APSCUF thanks Pennsylvania Promise supporters as PA House passes bill

June 16, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Morton, or 717-236-7486, Ext. 3007

Following the Pennsylvania House's passage of HB 2084 (the Pennsylvania Promise bill), Dr. Kenneth M. Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, has released the following statement:

"For nearly a decade , APSCUF has advocated for the Pennsylvania Promise plan to make higher education affordable in the Commonwealth. We are thrilled to see a college-promise program pass a chamber here in Pennsylvania for the first time. We thank the bipartisan group of 119 House members who voted to move this bill to the Senate. We especially thank Rep. Jordan Harris and Sen. Vincent Hughes for their work on this important legislation.

"The Pennsylvania Promise continues to move forward with the help of other unions, including Pennsylvania AFT affiliates and our partners in Higher Education Labor Pennsylvania. Thank you to faculty, coaches, retirees, students, alumni, and other supporters who have shared your stories and have shown why Pennsylvania needs this program to keep its commitment to providing affordable, quality higher education for the betterment of our entire Commonwealth.

"The time is right to stand up for Pennsylvania's students and their families who are often forced to forgo college or to take on burdensome student loans. Our high school graduates and returning students should not have to leave the Commonwealth to pursue their dreams. At a time when Americans are demanding both opportunity and affordability, the PA Promise is a necessity. We urge Pennsylvanians to thank their state representatives for supporting the bill, and we urge Pennsylvanians to reach out to their state senators to encourage them to bring the PA Promise to the Senate floor and to support it."

APSCUF represents about 5,000 faculty and coaches at the State System campuses: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester.