Fair Funding Fallout
What’s next in the landmark schools case
Why is this man
Daniel Greenstein reimagines state schools
smiling? THE
EDUCATION POWER CIT YANDSTATEPA .COM
@CIT YANDSTATEPA
100 April 25, 2022
SUBSCRIBE TODAY 2 Year
118Year Issues
59.99
$
*
36 Issues
$
119.99
*
CONVENIENTLY MAILED TO YOUR HOME OR OFFICE CITY & STATE MAGAZINE is a premier publication that dedicates its coverage to everything politics in Pennsylvania.
Profiles of leading political figures In-depth updates on campaigns and elections Analysis of policy and legislation Special sections on key industries and sectors
TK
*Free subscriptions academic institutions.
Subscribe now by scanning the above QR code.
April 25, 2022
Contents | APRIL 25, 2022 EDITOR’S NOTE …4 The common sense behind college consolidation
FIRST READ … 7
We take state pols back to school with our Session Superlatives!
CLARICE SCHILLINGER … 10
A one-on-one with the education-driven Republican candidate for lieutenant governor
ROLL CALL ... 12
City & State’s Pittsburgh Power 100 event was a literal high point in the Steel City
DAN GREENSTEIN ... 16
The PASSHE head is leading stateowned schools into the terra incognita of consolidation
THE HIGHER EDUCATION POWER 100 … 25
SUSAN SPICKA
The people who make Pennsylvania the envy of every other state’s post-secondary offerings
WINNERS & LOSERS … 50
Who’s been up – and down – this month
14
FAIR FUNDING TRIAL A look back at the state’s landmark court case – and what comes next
City & State Pennsylvania
3
4
CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
EDITOR’S NOTE
Editor-in-chief
JARED GRUENWALD
JENNY DEHUFF
PENNSYLVANIA public universities have seen their biggest decline in enrollment in more than a decade – that’s according to the State System’s own data. All of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities appear to be struggling in the aftermath of the pandemic. Declining enrollment numbers, difficulty retaining students, funding and staffing shortfalls – these data points have become so grim that there has been increasingly loud talk of shuttering some colleges altogether. That’s why there’s been pressure on PASSHE to follow the lead of other states and reorganize and consolidate its campuses to reduce costs and overhead. PASSHE Chancellor Dan Greenstein said that consolidation is not only necessary to keep the schools viable – but to keep the doors open at all. As a measure of just how dire these straits have been, last year, he suggested to members of the state Senate that he would recommend to his board of governors that the State System be dissolved completely if the consolidation plan was rejected. The cost savings from consolidation can lead to productivity improvements like an increase in graduation rates, more student resources to go around and reduced student fees. Of course, Greenstein’s reorganization has been criticized by staff and faculty as contra the university system altogether – which is why I’ve come up with an unconventional and likely unpopular solution: wait. Just wait. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know anything – and that includes about the traditional educational path. There is no reason to go to college right after high school unless you absolutely know what you are going for – and you know for sure how it’s going to be paid for – and by whom. Go to a community college. Sign up for extension courses. Take advantage of the greatest job market in a generation and go work in a field you’re interested in entering. One of the first things college is supposed to teach you is to think for yourself – so why not start doing that before you matriculate? Greenstein’s groundbreaking consolidation proposal was no doubt borne out of a need and desire to do what’s best for both the system and the students. So why not cut out the middleman – and just do what’s best for yourself?
Congratulations to
Dr. Jill Murray President, Lackawanna College Higher Education Power 100 and all other honorees
lackawanna.edu
MAY 24, 2022 6:30PM-9PM KING MANSION, HARRISBURG, PA
CELEBRATING THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA City & State PA’s published, must-read list of Pennsylvania’s most influential elected officials, labor unions, advocacy groups, political consultants, lobbyists, media personalities, business leaders, and more will be back this May! Join us as we highlight the best in the Keystone State and celebrate the Pennsylvania Power 100 with an in-person event in Harrisburg. Don’t miss our guest speakers and a rundown of all 100 on our list! Register Here For more information about City & State Events, please contact events@cityandstatepa.com For more information about advertising and sponsorship opportunities, please contact advertising@cityandstatepa.com
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
7
I
T’S NO SECRET – there’s a lot of drama in Pennsylvania politics. With all the he-said-shesaid and talk about who likes who – it almost feels like high school. Whether it’s candidates slinging attack ads at each other or Harrisburg lawmakers going back and forth in the Capitol, there are plenty of juicy rumors swirling around. With that in mind, we thought it was a good time to hand out superlatives for this year’s class at Harrisburg High. Do you agree with these choices or does it look like just another popularity contest? Tell us what you think on Twitter @CityandStatePA.
■
PA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SESSION SUPERLATIVES We’re turning the state Capitol into Harrisburg High to see who would get honored in City & State’s yearbook.
By Harrison Cann
CUTEST/ MOST UNLIKELY COUPLE State Reps. Greg Rothman & Stephen Kinsey
They’re not a couple you’d normally see in a yearbook, but state Reps. Greg Rothman and Stephen Kinsey deserve kudos for their unlikely legislative relationship. Rothman, a Republican from Cumberland County, and Kinsey, a Democrat from Philadelphia County, are a great example of lawmakers reaching across the aisle. The two have worked together on multiple issues, including the creation of a bipartisan caucus for this legislative session, which looks to provide a channel for civil discussion among lawmakers.
8
CityAndStatePA .com
PA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS; SPX CHROME/GETTY IMAGES
April 25, 2022
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
BEST BEARD
State Rep. Mike Puskaric
Even after talking with multiple sources, it was difficult to determine a winner here. But the honor of Best Beard goes to state Rep. Mike Puskaric, who joined the big beard club recently. The Republican from Allegheny County came to Harrisburg in 2019 with a short shave but now more closely resembles a mountain man with glasses. He may not have been the choice going into this year, but his bid grew on us. HONORABLE MENTION State Rep. Jordan Harris
LIFE OF THE PARTY
State Rep. Tom Mehaffie
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
9
State Rep. Frank Burns
Who says bipartisanship is dead? Burns, a Democrat serving a largely conservative Cambria County constituency, has worked with and voted alongside the Republican majority in Harrisburg on many occasions. A self-described “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Democrat,” Burns recently introduced two bills – one expediting public records requests for elected officials, and another using surplus funds to reduce property taxes – that have gained bipartisan sponsors.
MOST LIKELY TO STILL GET ID’ED
State Rep. Kathleen “KC” Tomlinson
If you need “party supplies,” state Rep. Tom Mehaffie is your guy. Mehaffie, a Republican from Lower Swatara Township in Dauphin County, is the owner of Breski Beverage Distributor, which provides libations to the thirsty throngs of the Harrisburg area. A past president of the Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania, Mehaffie’s the go-to for to-go beverages in the capital region.
They say politics ain’t a young person’s game. Tell that to state Rep. KC Tomlinson, identified by colleagues as the most likely to be carded. KC is relatively new to Harrisburg, but she’s the daughter of longtime state Sen. Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson, so she’s got name recognition. A Bucks County Republican, she was elected in 2020.
HONORABLE MENTIONS State Reps. Ed Neilson & Tom Sankey
HONORABLE MENTIONS State Reps. Abby Major & Joe Kerwin
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA
MOST LIKELY TO BE IN THE SMOKING SECTION
State Rep. Mike Schlossberg
Quite literally, everyone and their mother is on social media these days, making this a tough one – but state Rep. Mike Schlossberg’s Twitter game is on point. He’s known to crack a joke or throw in a terrible pun, but recently, the Democrat from Lehigh County started posting selfies with dogs and other pets while out on the campaign trail collecting signatures. HONORABLE MENTIONS Sen. John Kane & Rep. Gary Day
State Rep. Russ Diamond
If you’ve ever been to the Capitol complex in Harrisburg, you’ve likely seen some of our public servants enjoying a cig outside. With former State Rep. Andrew Pyle no longer in office, you’re most likely to find Diamond and others outside the Ryan Office Building with smokes in hand.
10
CityAndStatePA .com
March 21, 2022
A Q & A with Republican lieutenant governor candidate
Clarice Schillinger This former legislative aide wants to focus on her education agenda if she wins.
By Justin Sweitzer
A
S A FORMER legislative aide to state Rep. Todd Stephens, a Montgomery County Republican, Clarice Schillinger got a firsthand look at how the legislative process works in Pennsylvania. She went on to form two political action committees dedicated to getting students back in the classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic – and she hopes to continue fighting for educational reforms by becoming the state’s next lieutenant governor. City & State spoke with Schillinger about how she intends to build off of her advocacy work if elected, and how she hopes to use the unique office to champion school choice, reduce crime and stimulate the economy. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Over the past few years, you formed the Keeping Kids in School PAC and the Back To School PA PAC. What prompted you to form these two political action committees? Let me just give you a little bit of history about me, and then you’ll really understand why I am such an advocate for education. I actually was a teen mom. I was pregnant
at 18 and I had Lexi at 19. I was a single mom for about six years and then I met my husband, who is now holding down the fort. When I left my career as a legislative aide and came home with our two children … I was sitting at the kitchen table with them for 18 months while schools were shut down and I couldn’t stop thinking, “I’m blessed and fortunate enough to have now been able to come home with my children, but what are the single parents doing? What are the houses that need both incomes to make ends meet doing?” It really troubled me … So that is what drove me to start both of those PACs. Why did you decide to run for lieutenant governor and not just continue working to elect candidates to office through those PACs? The role of lieutenant governor for the past few years has been used to advocate for legalizing marijuana, hanging flags illegally outside of our Capitol – that role should be used to get things moving, to get things out of gridlock. So it really should be more of a boots-on-theground kind of job where you go to the communities, you bring it back to the governor, you bring it back to the legislature, you push things forward. So where my frustration
March 21, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
11
”It’s important to families to be able to choose what is best for them and their child and how their child learns.” – Clarice Schillinger
came from was, we have something so glaring that needs to be changed, and we still cannot change it … These are the things where I said we have to have a voice of advocacy in Harrisburg, but more importantly, we have to have a voice of advocacy in the executive branch.
Schillinger is executive director of Back to School PA, a PAC focused on fighting school closures.
CLARICE FOR PA
Your campaign website says you will fight for a worldclass education for Pennsylvania students. Are there specific policy changes that you think are needed at the state level to ensure students get the best education possible? Yes. I truly believe in school choice, and the reason why is, I believe in creating competition and competition makes us all better. School choice is so critically important to me. It’s important to students. It’s important to families to be able to choose what is best for them and their child and how their child learns. Some schools and state and local governments are making efforts to ban books and prohibit certain topics from being taught. Should the
government – whether it be school boards or state officials – be limiting what students are taught? I don’t agree with banning books … What the core issue here is, is the lack of transparency. So that is where I do believe that the government does need to step in. We saw Gov. Wolf veto the curriculum transparency bill. For me and for parents, that should just be a given. It should be transparent. Then, if we create school choice, if the parent does not like what a certain school is teaching, they have the ability to move their child wherever they see their child succeeding more. So, it’s not about banning books. It’s not about banning certain curriculums. It’s more about transparency and communication. You see a lot of the parents upset – why you see them upset is because, at first, we had unlimited amount of time to speak. It’s five minutes – now it’s three minutes – two minutes, and it’s once a month that they get this opportunity to speak (at school board meetings) after sending repeated emails with no response, after meetings with no response. That’s where you’re
starting to see this extreme frustration. The lieutenant governor’s office is somewhat limited in terms of its duties and powers. How do you envision using this office to achieve your policy goals? Everyone knows our current lieutenant governor advocates for legalizing drugs and I know that there is no doubt in my mind that I can use that role to advocate for education, economy and safe communities. I have made a very conscious effort to make a relationship with each and every gubernatorial candidate that’s running. That was very important to me so that whoever does get through the primary – I will be an asset to any one of them, but also already have a relationship with them. I have made a promise throughout the commonwealth that you’re not going to hear that the governor and lieutenant governor don’t get along. This is about being the right hand of the governor – assisting and getting things done and after what we’ve been through the past two or three years – really getting us back on track.
■
12
CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
The Pittsburgh Power 100
CITY & STATE PA’S inaugural Pittsburgh Power 100 list was unveiled at a reception at Le Mont Restaurant in the city’s Mount Washington neighborhood on April 12 – a fitting day to celebrate the 412 area code. Despite it being Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates – the game could actually be seen from many of the floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows – more than 130 people showed up to celebrate the honorees, to mingle, and to listen to a variety of speakers. The list included welcoming remarks from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, as well as speeches by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, Jessica Brooks, president of Pittsburgh Business Group on Health and CEO of EARN Staffing Solutions, and U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle. In an unexpected and much-appreciated twist, City & State PA was honored as well: Kail-Smith presented Publisher Susan Peiffer with an official proclamation declaring the date “City & State Day” in the City of Bridges.
Dr. Angela Perez-Johnston shares a laugh with CCAC President Quintin Bullock and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters.
■
(Left to right:) Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith.
Honoree and speaker Jessica Brooks, CEO of Pittsburgh Business Group on Health and CEO of EARN Staffing Solutions.
MIKE MAXSON
Celebrating the Steel City’s most influential residents.
March 21, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
Deanna Garcia points to honorees Maria Montaño and Lisa Schroeder, president of the Pittsburgh Foundation.
Wayne Walters (left) poses with a staffer from Conor Lamb’s campaign.
A crowd of 130 people took part in the event, which was held at Le Mont Restaurant at the top of Mount Washington.
13
Keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle delivered his remarks in front of a panoramic background of the city.
Attendee – and 2022 Above & Beyond honoree – Jill Beck takes part in a collaborative art project called “Building Bridges.”
Jake Wheatley, former state Rep. and new chief of staff to Mayor Ed Gainey, and wife wife, Angela Mike, pose for cameras.
14
CityAndStatePA .com
September 2021
ANALYSIS:
Fair funding fallout A look back at the state’s education funding trial and where the General Assembly can go from here. By Harrison Cann
T
HE SCHOOL YEAR may be winding down, but education policy discussions are just ramping up for the summer. The commonwealth’s landmark public education funding lawsuit progressed from a complicated, seven-year process to a four-month trial – which came to a close last month. As the petitioners – which include six school districts, four parents and two statewide organizations – await a decision from Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer on whether the state and legislature are meeting the state constitutional requirement to provide “for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education,” it’s instructive to assess both the trial and what its potential outcomes could mean for the General Assembly and school districts. HOW WE GOT HERE Throughout the trial, the petitioners argued that school districts around the state are underfunded and fail to meet the needs of students. Specifically, two legal claims were made: The first alleges that the state’s school funding fails to provide the adequate education outlined in the state constitution, and the second alleges the funding
violates Equal Protection provisions in the state constitution because it discriminates against “an identifiable class of students who reside in school districts with low incomes and property values.” “It’s so clear from the clients we serve – rural, urban, suburban, Southeast Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, Northeast, and all over the state – our students are attending predominantly underfunded schools. And that disproportionately impacts our Black and brown students,” Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, told City & State. ELC, alongside the Public Interest Law Center and private firm O’Melveny, are arguing the case on behalf of the petitioners. Defendants in the case, representing state House and Senate leadership, refuted these claims by arguing that the state spends more per capita on education than most other states. While that may be true, Pennsylvania still has some of the widest spending gaps between wealthy and poor districts in the nation. The commonwealth also contributes less as a state to overall education spending. Pennsylvania contributes 38% of education spending in the state, compared to a national average of 47%. That ranks
Tomea SippioSmith and others like her argue state schools are grossly underfunded and fail to meet basic minimums.
the commonwealth 44th in the nation for its share of funding for public schools, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Exhibits from petitioners in the case displayed everything from hallways or portable spaces converted into classrooms to deteriorating facilities and equipment. Klehr noted instances where, in the Greater Johnstown School District, 125 children in one grade are sharing one toilet and middle schoolers are using textbooks showing Bill Clinton as the current president. “If schools were adequately funded, all students would have the educational oppor-
tunities needed to be collegeand career-ready,” Klehr said. “Those are the opportunities students and wealthy districts have now.” Attorneys for Republican legislative leaders said the case is about the constitutionality of the school system – not whether it’s an ideal situation. Eric Hanushek, a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and an expert witness for the Republican leaders, said education funding doesn’t directly correlate with academic achievement. “Sometimes, people spend money and get really good results, and sometimes they spend money to get really bad
September 2021
City & State Pennsylvania
15
Donna Cooper (at podium) leads a rally for Children First, a child advocacy organization that pushes legislators for more funding.
“Bad teachers like more money as much as good teachers.” – Eric Hanushek
CHILDREN FIRST
necessarily the actual needs of the students.” If the court were to rule in favor of the petitioners, legislators would be sent back to Harrisburg with the task of having to revamp the state’s school system.
results,” Hanushek told City & State. “There’s no systematic relationship from just providing money to (getting good) outcomes.” Klehr acknowledged that litigation isn’t going to directly create equitable funding policy, but she said other states have shown it’s a viable way to get the wheels turning. “What we see is that school funding lawsuits in other states have spurred more revenue for public schools, reduced inequality and led to better academic and life outcomes for students,” she said. “You look at other states without litigation, and (policy is up to) who’s in leadership at that time – not
WHAT’S AT STAKE But what are the biggest challenges for schools and administrators right now? Attorneys from both sides argued whether past assessments offered an accurate picture of the disparities that exist in public schools. A new report from the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and PSBA gives a glimpse of the school system today. The 2022 State of Education Report, developed by PSBA and PASA, was released on April 12. The report, which includes surveys of school administrators and parents, as well as data from the state department of education, found that schools are facing unprecedented staffing and budgeting shortfalls. Ninety-nine percent of school districts reported experiencing a shortage of substitute teachers and about 80% reported shortages of instructional aides and bus drivers. Not far behind were concerns over health and safety, specifically inade-
quate and ever-changing guidance throughout the pandemic. And for the third consecutive year, mandatory charter school tuition payments were the top source of budget issues. There’s no argument that more resources would be needed to help school districts overcome these challenges, but the question is over the best method to directly address them. Hanushek said increasing teacher salaries is one way. But a broad increase in teacher salaries isn’t a silver bullet. “Bad teachers like more money as much as good teachers,” he said. “We know from undisputed research that the effectiveness of teachers is extraordinarily important. So systems that identify effective teachers and provide effective teachers to disadvantaged kids that are poor-performing are ones that have closed the achievement gap.” Hanushek suggested implementing a teacher evaluation system similar to the IMPACT program in Washington, D.C., where teachers with highly effective ratings are rewarded with bonuses and ineffective teachers are pushed out. “It’s hard to devise regulations that say, ‘Go do good,’” he explained as his rationale for accountability and incentive measures.
WHAT COMES NEXT Findings of facts and conclusions are due at the end of the month, and amicus briefs from outside parties are due May 6. Post-trial briefs will be concluded by July 6 and oral arguments on legal issues will be held on July 26. Then, a ruling could come at any time. Regardless of the outcome, the losing party is expected to appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. If Jubelirer rules in favor of the petitioners, lawmakers will have to go back to the drawing board to create a school funding system that allows all school districts to meet academic standards. Klehr said she hopes any redesign of the state’s education funding system starts with a needs assessment and works in transparency mechanisms from there. “Any rational system would start with an effort to figure out how much state funding schools need to be able to provide essential educational support,” she said. “The court isn’t going to come up with what that system is. We would hope that the court would exercise oversight over the process to ensure accountability of the General Assembly to meet its constitutional duties.”
■
16
CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
LE
Greenstein has viewed the State System’s redesign as long overdue, calling it necessary to keep all 14 schools open and cost effective.
THE EARNING CURVEBALL April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
17
Officials at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education have embarked on a groundbreaking – and fraught – quest to redesign the system. By Justin Sweitzer
PORTRAITS BY AMANDA BERG
18
CityAndStatePA .com
I
N THE SUMMER of 2021, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education – the governing body of Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities – made a decision that would change the course of six of those schools for years to come. Buffeted by a perfect storm of declining enrollment and the need to align costs with those lower enrollment numbers, the PASSHE board of governors voted unanimously to combine six individual state schools into two new universities – a move that would allow the institutions to share resources while reining in costs at the same time. It was a historic action for Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities, one intended to put the State System on a new path to financial stability while simultaneously keeping all of the 14 schools open. While monumental for education in the Keystone State, the move isn’t unprecedented elsewhere. Vermont officials have taken similar steps to merge state colleges, and Connecticut has gotten the go-ahead to consolidate all 12 of its community colleges into one overarching entity. In Pennsylvania, however, the move was part of a larger effort to reimagine the State System – a process that also includes the approval of new degree programs, the consolidation of services and academic courses across universities, and an expansion of online degree programs and other non-degree programs at PASSHE schools. The redesign of the State System is something that PASSHE Chancellor Dan Greenstein and state lawmakers alike view as long overdue – and necessary to keep each of the 14 state-owned universities open while also en-
April 25, 2022
suring that the system remains affordable and financially sound. Members of the PASSHE board of governors voted 18-0 last July to merge California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University and Edinboro University into the new Pennsylvania Western University and consolidate Bloomsburg University, Lock Haven University and Mansfield University into the new Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. Under the integration plan, each of the six institutions will remain open as part of two larger university structures that share academic programs, faculty and other resources. During that July 2021 board of governors meeting, Greenstein made an impassioned plea to board members to integrate the six campuses and move the State System forward. “Building a reimagined university that blends the talent and the exceptional strengths of three partner campuses in each region is not something that happens overnight. That process will take time; it will be deliberate; it will be inclusive. This is the beginning,” he said. “Through it, we will create two regional powerhouses … participating campuses maintain their historic names, their identities, their sports teams and clubs, while offering their students, their faculty and staff more opportunity than they could afford if they were on their own.” He added that the integration plan would help improve access to student supports as
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
19
AMANDA BERG; WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
Greenstein interacts with students during a recent campus visit to West Chester University.
well as provide better opportunities to connect with potential transfer students at community colleges. Greenstein, who took over as chancellor in 2018 after a six-year stint overseeing post-secondary education efforts at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, told City & State that he came to PASSHE with two primary goals: ensuring that the system remains financially stable, and addressing student needs. Consolidating resources at the six institutions at the center of the integration plan is one way to control costs for both students and the State System, he said. Greenstein acknowledged that PASSHE has been grappling with numerous challenges, including underfunding, population decline and
price increases. One of his priorities as chancellor has been to ensure students aren’t getting priced out of the market – and, in turn, driven to attend schools outside of Pennsylvania. In the 2004-2005 academic year, the State System’s total enrollment was 105,902 students across its 14 universities, according to PASSHE data. Enrollment continued to rise over the next few years, peaking at 119,513 in the 2010-2011 academic year. But since that time, enrollment at PASSHE universities has steadily dropped, with just 93,708 students attending stateowned universities in 2020. Greenstein said the 22% drop in enrollment over that time can be attributed to a number of factors, with affordability chief among them. He said that while PASSHE schools are
20 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
still among some of the most affordable in the state, costs are still high enough that low- and middle-income students are being priced out of the market. “At $23,000, $24,000 a year … it represents about 40-plus percent of low- and middle-income families’ household income for one student for one year. I mean, that’s a lot of money,” Greenstein said. State Sen. Judy Schwank, a member of the board of governors whose Senate district includes Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, told City & State that changes were needed to address funding challenges and better support students. “What I appreciate most about the system redesign – everybody thinks it is about right-sizing, but I see it more as the focus on what we should have been talking about from the beginning: student success. Every decision that we make has to be linked to: How do we serve our students better?” PASSHE’s redesign efforts
were designed to address a range of issues facing state-owned universities, but the academic overhaul, at times, has faced criticism, particularly from faculty and staff at the universities. Jamie Martin, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the union that represents PASSHE faculty, told City & State that her members at PennWest and Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania have expressed feelings of exhaustion as they try and expand curricula and academic programs to cover three separate campuses. “They have to take a look at the curricula that exists in that department in each of those three campuses and try to determine: How do we put this together so that it’s a meaningful experience for our students on all three campuses, with the awareness that we have students on all three campuses that already started the curriculum that was in place” prior to the integration plan,” Martin said.
“Every decision that we make has to be linked to: How do we serve our students better?” – Judy Schwank
“I’m just hearing about the level of exhaustion that is there,” Martin said, adding that “a lot of faculty are teaching overloads because they’re not bringing back adjuncts or rehiring for the positions where retirements have occurred.” Martin also expressed concerns about the potential for the integration plan to increase reliance on online classes, and said that the State System should be transparent about the number of online courses students will have to take at the integrated universities. “To be fair, there are some students who might prefer at least to have some because it
COMMONWEALTH MEDIA SERVICES
Schwank has been working in Harrisburg on marketing campaigns that make tuition more affordable.
21 aut City & State Pennsylvania Ellestenis
April 25, 2022
es ea consequ iaectur? Itis dicia nonsequia volupitae dolorec eaquae nesciis se quid qui aliquist odis eum harupta
Martin believes more state funding is needed to keep the State System afloat.
CLARION UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA; APSCUF
Clarion University of Pennsylvania students will join those at Edinboro and California universities at Penn West.
gives them some flexibility. But they need to always think of it as truth in advertising. They need to know what they can expect coming in,” Martin said. Greenstein didn’t discount the criticisms levied by APSCUF and faculty members, noting that PASSHE’s faculty is critical to educating students. “This is a people business, and so your investment in your people is important,” he said, adding that questions, concerns and debate around the system redesign is healthy and necessary. “This is a process where, if everybody was singing merrily along and joining hands, we probably
wouldn’t be making the kinds of deep changes that are kind of required.” But while there are differences of opinion on how best to reorient the State System, there are also clear areas of agreement, especially when it comes to funding. The PASSHE board of governors approved a historic $550 million funding request – and one that exceeds the prior year’s state appropriation by $73 million. Greenstein said the funding would primarily cover operating costs and help the system deal with cost increases driven by inflation.
“It is a number that will offset the inflationary increases. It will enable us to not raise tuition. It will enable us to stop cross-subsidies where universities that are more financially successful are actually giving out money to the universities that are less so – they can’t continue to do that,” he said. “More importantly though, it will enable us to put on a kind of recurrent basis the kind of innovation … that is necessary to evolve in ways that we need to evolve to serve the students that we need to serve better.” He added that Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to provide tuition scholarships for PASSHE students could be one way to attract more students not just to PASSHE schools, but ultimately to the state’s workforce, noting that other incentive programs, like the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, have been “incredibly effective.” Martin concurred that more state funding is crucial to keeping the State System afloat: “A budget will tell you a lot of things
– it tells you what you value and what you don’t,” she said. “You can’t cut your way out of these kinds of issues. The only way to do it is to provide adequate funding, and I’m hopeful that that will occur.” Schwank, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said state officials can take a number of different actions to attract more students, including by more aggressive marketing campaigns and focusing on individual student stories more. The biggest key to reversing the system’s enrollment trend, she said, is to make each of the system’s 14 universities more accessible. “If students can’t afford us, then they can’t come,” she said. “We’re still a bargain, but when you look at what some private institutions are able to do, in terms of reducing the sticker price for their tuition, we’ve got to compete and, certainly, as a system that’s supposed to serve the state, we have a moral responsibility to make sure that we do that.”
■
We s t C h e s t e r U niv e r s i t y c o n g ra t u l a t e s
Dr. Christopher Fiorentino as one of Pennsylvania’s
Higher Education
POWER 100
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
THE 2022 HIGHER EDUCATION POWER 100
T
HE COMMONWEALTH’S higher education institutions have been changing the world for years as they’ve shaped the minds of the next generation. Just recently, the outlook of the pandemic was changed dramatically by the mRNA research at the University of Pennsylvania, which served as the foundation of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Despite declining enrollment and a bevy of pandemic-related challenges, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is looking towards a brighter future amid its redesign and campus consolidation.
23
Recognizing the most powerful educators in Pennsylvania.
PASSHE is welcoming the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, formerly known as Bloomsburg University, Lock Haven and Mansfield University, and Pennsylvania Western University, formerly California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University and Edinboro University. The obstacles that come with these major shifts wouldn’t be manageable without influential leaders and innovators overseeing these institutions. City & State PA’s 2022 Higher Education Power 100, written in partnership with Hilary Danailova, recognizes the individuals who are redefining what it means to be a leader in this field.
24 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
Bendapudi has been praised for embodying Penn State's modern land-grant mission.
3 JASON WINGARD PRESIDENT
Fry, who has set out to transform Drexel into a private research university, was appointed its 14th president in 2010.
1 JOHN FRY PRESIDENT Drexel University In his dozen years as president, John Fry has sought to make Drexel University a national model for higher education and local economic development by combining private research with public engagement. Fry championed Drexel’s new Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships and collaborations supporting local schools; he has made Drexel instrumental in a $3.5 billion mixed-use development on university-owned real estate. Under Fry, Drexel also
launched the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship and a series of academic and research partnerships.
2 WENDELL PRITCHETT INTERIM PRESIDENT University of Pennsylvania Taking over from former President Amy Gutmann midway through the 202122 academic year, Wendell Pritchett, the university’s first president of color, brings solid leadership to a campus he knows well. Pritchett, a celebrated urban historian whose doctorate in history
academic posts at Columbia and Wharton, served as chief learning officer of Goldman Sachs and founded The Education Board, an executive coaching management consultancy.
4 NEELI BENDAPUDI PRESIDENT
Temple University
The Pennsylvania State University
When Jason Wingard became Temple’s first Black president last summer, he also returned to his roots: Wingard was a youth basketball camper at Temple, his father’s alma mater. In between, Wingard earned a doctorate in education from Penn, held
Last month, Neeli Bendapudi made history as the first woman and person of color to become president of Penn State. Bendapudi comes from the University of Louisville, where she recruited the largest and most diverse freshman class in history,
Pritchett is an award-winning scholar, author, lawyer, professor and academic leader at Penn.
DREXEL UNIVERSITY; SAMEER KHAN
is from Penn, has made history on campus before, serving as Penn’s first Black provost from 2017 to 2021. He has also held leadership roles at Penn’s Law School, where he is the James S. Riepe Presidential Professor of Law and Education.
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
achieved record enrollment levels, improved fouryear graduation rates and increased annual sponsored research by nearly 80% over four years. Bendapudi is also a professor of marketing and an expert in consumer behavior.
profile. Tykocinski chaired Penn’s pathology department before becoming dean of Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College in 2008, overseeing the nation’s largest medical alumni base. During his tenure at Jefferson, Tykocinski guided the 2017 merger with Philadelphia University, as well as a 2018 partnership with Washington & Jefferson College that allows W&J juniors to begin medical school at TJU.
5 PATRICK GALLAGHER
9
CHANCELLOR University of Pittsburgh Patrick Gallagher took the helm of his alma mater in 2014 after several prominent Washington appointments, including as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and acting deputy secretary of commerce in the Obama administration. Gallagher, who recently announced he will retire from the University of Pittsburgh in 2023, solidified the university’s national research standing. He currently chairs the Association of American Universities board of directors, and is a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee for the National Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
6 THE WHARTON SCHOOL
FARNAM JAHANIAN
25
KEN GORMLEY PRESIDENT Duquesne University James is dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
well as an ongoing $2 billion fundraising campaign. Before coming to CMU, Jahanian led the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering and chaired the National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.
7
six months after her arrival when James oversaw a successful return to oncampus instruction, aided by the school’s proprietary safety app. Last year, Wharton became the first elite MBA program to enroll more women than men; among the new programs launched on James’ watch is a Wharton Executive Education initiative to cultivate women leaders.
8
PRESIDENT
ERIKA JAMES
Carnegie Mellon University
DEAN
MARK TYKOCINSKI
Under the leadership of computer scientist Farnam Jahanian, Carnegie Mellon’s president since 2017, the university has earned a reputation as a hub for artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. Jahanian expanded research partnerships and has overseen the university’s largest expansion of campus infrastructure to date, as
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
PROVOST & EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Named one of the "Top 10 Women of Power in Education” by Black Enterprise, Erika H. James became Dean of Penn’s Wharton School in 2020 – the first woman and first person of color in the role. Her background in crisis management was on display
Not every college administrator is also a popular author, but Ken Gormley, president of Duquesne University since 2016, is best known in some circles for “The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr,” a 2010 New York Times best-seller. Gormley knows his subject matter: He is a respected constitutional scholar and author and former dean of Duquesne School of Law. Under his leadership, the university has maintained top rankings among Catholic institutions and health science programs. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report recognized several Duquesne online master’s degree offerings as among the nation’s best.
10 DANIEL GREENSTEIN
Thomas Jefferson University
CHANCELLOR
As provost of Thomas Jefferson University, Mark Tykocinski has steered the 198-year-old institution through a series of recent mergers and partnerships that have greatly raised TJU’s
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Aligning Pennsylvanians’ educations with workforce exigencies is what animates Dan Greenstein,
26 CityAndStatePA .com
11 KATHLEEN GALLAGHER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & COO Thomas Jefferson University Kathleen P. Gallagher has steered Thomas Jefferson University, where she serves as executive vice president and COO, through an exhilarating period of expansion. She oversaw Jefferson’s 2017 merger with Philadelphia University and played a role in securing
and coaches employed at Pennsylvania’s 14 publicly owned universities. Martin, a professor in the department of criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, advocates for state funding and quality public education for the commonwealth’s nearly 100,000 students. Her voice was frequently heard representing these interests as the State System of Higher Education continued mulling the consolidation of six of its universities.
14 VALERIE SMITH
Martin is president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.
millions in funding for the current expansion of the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing. In addition to spearheading administration and operations, Gallagher manages the university’s strategic plan and partnership programs, including the Global Jefferson programs and the Office of International Affairs.
12 PETER DONOHUE PRESIDENT Villanova University Over his 16 years as president of Villanova University, the Rev. Peter Donohue has spearheaded the school’s largest fundraising campaign
In 2016, Donohue helped Villanova launch a theology doctorate program.
PRESIDENT Swarthmore College
and initiated an environmental sustainability plan aimed at attaining carbon neutrality. Donohue – a theater professor whose campus productions have earned accolades from the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia – is guiding a long-term campus remodel, including a newly opened performing arts center. Donohue also launched several doctoral programs, increased full-time faculty, and has safeguarded Villanova’s top ranking among national and Catholic universities.
13 JAMIE MARTIN
Curricular innovation, infrastructure upgrades and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion have all distinguished the Swarthmore College presidency of Valerie Smith. Smith, an African American literature scholar, assumed the role in 2015 after having served as a dean and founding director of the Center for African American Studies at Princeton. Following 2020’s civil unrest, Smith established the Swarthmore President’s Fund for Racial Justice, which supports programming around social issues. Smith has also overseen a $440 million capital campaign and a plan for the school to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
15
PRESIDENT
PAM GROSSMAN
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
DEAN
As president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, Jamie Martin represents the instructors
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education After five consecutive years in the top five graduate education schools, 2022 marked the first time that
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY; APSCUF
chief executive officer of Pennsylvania’s state system of public universities, which serves 90,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more in professional training programs. Greenstein is currently masterminding a three-phase system redesign that emphasizes careerspecific postsecondary credentials and increased affordability. Under Greenstein’s purview, PASSHE recently announced Cheyney University would be the latest grant recipient in its #Prepared4PA program, which pairs universities with the private sector for mentoring, professional training and innovative workforce credentialing.
April 25, 2022
Congratulations to
Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson For successfully bringing together three proud institutions: California, Clarion and Edinboro universities. For building on the strengths of each university and holding down the cost of education. And most importantly, for creating a brighter future for higher education in Pennsylvania.
PennWest.edu
The University of Scranton WE’VE GOT THE KEYS TO YOUR SUCCESS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO REV. JOSEPH MARINA, S.J.,
IC
ERSIT Y •
ON BEING NAMED TO THE PENNSYLVANIA HIGHER EDUCATION POWER 100 LIST
8
8
F
OU
& J ES U I T U N
IV
• A C AT H O L
PRESIDENT of THE UNIVERSITY of SCRANTON,
ND
8 ED IN 1
For more information call 1.888.SCRANTON or visit scranton.edu
28 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
Penn’s Graduate School of Education was ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report. Overseeing this streak is Pam Grossman, who became dean in 2015 and has won plaudits for several groundbreaking initiatives, including the GSE Action Plan for Faculty Diversity, a model for the university. Grossman is also leading a $4 million partnership with the School District of Philadelphia.
16 DEAN School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Penn Dental Medicine Dean Mark S. Wolff leads a graduate school that provides clinical care to more than 40,000 patients, conducts $20 million in annual research and offers a nearly unparalleled breadth of dental degree programs – including credentialing tracks for internationally trained dentists and a new hybrid online and clinical program. Last year, Wolff oversaw the launch of Penn Dental’s e-learning platform, as well as the hiring of 35 faculty members. Wolff is a past chair of the American Dental Education Association Council of Sections.
17 WENDY RAYMOND PRESIDENT Haverford College Wendy Raymond became Haverford College’s president in 2019 – just as the institution concluded a $270 million capital campaign. Raymond, a molecular biologist who taught for years at Williams College, currently guides
investment in Haverford’s financial aid program, major campus renovations, and new academic programs. Raymond has spoken of how her groundbreaking role as a female scientist shapes her commitment to institutional diversity, equity and inclusion, a priority Haverford takes seriously: Under Raymond’s leadership, the class of 2025 is more racially diverse than the U.S. as a whole.
18
20
ZACK MOORE
MARY BURKE
VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Penn State University
Temple University
Since 2007, Zack Moore has earned a reputation as a powerful and effective lobbyist for Penn State, his alma mater and the state’s flagship university system. Moore honed his advocacy skills at both the U.S. House and Senate before leaving Washington, D.C. for State College, where he is responsible for federal, state and local relations. Moore is particularly passionate about communicating the value of Penn State’s land-grant mission. He also serves on the board of the Penn College of Technology.
Billion-dollar campaigns are nothing new for Mary E. Burke, who brings her fundraising prowess to Temple University as its incoming vice president for institutional advancement. Burke most recently led fundraising at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Foundation, New Jersey’s largest academic medical center, where, as vice president, she oversaw a $40 million foundation. She previously directed advancement programs at numerous universities, most recently at the University of Maryland, where she oversaw a $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign.
KIM CASSIDY PRESIDENT Bryn Mawr College After three decades at Bryn Mawr College, Kim Cassidy knows the liberal arts have to innovate. Cassidy, who was the school's provost before becoming Bryn Mawr’s president in 2014, has partnered with faculty to promote academic innovation through multidisciplinary courses, new programs like biochemistry and data science, and a Philadelphiabased collaborative academic program with Haverford and Swarthmore colleges. A onetime chair of Bryn Mawr’s psychology department, Cassidy is an outspoken advocate for diversity, inclusion and gender equity, especially in STEM disciplines.
Moore serves as vice president for government and community relations for Penn State.
PATRICK MONTERO/HAVERFORD COLLEGE; CBICC
MARK WOLFF
19
Congratulations to Dr. Mary Ellen Caro and all of this year’s City and State Pennsylvania Higher Education Power 100 honorees.
www.peirce.edu
Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities congratulate
President Bashar W. Hanna, Ph.D.
on being named to City & State Pennsylvania’s Higher Education Power 100 List
We’re Honoring our History, Investing in Today, and Building a Powerful Tomorrow. That’s the power of three.
30 CityAndStatePA .com
patient procedures and provide free or discounted dental programs to 22,000 patients annually. In 2016, under Ismail’s leadership, the Kornberg School achieved an R1 (highest research activity) designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
BRENDA ALLEN PRESIDENT Lincoln University While many institutions are downsizing, Brenda Allen anticipates increased enrollment at Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU. Her vision for Lincoln includes a curriculum overhaul, administrative restructuring, and extensive upgrades to the historic campus. Allen also implemented new online summer courses and expanded programs at Lincoln’s School for Adult and Continuing Education in Philadelphia. Last year, the HBCU Campaign Fund named Allen one of the Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders.
22 DONALD GUY GENERALS PRESIDENT Community College of Philadelphia As President of Community College of Philadelphia, Donald Guy Generals steers the city’s only public institution of higher education, serving roughly 25,000 students, from career transitioners to high school students in a dual enrollment partnership with the School District of Philadelphia. During his eight-year tenure, CCP has introduced several new academic programs and research initiatives around issues like gun violence
25 ANDREW SHARP DIRECTOR OF STATE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System
reporting. Generals was named the Philadelphia Tribune’s Most Influential Leader in 2020 and Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly 2021 College President.
23 ISABELLE BAJEUXBESNAINOU DEAN Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University “The Intelligent Future” is how Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou branded Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business after becoming its dean in 2020. That future includes a series of new programs aimed at forward-thinking professionals, including a business analytics master’s degree and an
Over the last 13 years, Ismail has overseen breakthroughs in dentistry at Temple.
accelerated online MBA. Bajeux-Besnainou has also championed Tepper research initiatives around urgent topics such as blockchain, sustainability, health care commerce and inclusive growth and prosperity. The Paris-educated dean came to Tepper from McGill University, where she was dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management.
24 AMID ISMAIL DEAN Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry Over the past 13 years, Dean Amid Ismail has led the transformation of Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry – the nation’s second-oldest – into a research powerhouse and a model for community engagement. Kornberg students perform 119,000
As director of state government relations for Philadelphiabased Penn Medicine, Andrew Sharp is responsible for communicating the missions and public policy agenda of both the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the Perelman School of Medicine to state government officials across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Sharp previously honed his legislative and advocacy skills as Deputy Secretary of Intergovernmental Affairs for Gov. Tom Wolf, where he built relationships with key stakeholders across the region.
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY; MICHAEL WILL PHOTOGRAPHERS
21
April 25, 2022
Allen is president of Lincoln University just outside of Oxford.
BajeuxBesnainou is dean of the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.
CONGRATULATIONS Thomas Jefferson University congratulates both Mark Tykocinski, MD, Provost and EVP, Academic Affairs, and Kathy Gallagher, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, on the inclusion in The City & State of Pennsylvania’s Higher Education Power 100 List.
Jefferson.edu
ARCHITECTURE | BUSINESS | DESIGN | ENGINEERING | FASHION & TEXTILES | HEALTH | SCIENCE | SOCIAL SCIENCE
CONGRATULATIONS DEAN AMID ISMAIL
City & State PA's Higher Education Power 100
Become the Author of Your Own Powerful Story
One of the premier experiential learning colleges in the country. 91% of students participate in at least two high-impact practices.
67% participate in an internship or field experience.
JUNIATA.EDU Temple Univeristy Kornberg School of Denistry Congratulates Dean Ismail for making the Power 100 list
32 CityAndStatePA .com
NICHOLE DUFFY VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania Having previously worked at the Pennsylvania Department of Education – including as Deputy Secretary for Administration – Nichole Duffy is an effective voice for the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania, where she has been vice president for government relations since 2019. Duffy advocates for more than 90 schools within the AICUP consortium, which together generate more than $20 billion in economic activity annually for the commonwealth. Prior to joining AICUP, Duffy was a senior education policy specialist reporting to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
27 JOHN BRAVMAN PRESIDENT Bucknell University Seven years after becoming Bucknell University’s president in 2010, John Bravman announced the school had surpassed its half-billion-dollar
fundraising campaign goal by $13 million. This year, Bravman announced the school was the recipient of a $40 million donation – the largest in its history. The onetime engineering professor’s powerhouse fundraising has shored up Bucknell’s financial aid endowment, paid for major capital expansions, and funded the new Freeman College of Management. Bravman has also facilitated multiple renovations in downtown Lewisburg, strengthening town-and-gown ties.
28 JAMES STEELEY PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency Last year, CEO James H. Steeley defended PHEAA, Pennsylvania’s loan servicer, as the Senate grilled him over the agency’s mishandling of student debt. Steeley is overseeing the agency’s strategic downsizing as it divests of FedLoan, its federal student loan program, by the end of 2022, to focus on Pennsylvania programs. Steeley recently announced raises for PHEAA's non-union employees.
Reed serves as the 28th president of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
Shekhar is dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
29
30
MARK REED
ANANTHA SHEKHAR
PRESIDENT
DEAN
Saint Joseph’s University
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
During Mark C. Reed’s tenure as president, Saint Joseph’s University has seen its U.S. News & World Report ranking rise to No. 8 in North Regional universities. This year, Saint Joseph’s will acquire Philadelphia’s University of the Sciences, adding a campus, cutting-edge facilities and in-demand health and science programs. Other highlights of Reed’s seven-year tenure at the Jesuit university include securing a $50 million donation, the largest gift in institutional history; a historic partnership with the Barnes Foundation; and its first new school in nearly three decades, The School of Health Studies and Education.
Anantha Shekhar, a leading neuroscientist and biotech entrepreneur, became dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2020 after three decades at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he increased research funding from the National Institutes of Health by nearly 75% in his last five years there. At Pitt, Shekhar is focused on maintaining NIH research funding while supporting instruction at the six health sciences schools and working closely with UPMC, one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers.
31 DAWN MAGLICCO DEITCH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS University of Pennsylvania Across Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth-biggest city,
CASEY TRINKAUS; MELISSA KELLY; UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
26
April 25, 2022
President of Temple University, Dr. Jason Wingard
York College of Pennsylvania recognizes
Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith, President for her dedication to advancing high-impact learning opportunities for York College’s students and programs that serve the greater York community.
Congratulations on being named to City & State’s 2022 Pennsylvania Higher Education Power 100 The Temple community is proud of your accomplishments. We’re honored to be under your dynamic leadership and value your commitment to excellence. Together, we’ll continue igniting change and passion. — YOUR TEMPLE FAMILY —
Learn more about Temple University at temple.edu.
An advocacy campaign including City & State First Read provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in New York government and politics. Campaigns Include:
ADVOCACY MESSAGING OPEN-HOUSE PROMOTIONS NEW HIRE ANNOUNCEMENTS Contact us at advertising@cityandstateny.com for advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
34 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
one name is ubiquitous: The University of Pennsylvania, whose West Philadelphia campus and ever-multiplying medical buildings delineate the urban landscape. Overseeing relations between the university – the largest private employer in Philadelphia – and the city it has helped define since 1740 is Dawn Maglicco Deitch, executive director at Penn’s Office of Government and Community Affairs. Deitch has spent nearly a quarter-century advocating for Penn within the community.
32 NICOLE HURD PRESIDENT Lafayette College Before assuming the presidency of Lafayette College last year, Nicole Hurd spent more than a decade building College Advising Corps, now the
Link is the first female president in the 207-yearhistory of Allegheny College.
nation’s largest college access nonprofit, which she founded while a dean at the University of Virginia. Hurd brings to Lafayette a passion for increasing educational opportunity – especially among first-generation, lowincome and underrepresented students – and a fundraising prowess that has secured nearly $100 million in grants. At Lafayette, Hurd aims to double the financial aid budget, grow enrollment and continue to add new faculty.
33 CYNTHIA SHAPIRA & DENISE PEARSON CHAIR, BOARD OF GOVERNORS; VICECHANCELLOR & CHIEF DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION OFFICER Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Six years ago, Cynthia Shapira became the first woman to
oversee the Keystone State’s higher education system. This year, she led the biggest change in the system’s history: integrating six of its 14 universities into two newly accredited institutions, Pennsylvania West University and Commonwealth University. Shapira, who expects to receive her doctorate in education from Penn this spring, is a former trustee of Point Park University; she currently sits on Gov. Tom Wolf’s Advisory Board for Education and Workforce Development. As a first-generation college graduate, Denise Pearson knows the challenges facing many students across the commonwealth – and as the first DEI officer for the PASSHE, she is dedicated to eradicating barriers. Pearson inaugurated the role in 2020 with a mission to engage stakeholders across the system in an effort to improve social equity, identify and address student achievement disparities and improve employee recruitment and retention. To that end, Pearson is currently overseeing the state system’s first-ever systemwide climate survey.
34 HILARY LINK PRESIDENT Allegheny College When Hilary Link joined Allegheny College from Temple University Rome, she brought the global perspective
of a Renaissance scholar and the administrative know-how of a leader whose recruitment initiatives led to the highest enrollment in the Rome campus’s 52-year history. Link recently celebrated Allegheny becoming one of the first 10 U.S. carbon-neutral colleges. The first woman to lead Allegheny, Link is a member of the International Women’s Forum, an invitation-only global network of women leaders.
35 STEPHANIE JOHNSON DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE CAREER SERVICES Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business Stephanie Johnson helps aspiring business leaders start the transition from classroom to boardroom as director of Graduate Career Services at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. Johnson joined LeBow in 2009 and works closely with students and alumni, along with talent recruiters in the business community. She also facilitates workshops and employer presentations, oversees a mentoring program, and serves as liaison for the graduate programs’ Career Services Advisory Council.
36 VALERIE KINLOCH DEAN University of Pittsburgh School of Education In four years, Valerie Kinloch, the university’s first African American female dean, has made the University of Pittsburgh School of Education a model for urban education, diversity and
ALLEGHENY COLLEGE; GREATER PITTSBURGH JEWISH FEDERATION; DENISE PEARSON
At Lafayette, Hurd launched a program which helps high schoolers get into college.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY 1 Year
99*
$
2 Year
149*
$
3 Year
199*
$
SUBSCRIPTIONS INCLUDE 48 ISSUES CONVENIENTLY MAILED TO YOUR HOME OR OFFICE CITY & STATE MAGAZINE is a premier weekly publication that dedicates its coverage to everything politics in New York.
Profiles of leading political figures In-depth updates on campaigns and elections Analysis of policy and legislation Special sections on key industries and sectors *Free subscriptions are offered to New York City and New York State government employees, staff of nonprofit organizations, and staff and faculty of academic institutions. $99 per year for all other subscribers.
Subscribe now by scanning the above QR code.
36 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
39 HEATHER PERFETTI Murray is president and chief innovation officer at Lackawanna College.
inclusion. Kinloch co-chairs the PittEd Justice Collective, which engages local and national school districts around issues of equity and justice and has overseen PittEd’s participation in a groundbreaking 18-month study of the intersections of race, power and education. Under Kinloch, PittEd has also introduced several new degree programs.
37 CHRISTOPHER FIORENTINO PRESIDENT West Chester University When Christopher M. Fiorentino became president of West Chester University in 2017, it was the culmination of a journey that began in 1983, when he first started teaching economics and included 20 years as dean of West Chester’s College of Business and Public Affairs. As president, Fiorentino has helped secure professional accreditation for the School of Business, inaugurated the Cottrell Entrepreneurial
Leadership Center and celebrated WCU’s 2021 reclassification as an R2 (high research activity) doctoral university under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
38 JILL MURRAY PRESIDENT Lackawanna College Jill Murray is the first woman to lead Lackawanna College, which, last year, was named the fastest-growing private nonprofit college in the nation by the Chronicle of Higher Education. A lifelong Scranton resident, Murray became president in 2020 after serving
PRESIDENT Middle States Commission on Higher Education Of the 500 institutions accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 140 are in Pennsylvania – and all are under the purview of President Heather F. Perfetti. Since taking the helm two years ago, Perfetti has supported constituent schools during a turbulent pandemic period, while at the same time promoting policies to increase diversity and inclusion. Last year, she represented accrediting agencies during student loan negotiations with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education.
40 NOE ORTEGA & TANYA GARCIA SECRETARY OF EDUCATION; ACTING DEPUTY SECRETARY & COMMISSIONER FOR POSTSECONDARY AND HIGHER EDUCATION Pennsylvania Department of Education Noe Ortega learned the value of diversity firsthand when he trained early childhood language teachers in Japan.
Today, as he leads the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Ortega promotes an inclusive agenda across the commonwealth. He previously served as Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for the department, and before that, as assistant director and senior research associate at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan, where he earned a doctorate in higher education policy. After years of working to improve policies for Commonwealth students in state government and nonprofit roles, Tanya Garcia was appointed Acting Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for Postsecondary and Higher Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2020. She is responsible for long-range strategy as laid out in the department’s master plan for the commonwealth’s more than 330 postsecondary and higher education institutions. Garcia’s office also oversees educator certification, adult literacy programs, veteran benefits, high school equivalency, and trade program licensures.
41 ROBERT IULIANO PRESIDENT Gettysburg College Robert W. Iuliano, president of Gettysburg College since 2019, believes the town that inspired Abraham Lincoln’s unifying oratory has a role to play in moderating the current climate of polarization. Iuliano’s vision integrates classroom and experiential learning, supports diversity, equity and inclusion, stabilizes university finances and shores up Gettysburg’s residential liberal arts experience. Iuliano was previously a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston and, in a series of teaching and administrative
WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY; HILLER PHOTOGRAPHY
as Lackawanna’s executive vice president and chief innovation officer and vice president of academic affairs. Enrollment has increased dramatically during her time at Lackawanna. Murray has also championed the school’s esports program and its Level Up program for ambitious high school students.
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
37
Green is also a composer and has authored eight music-reference books. boosted both enrollment and the percentage of female graduates.
44 JONATHAN GREEN PRESIDENT Susquehanna University
roles, definitively shaped Harvard University’s institutional priorities during his tenure there.
42 QUINTIN BULLOCK PRESIDENT The Community College of Allegheny County A committed advocate for community colleges and their communities, Quintin B. Bullock has served as president of the Community College of Allegheny County since 2014, overseeing 40,000 students at four campuses and four centers. Bullock, a dentist by training, has spearheaded several capital projects, including the construction of a campus workforce center, and introduced new academic and career programs. He also stabilized the college’s
finances through a series of state and federal grants as well as the college’s largestever campaign, totaling $65 million.
43 JOSEPH HELBLE PRESIDENT Lehigh University Since becoming president of Lehigh University last year, Joseph J. Helble has invited students to join his Tuesday four-mile runs. Lehigh’s tight-knit residential model – including themed houses – is a legacy Helble praises. A Lehigh alumnus, Helble is also guiding the university’s Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Strategic Plan. He previously served as provost and as dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, where he dramatically
45 RASHMI RADHAKRISHNAN VICE PRESIDENT FOR IT & CIO, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Arcadia University As universities adapt for an increasingly digital future, strategists like Rashmi Radhakrishnan play a crucial role. The vice president and chief information officer at Arcadia University, Radhakrishnan leads IT
strategy for the university’s long-term technology needs and coordinates cyber security initiatives at Arcadia campuses worldwide. Having previously served as Albright College’s vice president for digital strategy and infrastructure, Radhakrishnan – who has been named a Top IT Pro by The Philadelphia Business Journal – is currently leading the digital transformation initiative for Arcadia’s 2025 strategic plan.
46 MICHAEL DRISCOLL PRESIDENT Indiana University of Pennsylvania Financial stability has been a priority for Michael Driscoll in his decade as president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, part of the state system. Under Driscoll’s watch, IUP exceeded its fundraising goal by nearly 10% during a recent campaign that secured the two largest gifts – totaling $30 million – in the history of the university. Driscoll is currently guiding an academic restructuring to invest in key areas while eliminating others. Driscoll
COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY; ARCADIA UNIVERSITY
Bullock is president of the Community College of Allegheny County.
Award-winning choral composer Jonathan Green had long become used to directing ensembles. But in 2017, he expanded his repertoire by becoming president of Susquehanna University. Previously, Green, the author of numerous music reference books, served as provost and dean at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was named outstanding academic advisor in 2016. Green is currently overseeing Susquehanna’s 2026 strategic plan, which emphasizes data-driven approaches for sustainability, student recruitment, academic success and support for teaching.
38 CityAndStatePA .com
dedicated IUP’s first academic building in 20 years in 2016 and a $90 million STEM facility will open in 2023.
Tom Ridge’s gubernatorial transition team and served as chair of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
47
49
VICTORIA BASTECKI-PEREZ
FELICIA GANTHER
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
Montgomery County Community College
Bucks County Community College
Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez spent a quarter-century at Montgomery County Community College before taking over the presidency in 2020. A first-generation graduate committed to opportunity, Bastecki-Perez increased the Faculty Diversity Fellows program. Under her watch, MCCC was one of only six community colleges to be recognized as a 2021 Leader Colleges of Distinction by Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit that promotes student success. Bastecki-Perez is a member of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges Council of Presidents.
Felicia Ganther, the first Black woman to serve as president of Bucks County Community College, is on a mission to turn around an enrollment decline while transitioning the college to a new normal that includes adding new professional training programs aimed at filling the county’s growing need for skilled workers. She is also spearheading the construction of the $9.9 million Center for Advanced Technologies at the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks, which will house manufacturing, training and workforce programs.
48 JOHN E. JONES III PRESIDENT
ERIC PARKER
April 25, 2022
50 JAY FELDSTEIN PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Originally from Los Angeles, Ganther now serves as president of Bucks County Community College.
health disparities. Last year, Feldstein received the American Osteopathic Association’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Unification Award.
51
Commission for Community Colleges.
52 KATHLEEN HARRING PRESIDENT
JOHN ‘SKI’ SYGIELSKI
Muhlenberg College
PRESIDENT
In 2020, Kathleen E. Harring became the first woman president of Muhlenberg College, culminating a career at the college that began in 1984. A onetime chair of the psychology department, a founding member of the college’s Center for Teaching & Learning and a former dean, vice president and provost, Harring has guided numerous campus-wide initiatives to support diversity and integrative learning. Last year, Harring launched a $111 million capital campaign to increase financial aid, endow professorships, upgrade infrastructure, and expand the Muhlenberg Network career program.
Dickinson College
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College
John E. Jones III had a lifetime judicial appointment, as U.S. district judge of the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania – yet he resigned in 2021 to become interim president of his alma mater, Dickinson College, an appointment made permanent in February. Jones launched an effort to stabilize the university’s finances, announcing a financial aid fundraising effort aimed at meeting the full needs of every admitted student. A graduate of Penn State Dickinson Law, Jones also co-chaired
Dr. Jay Feldstein capped an impressive career in health care management with a 2014 return to his alma mater – the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a 1981 graduate and the school’s current president and CEO. Board-certified in emergency medicine, Feldstein has overseen eight years of growth and equity initiatives at PCOM, including its participation in Accelerate Health Equity, a coalition of area health systems tackling Philadelphia’s longstanding
John J. “Ski” Sygielski is the only member of his workingclass family to graduate from college, a privilege he assays to extend to others as president of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College. Sygielski assumed the presidency in 2011; his current priorities include increasing enrollment, improving retention and graduation rates and shoring up HACC’s finances. Sygielski is a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges and the Pennsylvania
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
55
DAVID FINEGOLD
ELIZABETH BOLDEN
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT & CEO
Chatham University
Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges
Since David Finegold became Chatham’s president in 2016, the university has garnered accolades for its sustainability practices, as well as its ongoing championing of women’s achievements: College Magazine named Chatham No. 3 on its list of top schools for aspiring women leaders. This year, bucking a national trend, Finegold supported the reinstatement of a faculty tenure system at Chatham. Finegold is a board member of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education and hosts “The Future of Higher Education,” a podcast on the New Books Network.
54 JAMES TROHA PRESIDENT Juniata College Fresh off the largest comprehensive campaign in Juniata College’s history, President James A. Troha oversaw the expansion and construction of several facilities on the school’s Huntingdon campus, as well as the introduction of new undergraduate and graduate programs. Under Troha’s leadership, Juniata joined the Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts, where he serves as chair. Troha also chairs the board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, and is a board member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
As rising tuition costs have prompted more Pennsylvanians to consider community colleges, Elizabeth Bolden has worked to promote the 15 institutions she oversees as president and CEO at the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, a nonprofit coalition. Bolden, who joined the commission in 2014, advocates for smoother transfer programs to fouryear institutions, greater affordability and workforce training initiatives at the state’s junior colleges. Previously, Bolden served as policy analyst and policy director for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Knapp is the 13th president of Washington & Jefferson College.
57
56
PENN STATE CHANCELLORS
JOHN KNAPP
58
PRESIDENT Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College was founded in 1781, but much of the campus looks as good as new, thanks to extensive renovations during the tenure of John C. Knapp. Knapp, who previously implemented a decade-long strategic plan at Michigan’s Hope College, joined Washington & Jefferson in 2017 and announced 19 new academic programs this year. W&J recently launched new centers for ethical leadership and professional pathways, as well as the Ignite business incubator supporting economic development in Washington County.
SEE PAGE 41.
JASON BOYERS PRESIDENT Rosemont College Higher education expert Jason Boyers took the helm of Rosemont College in 2020, just in time for its 2021 centennial celebration. During Boyer’s tenure, Rosemont – a Catholic former women’s institution that became co-educational in 2009 – added a baseball program, won accreditation for two counseling programs and undertook a $7.5 million renovation of its historic Mayfield Hall. This year, Rosemont became one of just 27 post-secondary institutions
to join the Federal Academic Alliance, which offers reduced-cost education to federal employees.
59 JUSTIN MOHNEY PRESIDENT Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling A first-generation college graduate, Justin Mohney brings his passion for education to the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling, which, under his leadership, won a 2021 Rising Star program award from the National Association for College Admission Counseling for its Promoting Inclusivity & Equity Lunch & Learn series. Mohney is an associate director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon University, his alma mater. As PACAC president, Mohney expanded a counselor assistance program grant and engaged over
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE
53
39
40 CityAndStatePA .com
6,000 students through virtual college fair programming during the pandemic.
60 JULIE WOLLMAN PRESIDENT
April 25, 2022
Wubah, a microbiologist, has focused on strengthening the state university’s community ties and investing in workforce development initiatives with the local business community. As a result, Millersville was one of 243 schools nationwide to receive the 2020 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.
Widener University With free expression under fire on many campuses, Julie E. Wollman aimed to make Widener University a model for dialogue with Common Ground, an initiative that encourages respectful discourse on challenging topics. Wollman also integrated sustainability across the curriculum and introduced marketdriven programs, including occupational therapy, speech language pathology and physician assistant training. Wollman serves on the board of the American Association of University Administrators and chairs the Regional College and University President’s Alliance at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia.
61 DANIEL WUBAH PRESIDENT
LEHIGH CARBON COMMUNITY COLLEGE; KEVIN NASH
Millersville University While many college presidents may dress regally at times, Daniel Wubah, president of Millersville University, does so legitimately: He is a tribal king of Breman Asikuma in the Central Region of Ghana. In his four years at Millersville,
62 ANN BIEBER PRESIDENT Lehigh Carbon Community College When Amazon chose Lehigh Carbon Community College as one of four U.S. training sites for advanced manufacturing last year, it was the latest in a series of partnerships secured during the presidency of Ann Bieber. Bieber has held numerous positions at Lehigh Carbon since 1981, including senior vice president of administrative services and dean of continuing education. Under Bieber’s leadership, Lehigh Carbon joined the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s new “Near Completers” program, which helps Pennsylvanians achieve partially completed degrees and onto higher-paying career paths.
In his private life, Wubah is a tribal chief at Breman Asikuma, a town in Ghana.
Wubah is president of Millersville University.
63 SCOTT MARTIN & LINDSEY WILLIAMS STATE SENATORS Scott Martin, a Republican representing the 13th District in Lancaster County, is chair of the Pennsylvania state Senate’s Education Committee. Martin has sponsored or co-sponsored the Fair Chance College Education Act, a constitutional amendment to eliminate school property taxes and has supported bills concerning substitute teachers and student-athletes. Martin also serves on the System of Higher Education Board of Governors, Pennsylvania Higher Educational Facilities Authority, State Public School Building Authority, Education Commission of the States and Special Education Funding Commission. As Minority Chair of the Senate Education Committee, state Sen.
Lindsey Williams, a Democrat representing the 38th District in Allegheny County, has cosponsored recent proposals aimed at tackling student loan forgiveness and novel repayment programs for school-based mental health professionals, as well as increased state investment for school support staff. She has also championed greater funding for Pennsylvania’s community colleges and its state system of higher education, while also urging limits on public financing of charter schools.
64 CURT SONNEY & MARK LONGIETTI STATE REPRESENTATIVES A comprehensive review of cyber charter schools and a statewide teacher shortage are some of the current issues facing Republican state Rep. Curt Sonney, who chairs
57
March 28, 2022
City & State New York
41
Ford is chancellor and dean of Penn State Behrend.
PENN STATE CHANCELLORS
Grant is chancellor of Penn State Berks.
RALPH FORD
PENN STATE BEHREND
LORI BECHTEL-WHERRY
PENN STATE ALTOONA
JOHN MASON
PENN STATE HARRISBURG
GEORGE GRANT
BechtelWherry is chancellor and dean at Penn State Altoona.
PENN STATE BERKS
MARGO DELLICARPINI
PENN STATE BEHREND; PENN STATE ALTOONA; GINI WOY PHOTOGRAPHY; JOHN SECOGES; PAM BROBST
PENN STATE ABINGTON CHANCELLORS shape Penn State’s academic colleges at specialized campuses, often far from University Park. As leaders and chief operating officers of these institutions, each of Penn State’s chancellors brings a unique perspective to their roles at each institution. At Penn State Behrend, Ralph Ford serves as chancellor and dean and brings with him more than 25 years of experience in higher education. A professor of electrical and computer engineering, he oversees the campus’s signature openlaboratory model, which pairs students and faculty with external stakeholders to promote community development. At the Altoona campus, Chancellor and Dean Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry will retire this year after nearly 40 years at the college, during which time she expanded the school’s downtown complex and spurred the creation of 10
undergraduate programs. Bechtel-Wherry helped secure the acquisition of several academic buildings in downtown Altoona that resulted in campus expansion. During her tenure, she also helped pave the way for a bike trail that connected the Ivyside and Downtown campuses. John R. Mason Jr., a 1972 Penn State Harrisburg alumnus who later returned to teach engineering, came back again in 2018 to lead that campus as chancellor. During his tenure, the campus has launched new degree programs; this year, PSH researchers secured a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant to recruit and retain math teachers. Prior to joining PSH, Mason served as vice president for research and economic development at Auburn University in Alabama. George Grant Jr. has
Mason is chancellor of Penn State Harrisburg.
become known as the highly accessible chancellor of Penn State Berks, where he took over last year, bringing his social justice vision to inaugural events like this spring’s first Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Retreat. Grant is responsible for implementing all aspects
DelliCarpini is chancellor of Penn State Abington.
of academic programs at the Berks campus, including research and service, strategic planning, budgeting, philanthropy, faculty and staff development outreach and community engagement. Those same issues are also a priority for Penn State Abington’s new chancellor and dean, Margo DelliCarpini, who took office last year, overseeing a busy campus with 23 majors and an MBA partnership with Penn State Great Valley. Penn State Abington is one of the network’s most diverse campuses; DelliCarpini oversees more than 3,700 students just outside of Philadelphia – with 50% of students identifying as being from underrepresented groups, more than 40% as first-generation college students and 25% as adult learners. – Hilary Danailova
42 CityAndStatePA .com
66 WILLIAM BEHRE PRESIDENT Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock University President William Behre’s five-year tenure includes the 2020 creation of the school’s Center for Community Engagement, Empowerment and Development, known as Butler SUCCEED, to better integrate the university and community through civic engagement and learning. After shepherding the school through COVID-induced changes in priorities, Behre will retire to let his successor carry out post-pandemic goals like increasing enrollment and curricular innovation.
65 RONALD MATTHEWS PRESIDENT Eastern University When Dr. Ronald A. Matthews became president of Eastern University in 2018, the appointment capped a nearly 30-year career that included roles as executive director of the Fine and Performing Arts Division and chair of the music department. Under Matthews, Eastern retains its U.S. News & World Report ranking as one of the best regional universities in the North, including a designation as a top college for veterans. This year, Matthews debuted Eastern’s football program, as well as several online, lowcost master’s degrees.
67
Under Matthews' tenure, Eastern University has grown over 60% in the last two years, despite the pandemic.
of Pennsylvania. Hanna is a member of the board of the American Association of University Administrators and an editorial board member of the Journal of Education Management.
PRESIDENT
68
Bloomsburg University
ROBERTO DÍAZ
A neurobiologist by training, Bashar W. Hanna is a veteran administrator who assumed the presidency of Bloomsburg University in 2017. He is currently overseeing the merger of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities, known as the Northeast Integration Process, while serving as interim president of Lock Haven and Mansfield; the consolidated institution will be known as Commonwealth University
PRESIDENT & CEO
BASHAR HANNA
Curtis Institute of Music Roberto Díaz has proven as nimble a college administrator as he was a principal violist at the Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Symphony, among his previous roles. At Curtis, the Chilean-born violist’s alma mater, Díaz oversaw a campus-doubling expansion. He also founded the Curtis on Tour initiative,
raising the conservatory’s profile through student and faculty tours abroad. Díaz’s legacy includes a new classical guitar department, new conducting and string quartet programs, and public initiatives that include Curtis Summerfest and online classes through Coursera.
69 DANIEL ALLEN PRESIDENT LaSalle University Daniel Allen comes to LaSalle University with a record of stellar fundraising and a passion for social justice. Allen, who takes over the presidency this month, is charged with turning around years of declining enrollment
EASTERN UNIVERSITY/ST. DAVIDS, PA; BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY
the Education Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Sonney represents the Fourth District, including portions of Erie County. He recently cosponsored the well-publicized Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and a bill to establish the Lifeline Scholarship Program, among others. Earlier this year, Sonney announced he would retire at the end of this, his ninth term. In eight terms representing Pennsylvania’s 7th District in Mercer County, Democrat Mark Longietti has championed education funding, from preschool to graduate degrees. Elected in 2006, Longietti serves as the Minority Chairman of the House Education Committee and as a member of the State Board of Education and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. Longietti has also served on the Basic Education Funding Commission and the Special Education Funding Commission, and co-chairs the House/Senate Early Childhood Education Caucus.
April 25, 2022
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
and revenue at LaSalle, building on his fundraising record as a senior vice president at DePaul University. Allen is focusing on expanding higher education access – especially for low-income students – at LaSalle, which boasts a high graduation rate and ranks first in the nation for job placement among full-time MBA graduates.
regular “Pizza with the Prez” residence hall events since becoming Messiah’s president in 2004. Her engaging style embodies the fellowship at the core of Messiah’s evangelical Christian mission. At Messiah, where every student receives financial aid, Phipps oversees more than 60 off-campus study locations in 40 countries, several top-ranked professional programs, threeyear degree options and a four-year graduation rate onethird higher than the national average.
70
74
FRANK YAMADA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Association of Theological Schools
PEIRCE COLLEGE
Caro is president and CEO at Peirce College in Philadelphia.
As president of the Association of Theological Schools, Frank Yamada oversees a consortium of nearly 300 graduate schools of theology in the U.S. and Canada. Yamada, a Bible scholar, came to the Pittsburgh-based organization after nine years at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, where he was the first Asian American to lead a Presbyterian Church seminary. In addition to supporting accreditation through its related commission, ATS hosts member events on topics like enrollment, finances and trends in theological education.
enrollment by focusing on adults with transfer credits; and stabilizing Pierce financially through alternative revenue sources. Caro’s vision aims to attract careerminded students through flexible, affordable academic programs in fields like cloud computing and supply chain management.
71
JOSEPH MARINA
72
WILL JORDAN PRESIDENT
change, Marina has held a variety of administrative and pastoral positions at Catholic institutions, including as a professor of education, provost and vice president at Le Moyne College, another Jesuit institution. This year, Scranton was recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its outstanding master’s degree programs, undergraduate engineering, business and nursing degrees and teaching excellence.
PRESIDENT
73
MARY ELLEN CARO
University of Scranton
KIM PHIPPS
PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Barely a decade after he was ordained a Catholic priest, the Rev. Joseph G. Marina became president of the University of Scranton. Combining theological research with his passion for organizational
PRESIDENT
Peirce College Adult learners and successful outcomes motivate Mary Ellen Caro, the first woman to become president and chief executive officer of Peirce College. Upon arriving in 2018, Caro implemented a strategic plan aimed at leveraging technology to upgrade the student experience; boosting
43
Messiah University Kim Phipps has a literal open-door policy at Messiah University, where she has held
Phipps oversees more than 3,100 undergrad and grad students at Messiah.
Temple Association of University Professionals Will Jordan is a union leader who represents 3,000 professors, instructors, librarians, and other faculty and staff as head of the Temple Association of University Professionals, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO. Elected president last year, Jordan, an educational leadership and policy studies professor, is focused on building organizing committees for each school and college at Temple. His current priorities for the union include advocating for safe pandemic working conditions, campaigning against budget cuts, and championing diversity.
75 MANASA GOPAKUMAR PRESIDENT Temple University Graduate Students’ Association By day, Manasa Gopakumar, a philosophy Ph.D. student,
44 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
DAVIE GILMOUR PRESIDENT Pennsylvania College of Technology
Gilmour is president of the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
researches the social implications of ignorance. And as president of the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association, Gopakumar educates her colleagues about their rights as graduate workers – including a living wage, health care access, and protection from exploitation and discrimination. Gopakumar has been involved for two years with TUGSA, the first and only recognized graduate student employee union in the commonwealth; she serves as the philosophy department steward and co-chairs TUGSA’s international student caucus.
76 PAMELA GUNTER-SMITH PRESIDENT York College Pamela Gunter-Smith has led York College since 2013, when she left her position as provost and academic vice president at New Jersey’s Drew University. In that time, Gunter-Smith has helped guide the school, located in
Spring Garden Township, to increase its baccalaureate offerings to include 70available majors for its 4,400 undergraduate students. A graduate of Spelman College, where she later taught as the Porter Professor of Physiology, serves on the board of directors of both York Hospital and the York County Industrial Development Authority.
Technology professions have come a long way since Davie Jane Gilmour joined Pennsylvania College of Technology in 1977 as an instructor in its dental hygiene program. Gilmour has served as president since 1998, growing PCT into a national leader in applied technology education and initiating numerous partnerships with business and industry leaders. Under Gilmour’s leadership, PCT substantially increased its degree offerings, established its first graduatelevel programs and pioneered a STEM apprenticeship model through its workforce development division.
PRESIDENT Clarion University Since Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson became president of Clarion University in 2018, the school celebrated its highest retention rates in nearly 30 years, as well as consecutive increases in freshman class size for the first time in a decade. Pehrsson, who raised the school’s fundraising to its highest level in a decade, will be the head of the new Pennsylvania Western University, comprised of Clarion, Edinboro and California universities.
DONALD TAYLOR PRESIDENT Cabrini University In 2016 – two years into his tenure as president – Donald Taylor transitioned Cabrini College into a full-fledged university by creating four dean-headed schools, expanding research and degree programs at all levels and inaugurating two doctoral programs. His strategic plan established partnerships with schools and educational nonprofits both locally and globally. Taylor’s tenure prioritizes outreach to Hispanic communities; new Cabrini affiliations include the National Hispanic Institute, Esperanza, and schools in South America.
81
77 DALE-ELIZABETH PEHRSSON
80
79 ERIC DARR PRESIDENT Harrisburg University Growth is the guiding principle for Eric Darr. Over his decade at the helm of Harrisburg University, Darr has orchestrated a dynamic expansion, from enrollment, which has grown by more than tenfold, to the launches of a $100 million Science Education Center in downtown
DONALD GREEN PRESIDENT Point Park University Point Park University President Donald Green comes from Georgia Highlands College with a history of boosting enrollment and particular success recruiting Hispanics – many of whom were the first generation to attend college. Green hopes to replicate this achievement at Point Park by reversing a 12% drop in enrollment over the past decade. This year, Point Park lowered tuition on most master’s programs, launched new online programs and
CINDY MEIXEL/PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY; JASON MINICK OF MINICK PHOTOGRAPHY
78
Harrisburg and a new HU campus in Philadelphia. The university also added nearly three dozen new degree programs and concentrations under Darr’s watch.
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
45
unveiled the Michael P. Pitterich Sales & Innovation Center at the Rowland School of Business.
82 MARY SIMCOX
taken a proactive, transparent approach toward pandemicera challenges. His popular town hall meetings are credited with boosting fundraising by 25%, while Wilson’s endowment has grown by more than 30% during his tenure. Fugate also initiated the President’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and spearheaded Future Wilson: The Phoenix Rises, a program that yielded new undergraduate majors and degree and certificate programs.
PRESIDENT Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences The 24-year presidency of Mary Grace Simcox at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences mirrors the growth and professionalization of American health careers over two decades. During her tenure, Simcox has helped transform a collection of downtown Lancaster buildings offering diplomas for a few hundred students into a centralized campus with accredited associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees for nearly 2,000 students. Simcox is a member of the Association of Health Sciences Education Consortium and the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities Presidents.
83 ERIC FORBERGE; KENDRA TIDD/WILSON COLLEGE
ERIC PRYOR
Simcox is president of the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.
KENNETH HAWKINSON that school’s first major renovation in a generation. He was previously executive director of The Center for Arts Education in New York.
84
Chestnut Hill’s NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports program. Vale serves on the board and executive committee of the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities.
85
PRESIDENT
CAROL JEAN VALE
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
PRESIDENT
WESLEY FUGATE
Chestnut Hill College
PRESIDENT
Sister Carol Jean Vale assumed the presidency of this women’s college 30 years ago. When she retires from Chestnut Hill College this June, her legacy will include transforming the institution into a co-educational liberal arts school. Her tenure has also seen a major campus expansion, the launch of a School of Continuing Professional Studies, and
Wilson College
In January, Eric Pryor became president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which has a dual role as a fine arts educational institution as well as a museum showcasing American art. Pryor, who holds art degrees from two Philadelphia institutions – Tyler and Temple – spent the previous seven years as president of the Harlem School of the Arts, where he secured funding for
86
Assuming the presidency of Wilson College in January 2020, Wesley Fugate has
PRESIDENT Kutztown University With college enrollment dipping across Pennsylvania, President Kenneth Hawkinson has focused on fresh branding for Kutztown University, part of Pennsylvania’s state higher education system. Since arriving in 2015, Hawkinson has introduced 53 initiatives aimed at upgrading academic standards and offerings, student success and fundraising. This year, Kutztown celebrated national recognition for its women’s basketball team and radio station, saw its U.S. News & World Report ranking rise,
Vale is regarded as one of the nation's longest-serving college presidents.
46 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
and broke ground on the Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research.
87 CHRIS BURNS PRESIDENT & CEO InternU
88 TUESDAY STANLEY PRESIDENT Westmoreland County Community College As Westmoreland County Community College’s first female president, Tuesday Stanley implemented a datadriven approach and saw the institution win a $2.5 million federal grant to strengthen educational services. Stanley rallied a funding coalition for a recent $6.5 million renovation of the Youngwood campus
Stanley is president of Westmoreland County Community College.
that included refreshed student and science centers, upgraded library technology and spaces for events and career services. Her eight-year tenure has also been marked by new academic programs, including dual admissions agreements with several nearby four-year universities.
89 GWEN PRICE PRESIDENT Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators New teachers have never been more important than right now, as schools across
Waxman is the first female rabbi to head a Jewish congregational union.
the commonwealth face shortages due to a pandemic retirement wave. Gwen Price is passionate about training the next generation as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators, which is celebrating its 50th year supporting the field of teacher education. Currently dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Clarion University, Price is working to expand PAC-TE membership as she promotes the profession.
90 TODD SPAULDING PRESIDENT The State College & University Professional Association As president of The State College and University Professional Association, Todd Spaulding represents a union
of non-faculty professionals within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Members work in clientfacing university roles like admissions, registrar, financial aid, career and alumni services, or housing – like Spaulding, who is associate director of residential life and housing at Clarion University. During a turbulent moment for higher education, Spaulding leads union advocacy for fair contracts, safe conditions and members' concerns over consolidation of state system schools.
91 DEBORAH WAXMAN PRESIDENT Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Rabbi Deborah Waxman is the first woman to head a Jewish seminary, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Chris Burns was among the first Pennsylvanians to recognize how essential internships would become for aspiring professionals. His 25-year-old Malvern business, InternU, has paired more than 100,000 university students and graduates with area technology, finance, health care and other companies for year-round mentoring, apprenticeships and recruitment. A fixture at university job fairs, Burns hosts workshops, cultivates networks and promotes an intensive, multi-step interview process aimed at keeping students in the area.
April 25, 2022
City & State Pennsylvania
47
Sturdivant is president and CEO of NEED, based out of Pittsburgh.
Waxman is president of Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote.
College, as well as its affiliated movement, Reconstructing Judaism. As president, Waxman oversaw RRC’s curriculum redesign and implemented a strategic plan that resulted in more firsts: the appointments of Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi, the first person of color to lead a major American Jewish seminary, and Rabbi Sandra Lawson, a leading voice for Jewish diversity, as the movement’s inaugural director of racial diversity, equity and inclusion.
JORDAN CASSWAY; SANDIGE PHOTOGRAPHY
92 KENNETH LONG INTERIM PRESIDENT East Stroudsburg University After seven years as vice president for administration and finance at East Stroudsburg University, Kenneth Long became interim president in 2020. Since taking over, Long has
upgraded student health care access and lowered costs by coordinating with a regional medical center, collaborated with local organizations to create a community sports complex and worked with the university’s chief academic officer to improve tenure-track faculty hiring. He also oversaw the construction of new campus housing and a student counseling center.
93
Cherry is CEO of the Pittsburghbased organization Partner4Work.
corporate management: He was previously senior vice president of Highmark, one of the nation’s largest health care providers, and helped establish the Children’s Health Insurance Program. At Cheyney, Walton oversaw the launch of the Institute For The Contemporary African American Experience.
94
at Point Park University, her alma mater. Sturdivant lectures extensively on barriers to higher education, racism and its effect on child development, family engagement practices and culturally based intervention strategies.
95 PAUL J. MCNULTY
MARCIA STURDIVANT
PRESIDENT
AARON WALTON
PRESIDENT & CEO
Grove City College
PRESIDENT
NEED
Cheyney University
Marcia Sturdivant, an educational psychologist by training, oversees NEED, the oldest community-based, nonprofit higher education assistance program in Pennsylvania aimed at students from minority backgrounds. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences
Paul J. McNulty is yet another alum who returned to lead his alma mater. McNulty, who graduated from Grove City College in 1980, was named as the conservative Christian institution’s president in 2015. In addition to his school ties, McNulty brought with him a lengthy history of public service, including positions as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, COO of the U.S. Department
After serving briefly as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s interim president, Aaron A. Walton was hired permanently in 2017, in no small part to help stabilize the institution’s shaky finances. Walton came to Cheyney with 40 years of experience in
48 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
Trachte has successully secured more than $9 million in state grants to redevelop the east end of Williamsport.
of Justice, and as U.S. Deputy Attorney General.
96 PAUL R. TAYLOR PRESIDENT Saint Vincent College As a former alumnus – Class of 1987 – Father Paul R. Taylor was uniquely well-suited to become the 18th president of Saint Vincent College. His leadership of the first Benedictine college in the United States has included the successful completion of a $100 million capital campaign. In addition to continuing his
active pastoral ministry work, Taylor serves on the board of directors of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, the Higher Education Research and Development Institute, and the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation.
97 KENT TRACHTE PRESIDENT Lycoming College Kent Trachte had no trouble to adjusting to the rigors of leading a Pennsylvania college
In college, Grigsby studied medieval and modern literature, and medicine.
98 BRYON GRIGSBY PRESIDENT Moravian University and Moravian Theological Seminary Bryon L. Grigsby is one of a number of honorees who prove that you can go home again. Grigsby, who received his undergraduate degree from Moravian College in 1990, has led the school as its 16th president since 2013. Among his many accomplishments since then, including improved and expanded academic programs and infrastructure, he shepherded the school’s transition to becoming Moravian University and Moravian Theological
Seminary last year. Grigsby is also a widely published author and an editor.
99 KATHY BRITTAIN RICHARDSON PRESIDENT Westminster College Kathy Brittain Richardson came to Westminster College in 2016 as one of the nation’s most acclaimed scholars and professors of communications. Since becoming the president of this school of approximately 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students an hour north of Pittsburgh, Brittain Richardson has continued to raise the bar for Westminster’s seven undergraduate schools, which encompass more than 50 majors and preprofessional programs, and its graduate school, while also serving as chair of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.
100 BETTY RIDER TRANSITIONAL PRESIDENT Elizabethtown College As Elizabethtown College’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, Betty Rider was a logical choice to be named by the board of trustees as the school’s transitional president in January. Among Rider’s accomplishments during her time at Elizabethtown: the establishment of new schools, new five-year programs in physician assistant (PA) studies and registered nurse-to-bachelor of science in nursing studies, record endowment levels, and record student enrollment – even during the pandemic.
LYCOMING COLLEGE; MORAVIAN UNIVERSITY MEDIA
when he was named president of Lycoming College a decade ago: By that point, he had already served in leadership positions at Franklin & Marshall for 25 years. Since taking the helm at Lycoming, Trachte has guided the school’s expansion of offerings to include a new science center, expanded internship, study abroad and research opportunities for students, and exponentially increased the school’s success in receiving grants from foundations.
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! City & State PA will recognize forty individuals under the age of 40 throughout the Keystone State, who have already distinguished themselves in their fields and are on their way to amassing accomplishments well beyond their age. Nominate your friends and colleagues for this honor! Honorees will be featured in a special edition of City & State PA Magazine and Awards Event in Harrisburg. Nominations due by Friday, May 20, 2022
50 CityAndStatePA .com
April 25, 2022
CITY & STATE PENNSYLVANIA MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING Publisher Susan Peiffer speiffer@cityandstatepa.com Group Publisher Tom Allon Event & Sales Director Lissa Blake Vice President of Operations Jasmin Freeman Comptroller David Pirozzi
Who’s been up – and down – this month
CREATIVE Creative Director Andrew Horton Senior Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton Photo Researcher Michelle Steinhauser Junior Graphic Designer Izairis Santana
THE BEST OF THE REST
KENNETH MASH Kenneth Mash is returning to the helm of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the union representing faculty at state-owned universities. Mash will replace Jamie Martin, who chose not to run for reelection to receive medical treatment. Martin said there is “no better person to guide us through our next, challenging negotiations – especially with consolidations, the threat of retrenchment and funding issues at the forefront.” JOSH SHAPIRO As the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, we knew Josh Shapiro would have a built-in advantage as far as fundraising is concerned, given that he doesn’t have to spend any money beating primary opponents. But Shapiro ended March with more than $16 million in the bank – more than all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates combined.
BILL MCSWAIN GOP gubernatorial candidates have been jockeying for the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. McSwain got the opposite, with Trump criticizing the former U.S. attorney for not pursuing debunked claims of widespread voter fraud following the 2020 election. Instead of an imprimatur, McSwain got this: “Do not vote for Bill McSwain, a coward, who let our Country down.” THE REST OF THE WORST FRANK SNYDER
The newly elected president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO didn’t have much time to celebrate his victory, with multiple accusations of harassment surfacing after Frank Snyder was elected in March. The national AFL-CIO is reportedly hiring a third party to investigate, and Bloomberg reported that there are more than a dozen current and former AFL-CIO staffers who are claiming to have witnessed Snyder allegedly subject women to “humiliation, bullying and degrading language.” THOMAS RICHARD GLAZEWSKI Odds are you’re not overjoyed by prices at the pump – but Thomas Richard Glazewski took it to whole ’nother level. The Manor Township man was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after putting stickers of Joe Biden on gas pumps. Glazewski reportedly yelled “I did that!” just before he was tackled by police. Talk about sticker shock.
ADVERTISING advertising@cityandstatepa.com Senior Sales Executive Michael Fleck mfleck@cityandstatepa.com Sales Executive Frank Feinberg ffeinberg@cityandstatepa.com Media Sales Associate Matt Syrvalin msyrvalin@cityandstatepa.com Sales and Events Coordinator Laura Hurliman events@cityandstatepa.com DIGITAL Digital Director Michael Filippi mfilippi@cityandstateny.com Marketing & Special Projects Manager Caitlin Dorman cdorman@cityandstateny.com Digital Marketing Associate Ben Taha ADVISORY BOARD Chair Michael Days Board members Keir Bradford-Grey, Samuel Chen, Joseph Hill, Mary Isenhour, Lindy Li, Teresa Lundy, Sharmain Matlock-Turner, Michael Newmuis, Dennis Owens, Bill Peduto, Dave Reed, Al Schmidt, Matt Smith, Paul Steinke, Al Spivey, Brian Tierney, Lauren Vidas, Ray Zaborney
Vol. 2 Issue 6 April 25, 2022 Fair Funding Fallout
What’s next in the landmark schools case
Why is this man
Daniel Greenstein reimagines state schools
smiling? THE
EDUCATION POWER CIT YANDSTATEPA .COM
@CIT YANDSTATEPA
100 April 25, 2022
Cover Photograph: Amanda Berg
CITY & STATE PENNSYLVANIA is published 20 times a year by City & State NY, LLC, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. Subscriptions: 202.964.1782 or subscribe@cityandstatepa.com Copyright ©2022, City & State NY, LLC.
FRIENDS OF ENID SANTIAGO; US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
LOSERS ENID SANTIAGO We’re in for a rematch in the Lehigh Valley. This Democratic candidate for the 134th House District seat will be on the ballot after a judge threw out a challenge to his nominating petitions. Santiago lost to four-term incumbent Peter Schweyer by just 55 votes in 2020. The court decision may be appealed, but as of now, it’s game on in Allentown.
OUR PICK
OUR PICK
WINNERS
Schools may have been out on spring break, but with the primary election now less than a month away, it’s been the opposite of vacation for many political players. Petition challenges have solidified primary matchups, while labor organizations are making major moves and handing out endorsements. This Winners & Losers has everything from massive campaign hauls to a blistering Trump anti-endorsement. Buckle up for the next month.
EDITORIAL editor@cityandstatepa.com Editor-in-Chief Jenny DeHuff jdehuff@cityandstatepa.com Senior Editor Greg Salisbury gsalisbury@cityandstatepa.com Senior Reporter Justin Sweitzer jsweitzer@cityandstatepa.com Staff Reporter Harrison Cann hcann@cityandstatepa.com
SUBSCRIBE TO From Philly to Erie, local politics coverage that goes the distance First Read provides Pennsylvania’s lawmakers, power leaders, and influencers with the most relevant and impactful news at the start of each weekday. Get all the news that matters most to PA politics and policy straight to your inbox!
Compiled by CITY & STATE Compiled by CITY & STATE TUESDAY, JUNE 2021 TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1, 2021
WEATHER: Philadelphia: partly sunny, high of 79; Harrisburg
WEATHER: Philadelphia: partly sunny, highhigh of of79; cloudy, high of 78; Pittsburgh: mostly cloudy, 76. Ha cloudy, high of 78; Pittsburgh: mostly cloudy, high of FROM CITY & STATE
* Republican state Rep. Jim Cox has introduced legislation t FROM CITY & STATE
the unemployment programs provided by the CARES Act wh motivate unemployment claimants to find jobs by offering th Republican state Rep.work. Jim Cox has introduced legis bonus for finding
* the unemployment programs provided by the CARES NEW THIS MORNING: motivate unemployment claimants to find jobs by offe * Republican leaders of the state House of Representatives bonus for finding work.
Friday to impeach Philadelphia elections officials if they cou ballots from the May 18 primary, The Philadelphia Inquirer re
NEW THIS MORNING:
* With the state’s wide-open races for governor and U.S. Se shape, Republican candidates with strong ties to Donald Tru * Republican thecontenders state House of Represent and leaders consideredof strong for the party’s nomination ated Press reports. Friday to impeach Philadelphia elections officials if th
ballots from the May 18 primary, The Philadelphia Inq * Democratic state Rep. Amen Brown is crafting legislation t
get rid of a $5 copay state prison inmates are required to pa
Scan to subscribe for free
care after prison officials said inmates had avoided COVU * With the cal state’s wide-open races for governor and because of the fee, NBC Philadelphia reports. shape, Republican candidates with strong ties to Don * Peoplestrong receiving contenders unemployment are about nom the s and considered forconcerned the party’s weeklong shutdown of the online unemployment claims sys ated Pressoverhaul, reports. Spotlight PA reports.
* U.S. Sen. Bob Casey called GOP senators who haven’t su * Democratic state Rep. Amen Brown is crafting legis January 6 commission, voting rights protections or gun cont get rid of a“impediments $5 copaytostate prison inmates require change” in an interview withare MSNBC. care after prison officials said inmates had avoided C
