Dan’s experience, visionary leadership and passion for advancing equity in education align perfectly with our mission to help our clients achieve student and institutional success,” Baker Tilly Managing Principal of Government and Public Services Vicki Hellenbrand said.

The State System enrolls almost 83,000 students, including those at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Western University (California, Clarion, Edinboro) and Slippery Rock University in Western Pennsylvania.

In July, Greenstein announced he would step down on Oct. 11 after a six-year tenure for what he described as a compelling opportunity to work nationally in higher education.

On Aug. 29, State System board chair Cynthia Shapira identified Christopher Fiorentino, retired president of West Chester University, as her preference for interim system chancellor while a search for Greenstein’s successor was conducted.

The appointment is subject to a vote by the system’s board at its October meeting, and Shapira said she will recommend Fiorentino to that panel. West Chester in suburban Philadelphia is the largest of the state-owned universities, with 17,100 students.

“We are launching a national search for our next system chancellor — a process that will take us well into the spring semester,” Shapira wrote in a message to the system’s 10 universities. “Along the way, we will seek input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and other friends to help guide our search.”

In addition to West Chester and the Western Pennsylvania campuses, the State System includes Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, Millersville, Shippensburg and Slippery Rock universities.