HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has launched a new anti-stigma campaign to support postsecondary students struggling to meet basic needs such as housing, transportation, financial needs, and physical and mental health.
“In order to do their best, learners must feel their best, and it is incumbent upon us to point them in the direction of resources that will keep them housed, fed, healthy, and emotionally well,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “This new anti-stigma campaign reminds students that it’s okay to ask for help, and that the help they need is only a phone call or an email away.”
Through the PA MASLOW “You Good?” campaign, PDE developed posters that colleges and universities can personalize, print, and post on their campuses directing students to critical resources. Additionally, PDE has been convening student panel discussions around the state as proactive way to inform the anti-stigma campaign as well as the programs and policies that postsecondary institutions are implementing. Through quarterly virtual meetings, the department has been engaging with the field on ways to expand upon and improve anti-stigma efforts.
According to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Pennsylvania is one of the least affordable states to attend college, with only 18% of two-year institutions and 0% of four-year institutions attainable for low- and moderate-income families. Nationally, 63% of two-year institutions and 31% of four-year institutions are affordable for that same population of students. Pennsylvania has the third largest average amount borrowed for the class of 2020 at $39,375 with 64% of learners accruing student debt.
The high cost of higher education hurts students with the fewest financial resources and keeps many Pennsylvanians from pursuing a higher education at all. On average, PASSHE enrollment has decreased by 30% over the past decade, and Pennsylvania community college enrollment has decreased by 37 percent over the same period.
In addition to increasing resources available to community colleges and PASSHE universities, the new blueprint will help reverse declining enrollment trends caused in part by the high cost of higher education, simplify credit transfer for students, and increase collaboration and cooperation between public universities so that community colleges and PASSHE institutions can focus on their unique missions and successes rather than competing with one another.
“By bringing Pennsylvania’s public postsecondary institutions together under one governance structure and adequately investing in them, we will create the conditions in which colleges and universities can better support their students, and ensure that their basic needs are met,” said Sec. Mumin.
PA MASLOW is a cross-agency partnership that expands upon the mission of PDE – ensuring every student not only has access to education, but that the education pursued provides them with support and resources to create optimal learning environments. This initiative will engage postsecondary institutions in several pillars of work, including digital equity, housing and transportation, mental health, personal needs, adult student needs, finances, and safety and belonging.
The program is a comprehensive guide to supporting postsecondary students, translated from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs, which includes physiological, safety and security, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs. By addressing these basic needs in a more individualized approach, we can ensure that learners have everything they need to be successful and complete their credential.
