The public universities that comprise Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education have a rich and varied history.

Although the state system was created by statute in 1983, making it one of the youngest public university systems in the country, many of its institutions have been around for 150 years or more. The schools have changed over time, but their purpose has been constant: to prepare students for personal and professional success while providing Pennsylvania with a well-educated workforce.

Today, the system has 10 universities across Pennsylvania, including Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Western University and Slippery Rock University. The universities combined enroll the largest number of Pennsylvania residents among all four-year colleges and universities in the Commonwealth.

With 82,000 degree-seeking students, and thousands more in certificate and other career-development programs, the universities in the state system expand access to education and are vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

The system — like most of higher education in the United States — is undergoing a transformation to meet the evolving needs of students and the 21st-century workforce.

The universities in today’s system were founded in the 19th century. Some started as private academies teaching students from kindergarten through college, some as college preparatory schools, and others as teacher-training institutions. All eventually became normal schools, devoted to preparing educators to teach in Pennsylvania’s public schools. They evolved to become state teachers colleges and then state colleges offering programs in the sciences, arts and humanities, and, eventually, into comprehensive universities.

Higher education functioned for decades under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, but by the 1980s, the arrangement was seen at the time as holding the institutions back. Pennsylvania was the only state where the public higher education sector was still governed by the state Department of Education.

That changed in 1983 with Act 188 and the founding of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. From the beginning, the system and its state-owned universities had a clear mission: to provide a high-quality education at the lowest possible cost.

Today, colleges and universities nationwide are grappling with significant challenges. University budgets are being squeezed by rising costs amid population declines among high school-age students, which causes declining enrollment. At the same time, what students want from college is changing. The challenges are particularly acute in Pennsylvania.

By the mid-2010s, PASSHE was at a crossroads. Deep cuts in state funding during the Great Recession, and years of underinvestment from Harrisburg, had created tremendous financial pressure on public universities.

The system closed the revenue gap by raising tuition, further eroding enrollments just as the state needed more people with credentials and college degrees. The state system had to change to deliver on its mission to students and the state.

In 2017, the system started a top-to-bottom review of its educational and business models, ultimately launching a comprehensive system redesign. Focused on supporting the success of students, the system reoriented its own governance and leadership structures.

The reorganization reached a milestone in 2021 with the integration of six universities into two new institutions: PennWest University, which was formed from California, Clarion and Edinboro universities; and Commonwealth University, which was formed from Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities.

Today, more than five years after system redesign began, the system has reached a transformational phase. The system is stronger financially, the enrollment of new students is increasing for the first time in more than a decade, and universities are coordinating to reduce costs, improve services to students and better serve the state.

With an increase in state funding and cost efficiencies by universities, tuition has stayed the same for six consecutive years, an unprecedented move in public higher education. The cost of higher education is an important factor for families, and especially for state system university students — many of whom come from low- and middle-income backgrounds and depend on public higher education.

State universities are also aligning academic programs with the needs of the workforce. They coordinate with a wide range of regional businesses, from large industries to emerging startups, to prepare students for the comprehensive education and specific skills that Pennsylvania’s employers want. At the same time, students can gain the economic security and upward social mobility a higher education provides.

An example of that collaboration is the partnership launched last year with the system and tech giant Google to jointly offer industry-recognized online courses to students and alumni. The public-private partnership enables students to earn a Google Career Certificate and college credit in some undergraduate programs. Many of the state system universities will offer the credentials to the public through noncredit courses. Earning a credential demonstrates a person’s skill, which can help them to get a promotion or pay increase, and gives university graduates an advantage in the job market.

Today, the students, faculty and staff of state system universities, as well as more than 650,000 alumni living in Pennsylvania, are making an impact. The universities serve more Pennsylvania residents than any other four-year higher education provider, and they do much more than educate students.

Throughout their histories, these schools have been vital contributors to their communities as large employers, as well as preparing future generations of leaders, innovators, and creators.

Together, they play a vital role in the state’s current economy, generating an annual economic impact of $4 billion. Several of the universities operate Small Business Development Centers or business incubators that have helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and new businesses get started, develop and grow into successful enterprises.

Established as “normal schools” devoted to the training of teachers more than a century ago, the state system and its universities have continually changed, as have the degree programs they offer, to reflect the educational goals of students and the changing needs in the regions they serve.

Still, through its transformational journey, helping students achieve their dreams remains at the core of each university's purpose and mission.

Today, teacher preparation remains a top program at state system universities, with nearly 4,000 education degrees and credentials conferred last year. In fact, 23% of the education workforce in Pennsylvania graduated from a university that’s part of the state system.

However, the universities are preparing students for many other careers, such as health care workers, engineers and computer scientists, social workers, artists, and professionals in business, law enforcement, and many more. All the jobs are important to their local communities and need people who can think creatively, communicate effectively, and work together in teams.

The students of today are also changing, in the classroom and beyond. Young people who grew up with smartphones are increasingly interested in online education, even when they are living on a university campus. Today, about 70% of state system university students choose to take at least one online course. Universities are also evolving to better serve students beyond the classroom with greater individualized support and services for their very personal educational journey.

Since their founding, the universities that comprise the State System have existed to serve students and prepare them for good careers, and to support the workforces near the universities. While the universities, students and programs have experienced a tremendous transformation since the 19th century, the mission of the institutions and the passion of the students in the 21st century is stronger than ever.

Alicia Brumbach is the director of communications and social media for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Kevin Hensil is director of media relations for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.