The power of “what if”
It’s a new academic year, but I wonder what is really new about it.
Sure, some things won’t ever change. Move-in day will always require endless, sweaty trips between the car and residence hall. First-day butterflies will always arrive as we face the new year with equal parts anticipation, fear, and wonder. Finding a parking space….well, let’s not go there.
In thinking about what’s new in how we deliver higher education as the state universities of Pennsylvania, we must accept that higher education shouldn't force individuals into a rigid, traditional box. This year, we will push those bounds through important dialogue, planning, and action across PASSHE as we ask “what if” more and more.
“What if” are just two words, but they are powerful.
In the coming months, we will ask: What if we expand opportunity through direct admissions, flexible adult completion pathways, and accelerated tracks designed to meet critical talent demands? What if we explore offering a limited number of three-year bachelor's degrees for students who want them? What if we expand collaboration as a system that shares talent, courses, programs and more?
Sure, the unfamiliar invites skepticism, worry, and even some fear, but it also leads to courageous conversations and real action. History provides some perspective. The anxieties about change that we hear today echo those heard during the rise of community colleges in the 1960s and online education in the 1990s.
Decades ago, some felt that establishing community colleges would degrade the value of higher education. Yet, history proved how vital those institutions became for our society and for our economy. Likewise, the evolution of online learning taught us a valuable lesson — when universities don't assert early leadership, students look elsewhere. Today, tens of thousands of Pennsylvania residents are enrolled in online programs based in other states.
It would be a shame to allow that history to repeat itself because of fear of the unknown.
Of course, structural pathways are only part of the equation. We’ve also asked “what if” regarding targeted financial support for our students who face the highest financial hurdles. This is why our strategic commitment to last-dollar scholarships — central to the PASSHE Pledge — is such a vital safety net. Starting in 2027, these scholarships will step in precisely where traditional aid leaves off, picking up the remaining tuition balance so our most financially vulnerable students can focus on learning instead of financial stress.
For our legislators, taxpayers, and communities, the data tells a clear story. Public higher education remains Pennsylvania’s single greatest engine for upward mobility, with PASSHE university graduates earning 65% more over their lifetimes than those with a high school diploma alone. And so I ask: what if we invested more in our state universities?
To our students, let me encourage you to start this new year by asking “what if” in as many situations you can, and you will learn, evolve, and grow when you do. The same holds true for the rest of us. If we are willing to ask “what if” — to challenge long-held assumptions — powerful things can happen.
In thinking about what’s new in how we deliver higher education as the state universities of Pennsylvania, we must accept that higher education shouldn't force individuals into a rigid, traditional box. This year, we will push those bounds through important dialogue, planning, and action across PASSHE as we ask “what if” more and more.
“What if” are just two words, but they are powerful.
In the coming months, we will ask: What if we expand opportunity through direct admissions, flexible adult completion pathways, and accelerated tracks designed to meet critical talent demands? What if we explore offering a limited number of three-year bachelor's degrees for students who want them? What if we expand collaboration as a system that shares talent, courses, programs and more?
Sure, the unfamiliar invites skepticism, worry, and even some fear, but it also leads to courageous conversations and real action. History provides some perspective. The anxieties about change that we hear today echo those heard during the rise of community colleges in the 1960s and online education in the 1990s.
Decades ago, some felt that establishing community colleges would degrade the value of higher education. Yet, history proved how vital those institutions became for our society and for our economy. Likewise, the evolution of online learning taught us a valuable lesson — when universities don't assert early leadership, students look elsewhere. Today, tens of thousands of Pennsylvania residents are enrolled in online programs based in other states.
It would be a shame to allow that history to repeat itself because of fear of the unknown.
Of course, structural pathways are only part of the equation. We’ve also asked “what if” regarding targeted financial support for our students who face the highest financial hurdles. This is why our strategic commitment to last-dollar scholarships — central to the PASSHE Pledge — is such a vital safety net. Starting in 2027, these scholarships will step in precisely where traditional aid leaves off, picking up the remaining tuition balance so our most financially vulnerable students can focus on learning instead of financial stress.
For our legislators, taxpayers, and communities, the data tells a clear story. Public higher education remains Pennsylvania’s single greatest engine for upward mobility, with PASSHE university graduates earning 65% more over their lifetimes than those with a high school diploma alone. And so I ask: what if we invested more in our state universities?
To our students, let me encourage you to start this new year by asking “what if” in as many situations you can, and you will learn, evolve, and grow when you do. The same holds true for the rest of us. If we are willing to ask “what if” — to challenge long-held assumptions — powerful things can happen.
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