Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 20, 2019 – Senator Lindsey M. Williams announced her appointment to the Public Higher Education Funding Commission on the recommendation of Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) earlier this month. This Commission was created as a part of the 2019-2020 School Code.
The Public Higher Education Funding Commission is charged with developing a new formula to be used in the distribution of funding to Pennsylvania institutes of higher education, including the 14 PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools and 4 state-related universities (Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and Lincoln Universities). This formula will take into consideration factors such as Pennsylvania’s higher education needs, graduation rates, operational costs per full-time student, time to degree, student debt, job placement after graduation, and entry level wages.
“I look forward to serving on the Higher Education Funding Commission,” said Senator Williams. “As someone who still has $130,000 in student loan debt over ten years after graduating from law school, I know how important it is that we find solutions for future students that both fully fund our schools and contain costs for students. Our Commonwealth’s economic future depends on us finding a balance between educating tomorrow’s workforce and continuing to saddle entire generations with debt they cannot escape.”
The Commission is expected to hold its first meeting before the beginning of September and will issue a report of its findings and recommendations in September 2020.
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