Shapiro names members of State Board of Higher Education

Gov. Josh Shapiro named Friday the inaugural members of a new State Board of Higher Education, a key part of his college reforms intended to curb price hikes through better planning and avoiding unnecessary competition.

The body includes members from each sector of postsecondary education, plus government, business, labor and student representatives. Its creation passed the General Assembly and was signed into law by Shapiro as part of the 2024-25 budget.

The panel will be chaired by Cynthia Shapira, chair of the State System of Higher Education Board of Governors. The institutions represented through membership include the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Temple University, Saint Joseph‘ University, Lehigh-Carbon Community College and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, among others.

The board will “craft a strategic plan for higher education, coordinate between higher education institutions and sectors, make higher education more accessible and affordable for students,” according to Friday’s announcement.

In addition, the board will “create a new Outcomes-Based Funding Council that will deliver recommendations for how best to fund state-related universities and provide a range of supports to institutions experiencing fiscal instability.”

The board that ultimately gained General Assembly approval stopped short of Shapiro’s initial proposal, part of his “blueprint for higher education,” to bring Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities and 15 community colleges under one governing body.

He and others are calling it the most substantial move toward better coordinating what some call the “wild west” landscape of public two- and four- year campuses and a crowded field of private colleges. They create and develop programs — some in each other’s backyards with minimal interference from the state.

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed — and that’s exactly what the new State Board of Higher Education will help deliver,” said Shapiro. “The new board builds on my blueprint for higher education and brings together a diverse set of leaders and stakeholders to develop statewide and regional solutions to the challenges we face.”

The members appointed by the governor include:

• Shapira (chair), Board of Governors chair of the State System of Higher Education
• Brenda Allen (vice chair), president of Lincoln University
• Ann Bieber, president of Lehigh Carbon Community College
• Sean Eden, a student at Penn State
• Richard Englert, interim president of Temple University
• Kara Laskowski, professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Shippensburg University and member of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
• Kenneth Long, president of East Stroudsburg University
• Cheryl McConnell, president of Saint Joseph’s University
• Pedro Rivera, president of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
• Andrea Shirk, president and CEO of Rock Lititz
• Michael Wade Smith, senior vice president and chief of staff of Penn State
• Michael Warfel, vice president of governmental affairs at Highmark, Inc.
• Kevin Washo, chief of staff to the chancellor at University of Pittsburgh
• Bobbie Jo Zapor, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 763 and a library assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The General Assembly has also made four appointments to the State Board of Higher Education:

• Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills
• Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County
• Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh County
• Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford County

Shapira, the board chair, said she is “excited to serve alongside so many dedicated leaders who care deeply about helping more Pennsylvanians achieve their goals through higher education. Our colleges and universities have all achieved so much as institutions, and we now have the opportunity to achieve even more — together — through greater coordination and strategic action.”

The first meeting will take place in the coming weeks, said Shapiro spokeswoman Emily Roderick, adding that “all members of the State Board of Higher Education are voting members.”