In the United States (U.S), Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the largest provider of higher education services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( Thelin, 2011). This public university system is also the most affordable amongst the other existing systems. The system is comprised of 14 schools that are owned by the state, and are all members of Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Through this platform, schools receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, work-study jobs amongst other benefits. Initially, PASSHE admitted high school graduates aged between 18 and 22 years, but recently it's working on diversifying its student constituent. This is being carried out through the admission of adult students, veterans, lower income students and underrepresented minorities. On the other hand, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) is comprised of the faculty and the coaches of the 14 universities that make up the PASSHE. The APSCUF, therefore, acts as the bargaining unit for the 14 PASSHE institutions.
Currently, the APSCUF is representing the PASSHE in a proposal that seeks to push individual faculty member raises that range from 7.25-17.25% ( McCann, E. & Pérez-Peña, 2016) . This translates into $159 million that will be provided in exchange for cost savings of approximately $70 million. The savings will be attained through changes in health care plans and other contractual changes. The negotiations have so far led to other emerging issues such as distance education, recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty. Further, they have touched on the responsibilities of the faculty outside of the classroom. Though PASSHE has proposed the raises , the APSCUF is actively involved in ensuring that they are met . The recent developments confirm APSCUF’s complementary role. This pursuit resulted in a protest that was aimed at hastening the adoption of the new proposal ( McCann, E. & Pérez-Peña, 2016) . The faculty union had made its intentions public by asking its members even to go on strike. Consequently, the state system has come up with some proposals that will benefit the members of the faculty union. These include the elimination of the need for a secret ballot before the transfer of a qualified faculty member. In this respect, the university president can authorize the transfer instead. Appointment of faculty has been another burning issue. Consequently, the maximum number of temporary and regular part-time faculty has been changed from 25 percent to 30 percent.
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University system in the U.S is decentralized to a large extent. Individual territories and states administer their universities most often as part of a state university system. Consequently, each state is responsible for supporting at least one state university, while several states combined support many more universities ( Thelin, 2011 ; Brint & Karabel, 1989) . Therefore, the systems of higher education across the U.S are many. However, compared to the PASSHE, these systems tend to be relatively more expensive. This is especially the case for students residing in their respective campuses and colleges.
In the wake of the ongoing push and pull, students can realistically voice and publicize their opinions on the proposed changes through various media channels. These include visual and print media. However, given the massive online presence of the students, they can blog about the proposed changes or share on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter among others. This way, they will be in a better position to voice their opinions collectively, and in a bid to influence the outcome. In conclusion, the existing systems play a critical role in advancing multifaceted discourses on higher education in the U.S. Nevertheless, the role of students in advancing the same cannot be overemphasized.
References
Brint, S., & Karabel, J. (1989). The diverted dream: Community colleges and the promise of educational opportunity in America, 1900-1985 . Oxford University Press.
McCann, E. & Pérez-Peña, R. (2016 Oct 19). Faculty Members at 14 State Universities in Pennsylvania Go on Strike. nytimes.com. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/us/pennsylvania-faculty-members-at-14-state-universities-go-on-strike.html?_r=0
Thelin, J. R. (2011). A history of American higher education . JHU Press.
