Education Committee roundtable discusses college affordability
Rep. Peter G. Schweyer September 18, 2024 | 9:04 AM
STATE COLLEGE – Sept. 17 Representatives from several Pennsylvania colleges and universities detailed the actions they have undertaken to increase access to college and programs available to ensure college is affordable for students and their families.
"An unfortunate reality for far too many students looking ahead to their future is the costs associated with a college degree are too expensive for them to burden,” said Schweyer, Majority Chair of the House Education Committee. “While there have been a lot of steps recently undertaken in this year’s budget to address college affordability, including expand access to scholarships, there is still more we can be doing as legislators to ensure costs are manageable for students and their families."
Tuesday’s hearing at the Pennsylvania State University’s brand new Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building featured testifiers from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Education, Commonwealth University, Penn Highlands Community College and Point Park University.
Testifiers detailed the various programs and incentives available for Pennsylvania students to achieve their college degree.
“”Affordability, whether it be the cost of textbooks, reasonable housing options, healthcare for students, and so much more impact a person’s decision to matriculate. But even more, it impacts their ability to succeed and thrive,” said Zion Sykes, President of the University Park Undergraduate Association.
“”Keeping college affordable also involves ensuring that students do not take or retake credits for learning they have already accomplished, even if it took place outside of the traditional higher education setting,” said Dr. Bashar Hanna, President of Commonwealth University. “We are optimistic about the future of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and the impact we can have on our students’ lives.”
The testimony from this hearing and other House Education Committee hearings can be found here.