Pennsylvania higher ed system gives colleges tuition control

The board that oversees a system of 14 public colleges in Pennsylvania has agreed to allow them to determine their own tuition plans, though they must set them for two years at a time, settle on final figures earlier in the year and receive board approval. The policy will allow the universities, which enroll roughly 100,000 students, to consider "regional economic differences," program costs and their students' ability to pay for tuition, according to a news release.The change is part of a multiyear redesign of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (Passhe) that aims to transform it into a "sharing system" in which "[t]he universities will work more closely together, expanding educational opportunities for students while ensuring the programs they offer align even more closely with workforce needs," Passhe Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said in the announcement. The flexibility to set tuition is part of the three-phase redesign of Passhe, which has seen declining enrollment for the eighth-straight year, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Some colleges in the state have been harder hit than others; enrollment at Mansfield University has dropped by more than 50% since 2010.