Colleges in Pennsylvania

Public universities and colleges in Pennsylvania are a part of one of three governing entities: the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education(PASSHE), Pennsylvania State University and Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of higher education. PASSHE is the tenth largest United States university system. It is made up of 14 state-owned Pennsylvania schools. It is the only system that totally owns and governs Pennsylvania schools of higher education. The other two systems do receive public funding.

The 14 schools in Pennsylvania for higher learning in PASSHE are scattered across the state. The System includes three learning centers: Dixon University Center, Philadelphia Multi-University Center and McKeever Environmental Learning Center.

Pennsylvania State University has several locations across the state. It is a research university that was founded in 1855. The University Park campus in the Borough of State College and College Township is the flagship campus. The Dickinson School of Law is in both Carlisle and State College. The College of Medicine is in Hershey. The Penn State System has 19 additional commonwealth campuses and five special-mission campuses at various locations across the state.

The Commonwealth System of Higher Education places state-related status on four Pennsylvania schools and universities. Each of these schools in Pennsylvania receives funding in exchange for tuition discounts. These universities are legally private Pennsylvania schools. They are governed by their own board of trustees. However, they are often referred to as public by the Carnegie Foundation since they do offer the people of the Commonwealth a higher education at a reduced tuition. They generally have higher tuitions and fees than schools in the other systems.

In addition to the colleges and universities in these three systems, there are ten private two-year colleges and technical schools, six private religious-affiliated colleges and a large number of private undergraduate, graduate and doctoral institutions in the state.

Economy

In 2010, the gross state product(GSP)for Pennsylvania was $570 billion ranking it high, at 6th in the nation. The per capita GSP was $39,830, ranking 29th highest of all 50 states. There are several urban manufacturing centers in the state. They are located in the cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie and in the areas of Scranton-Wilkes-Barre and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton. Much of the state is rural which has an effect on both politics and the economy. The state has six Fortune 500 companies located in Philadelphia and the suburbs. These include U.S.Steel, H.J. Heinz and PPG Industries. GE Transportation Systems, the nation's largest producer of train locomotives is located in Erie. Wal-mart is the largest private employer and University of Pennsylvania is the second. The notable Crayola crayon company is in Easton.

The Bank of North America was founded in Pennsylvania in 1781. It was the nation's first nationally charted bank. After several mergers, it became a part of Wells Fargo. The state also has the first nationally chartered bank that came under the 1863 national Banking Act. At that time, the Pittsburgh Savings & Trust Company took the name of the First National Bank of Pittsburgh after receiving a national charter. It remains in existence today as PNC Financial Services and is still based in Pittsburgh. It is the 16th largest bank in the United States.

Agriculture is a significant sector in the state. It ranks 19th in the national for agricultural outputs. Important products include mushrooms, Christmas trees, apples, layer chickens, nursery and sod, corn for silage, milk, grapes and grape juice. Pennsylvania has the nation's 8th largest number of wineries.

Casino gambling in Pennsylvania became legal in 2004 with horse racing and is an contributes to the state's overall economy.

Pennsylvania's excellent and large number of colleges and universities provides the state with a workforce that drives one of the nation's most economically successful states.