Daniel Greenstein led the Postsecondary Success strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the past six years.
Underscoring its commitment to ensuring student success and to its efforts to redesign the State System for the future, the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education today selected a national leader in higher education to serve as the next chancellor.
Daniel Greenstein, who led the Postsecondary Success strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the past six years and who previously was a top administrator in the University of California system, will become the State System’s fifth chancellor in September.
To learn more from the Chancellor-Select, read his introductory blog here and watch a brief video he posted online.
The Gates Foundation is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world, and one of the most generous supporters of public higher education, awarding more than $125 million in grants and contracts annually.
Board of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia D. Shapira called Greenstein’s selection “a game changer” that will move the State System to the forefront of public university systems in the United States.
“With the appointment of Dr. Greenstein as chancellor, the State System makes the strong statement that we are committed to our mission of providing accessible, affordable, quality higher education to students while serving the needs of the Commonwealth, even as we redesign ourselves for the future,” Shapira said.
“Dan comes to us with an incredible level of knowledge and experience and the demonstrated temperament necessary to achieve great things. He will use all of that to help achieve excellence for our students and stakeholders, and indeed to write the template for 21st-century public higher education in the nation.”
‘Forefront of innovation’
As director of the Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success strategy, Greenstein worked with other higher education leaders across the country on initiatives designed to raise educational-attainment levels and to promote economic mobility, especially among low-income and minority students.
He developed and implemented a national strategy for increasing the number of degrees awarded and for reducing the attainment gaps among majority and non-majority students at U.S. colleges and universities.
Greenstein said he is excited to take on the new role.
“This system took a bold — even courageous — step two years ago when it chose to take a hard look at itself. That effort to redesign the system, led by Chair Shapira and the Board of Governors, has pushed the State System to the forefront of innovation nationally,” he said.
“I am eager to work closely with the Board, as well as with faculty, staff and trustees at the universities of this great public system, as we solidify our future and fulfill our public obligation to our students and the state.”
The focus on ensuring student success is key, according to Greenstein.
Delivering a message directly to students, he said, “Student success is more than just graduating with a degree; it means leaving one of our universities fully prepared with everything you need — the education, the skills, and the ability to work collaboratively — to productively engage in the new economy and to effectively contribute to your communities.
“And let me be crystal clear, I do mean all of our students; regardless of ZIP code or background, all must and all will have an opportunity to succeed.”
The universities and the State System as a whole also must share in that success,
he said.
“The 14 universities that make up this system play a vital role for the people and
the Commonwealth. For more than 100,000 students — and I’m proud to now say, ‘our
students’ — the universities provide a bridge to opportunity; an affordable and reliable
pathway to upward mobility, into the middle class and beyond.”
Academic experience
Before joining the Gates Foundation in 2012, Greenstein spent nearly a decade in leadership roles in the University of California system, including serving as vice provost of strategic planning, programs and accountability in the Office of the President. He was responsible for introducing UC Online, revising the system’s long-range enrollment plan and developing a transparent means for distributing state resources to the UC campuses.
He also provided leadership to the Regents’ Commission of the Future, focusing on educational and curriculum reforms designed to improve student success, reduce students’ time to degree and make more effective use of the system’s constrained academic program capacity.
Greenstein’s selection as chancellor comes at the conclusion of a national search launched in the fall of 2017 following the retirement of former Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. Former Clarion University President Karen M. Whitney has served as interim chancellor since then, and will continue in that role until Greenstein’s arrival on Sept. 4.
“The State System couldn’t have found a better individual to lead the way forward as we continue with our system redesign,” Whitney said. “Dan Greenstein is an energetic, innovative, nationally respected leader. I look forward to working with him over the next several months during this period of transition.”
Greenstein’s selection also was lauded by Ken Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), the union that represents faculty and athletic coaches in the State System.
“My colleagues and I look forward to Dr. Greenstein’s leadership,” Mash said. “He comes to the State System armed with experience as a faculty member, an administrator and as a nationally recognized advocate for innovative and proven approaches to public higher education.
“His ability to explain how it is that accessible, high quality and affordable higher education benefits all citizens is precisely what our System and our Commonwealth needs at this very moment.”
Courtesy of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education