Tom Corbett To Review Pennsylvania Accessible Higher Education Recommendations

A blue-ribbon panel of educators and business leaders spent nine months studying higher education in Pennsylvania at the behest of Gov. Tom Corbett, making public on Wednesday its recommendations that called for more accessible and affordable post-secondary education and a state funding formula that rewards schools for meeting those goals.

But it's unclear exactly where those recommendations -- made by the 31-member panel that included University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, Penn State University President Rodney Erickson and other high-level education and business leaders -- will go from here.

Tim Eller, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the governor is reviewing the recommendations and "he will determine how those that he deems to have merit will be moved forward."

Mr. Eller said no timetable has been set for the review.

If the governor decides that some or all of the recommendations have merit, those recommendations "will be further developed and where administrative, regulatory and/or legislative actions are required the appropriate proposals will be developed," Mr. Eller said in an email.

The funding recommendation calls for higher-education appropriations next year to be equal to those received this year. Starting in July 2014, thea commission recommended the state establish an additional fund to be distributed based on performance.

Mr. Eller said any appropriations would have to be acted upon by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor to take effect.

Mary Niederberger: mniederberger@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590. ___

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