Chancellor Dan Greenstein updated Cal U on the progress of the redesign of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education during an open forum on April 24.
After a top-to-bottom review of entire State System, three strategic priorities were approved by the Board of Governors: ensuring student success, leveraging university strengths, and transforming the governance/leadership structure.
The second phase of the State System redesign is underway, the chancellor reported. It will align System goals with individual university resources.
“Over the past seven months and after thousands of conversations, I have learned that we provide in our universities an amazing collection of talented, passionate people who are fiercely aligned with our mission,” Greenstein said.
“This redesign places our students at the center of what we are doing, invests and pools together our faculty and staff. Transforming fundamentally is how we’ll sustain ourselves.”
The chancellor discussed ways that sharing educational resources among System schools could provide more opportunities for students. Although the redesign is still in the planning stage, he mentioned study abroad, career services and even academic courses as resources that might be shared.
“Each university has unique strengths,” Greenstein said. “By greater collaboration among our 14 universities, we can prepare our students for their best possible future, address our many challenges, and position our universities not only to survive but to thrive in the 21st century. “
Student success was the focus as Greenstein delivered the keynote address at the Strike a Spark Conference, where he thanked students for inspiring him with their talent, curiosity and scholarship.
He also held meetings with faculty, staff and students, University leadership, and Cal U trustees during his daylong visit.
“It is going to require enormous transformational innovation to move our System and our universities into the future,” Greenstein said.
“This redesign is not a modest adjustment to our enterprise, but a long-term, multi-year journey.”
Despite the challenges inherent in implementing change, the chancellor said he is optimistic that Pennsylvania can become a model for other large-scale educational systems.
"The limits of our capability are the limits of our imagination.”