BY: Michael Blackson

The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE, voted unanimously to renew the contracts of Chancellor John C. Cavanaugh and the presidents of eleven PASSHE universities, including President McNairy of Millersville University, on April 7, 2011. The contract renewals are extended through June 30, 2014.
Both Chancellor Cavanaugh and President McNairy expressed their appreciation for the Board extending their contracts. President McNairy said, “I am proud and pleased with the confidence that has been placed in me.”
Dr. Cavanaugh said, “I am grateful for the Board for extending my contract, and appreciate their action to do so.” Since his appointment as Chancellor of the State System in July 2008, Chancellor Cavanaugh has accomplished many tasks: a record growth with enrollment, a continuation of quality education, and more programs being accredited by professional organizations nationally than ever before.
His focus on success has made him “one of the leading voices in higher education in the Commonwealth, but also has positioned the State System universities as the educational institutions of choice in the Commonwealth,” said Marie Conley, chair of the Board’s Human Resources Committee.
As the majority of Pennsylvania knows, due to the economic crisis nationally, state funding support has declined, particularly for education through Governor Corbett’s proposed budget cut. But PASSHE’s annual tuition increases are one of the lowest throughout all of America’s public university systems.
“Certainly, these are challenging times. We cannot expect our students and their families to make up the entire difference between what we need financially and what we receive through appropriations and other sources,” said Dr. Cavanaugh. “Although we must look for ways to continue our cost reductions that we have implemented in the past several years, we will not be able to continue making the kinds of cuts we have done already and maintain the quality of our academic programs.”
Dr. Cavanaugh, in his three-year tenure as chancellor, “embodies the words honesty, integrity, and conviction,” said Conley. She continues to say that his one mission is to “produce the most positive, effective, and efficient experience for every student who enters any of our 14 doors.”
“The most important goals have to do with achieving a more permeable system in terms of students’ ability to take courses and create majors (and minors and concentrations) across the 14 universities,” Dr. Cavanaugh said. “There is no reason why students should be confined to only one university when we have 14 in the system. That will open many new avenues for academic inquiry, and will certainly offer students the opportunity to enrich their learning experiences.”
Because of Dr. Cavanaugh’s contract extension, it is fair to say most of Pennsylvania has faith in his passion to keep education affordable and top quality. From a recent performance board review of about 60 interviews on Dr. Cavanaugh, “There was not one group, from the Harrisburg Rotary to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, that did not let us know they hope [Dr. Cavanaugh] will play a leadership role in their organization,” Conley said. “The respect that he has from his own team, faculty, staff, university presidents, and students was articulated in every interview.”