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COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EDUCATION COMMITTEE HEARING HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 14TH FLOOR AUDITORIUM 32 6 MARKET STREET HARRISBURG, PA 17101 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2 013 11:00 A.M. PRESENTATION ON ADULT LITERACY BEFORE: HONORABLE PAUL I. CLYMER, MAJORITY CHAIR HONORABLE HAROLD A. ENGLISH HONORABLE MARK M. GILLEN HONORABLE MIKE REESE HONORABLE WILL TALLMAN HONORABLE JAMES R. ROEBUCK, JR., DEMOCRATIC CHAIR HONORABLE JAKE WHEATLEY, JR. HONORABLE MARK LONGIETTI HONORABLE ERIN C. MOLCHANY HONORABLE PATRICK HARKINS Pennsylvania House of Representatives Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 2 COMMITTEE STAFF PRESENT: JUDITH M.D. SMITH MAJORITY ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ELIZABETH MURPHY MAJORITY RESEARCH ANALYST JONATHAN BERGER MAJORITY RESEARCH ANALYST MIKE BIACCHI MAJORITY RESEARCH ANALYST CHRIS WAKELEY DEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ERIN DIXON DEMOCRATIC RESEARCH ANALYST 3 I N D E X TESTIFIERS ~k k k NAME PAGE DR. ERIC DARR PRESIDENT AND CEO, HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY......................6 DONALD BLOCK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREATER PITTSBURGH LITERACY COUNCIL.............................. 10 KIM ROSSMAN PRESIDENT, PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION FOR ADULT CONTINUING EDUCATION (PAACE)........... 14 JOANN WEINBERGER CHAIR, PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE, PAACE........ 19 SAMUEL JOHNSON DIRECTOR, WATER ASSET DEVELOPMENT, CONSOL ENERGY INC.................................... 46 PATRICK SYKES PROGRAM GRADUATE, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA....4 8 JACKIE SMITH PROGRAM GRADUATE, GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA....52 SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY ~k ~k ~k (See submitted written testimony and handouts online.) 4 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 ~k k k k 3 MAJORITY CHAIR CLYMER: We're glad to see a very nice 4 representation this morning for the House Education Committee 5 public hearing on adult literacy. This is an issue that we all 6 have a common interest in because if we can make the populace 7 more educated, give them the confidence and the skills that they 8 would need just in everyday life, that makes sense. But more 9 importantly, it helps them to secure employment if they're 10 looking for employment, and as I said, give them the confidence 11 to do things that they thought they may not be able to do 12 because they felt they didn't have the necessary skills. 13 Reading is so important in the makeup of any of our citizens 14 today in education. I believe the emphasis is on doing the 15 basics, and I certainly support what we're attempting to do here 16 today. 17 So I am just delighted that we have been able to put 18 together the special speakers who will be coming before us, and 19 at this time before I call Chairman Roebuck for his comments, I 20 want to introduce the Members that are with us here, Members of 21 the Committee, Representative Hal English, Representative Mark 22 Gillen, Representative Will Tallman, Representative Jake 23 Wheatley, and I'm going to have staff introduce themselves. I 24 have staff sitting in the audience, and Judy Smith, do you want 25 to start right here? 5 1 MS. SMITH: Good morning, everyone. Good morning. 2 It’s not working. 3 Good morning, everyone. Judy Smith, Executive Director 4 for the House Education Committee. 5 MS. MURPHY: Good morning. Elizabeth Murphy, staff of 6 the House Education Committee. 7 MR. WAKELEY: Chris Wakeley, Executive Director for 8 Democratic House Education Committee, Representative Roebuck. 9 MAJORITY CHAIRMAN CLYMER: I have staff people in the 10 audience. 11 MR. BERGER: Jonathan Berger, House Education 12 Committee. 13 MR. BIACCHI: Mike Biacchi, House Education Committee. 14 MAJORITY CHAIRMAN CLYMER: And I saw that 15 Representative Erin Molchany has joined us, and is there another 16 person that -- and Representative Longietti is with us as well. 17 Having made my opening remarks, I ’m going to call upon 18 Chairman Roebuck for comments. 19 MINORITY CHAIRMAN ROEBUCK: Thank you. I also want to 20 recognize Erin Dixon, who is on my staff. Good morning. 21 I would certainly echo the statement of Chairman 22 Clymer in terms of the importance of adult education for 23 individuals but I would also add to that that adults become role 24 models for young people and those who are parents who are able 25 to improve their education ultimately hopefully transmit that to 6 1 their children and encourage them also to be good learners. So 2 the topic we deal with is very, very important. I look forward 3 to the testimony today, and I certainly thank all those who are 4 here for being here. 5 MAJORITY CHAIRMAN CLYMER: The Chair thanks the 6 gentleman, at this time recognizes Dr. Eric Darr. He is the 7 President and CEO of Harrisburg University of Science and 8 Technology, and he was leading us today to a tour of the 9 university, and I'm telling you, it was very informative and we 10 certainly appreciate the time that he has taken with the members 11 of the House Education Committee. So at this time the Chair 12 recognizes Dr. Darr for comments. 13 DR. DARR: Chairman Clymer, Chairman Roebuck, thank 14 you very much for having the Committee meeting here today. 15 Welcome to Harrisburg University, the first new comprehensive 16 university in Pennsylvania founded in a hundred years, since a 17 little place called Carnegie Tech a little west of us, and when 18 we were founded, we literally were writing on blank pieces of 19 paper for what a new university would be, and in some sense 20 renewing how to found a university in Pennsylvania. There was 21 nobody alive that had actually done that, and so therefore how 22 does one create a new university in today's age was an 23 interesting challenge, and I'll tell you, not for the faint of 24 heart. 25 Also, congratulations to all of you. You've passed 7 1 the first admission requirement; that is the elevators in this 2 building. You will be receiving your conditional acceptances to 3 the university, so appreciate that. 4 Again, the University, Science and Technology focus, 5 we are 49 percent women, 45 percent minorities, which is 10 6 times what you will find in a university that focuses on science 7 and technology careers, bachelor's degrees, master's degree, and 8 hopefully in the next 12 to 18 months, a doctorate degree as 9 well. 10 We were founded to address science and technology 11 educational needs of students in Pennsylvania, workforce needs 12 of businesses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and at the 13 time, Harrisburg was the largest State capital in the union that 14 did not have its own four-year comprehensive university in the 15 downtown of the city. Obviously the Dixon Center, State 16 universities are represented. Temple has had had a presence 17 here for a long time, and Penn State-Harrisburg out near the 18 airport, but none of those affect what goes in any great way 19 with regard to economic development in the city of Harrisburg. 20 And so were all the reasons why Harrisburg University was 21 founded. 22 We try to be nimble. We try to build programs that do 23 not duplicate what can be found other places, other 24 universities, other colleges, and try to be responsive to the 25 needs, as I said, of our constituents, the businesses of 8 1 Pennsylvania, the government of Pennsylvania, but most 2 importantly, the students and families here in Pennsylvania. 3 So again, welcome to the university. I ’m happy to 4 have you here. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. 5 MAJORITY CHAIRMAN CLYMER: The Chair thanks the 6 gentleman and recognizes at this time Representative English for 7 remarks as this has been one of his issues that he has dedicated 8 a lot of time and worked very hard on this issue, adult 9 literacy. 10 So at this time the Chair recognizes Representative 11 English for comments. 12 REPRESENTATIVE ENGLISH: Thank you, Chairman Clymer, 13 thank you, Chairman Roebuck. I appreciate your time in 14 dedicating to this hearing today. 15 This is a chance for everybody here to learn. I had 16 the opportunity to learn when one of my constituents, Don Block, 17 the executive director of the Greater Literacy Council in 18 Pittsburgh, came to meet with me and talk to me about adult 19 literacy, and being a freshman here in the Legislature, I found 20 it quite interesting. He invited me to come to an open-house 21 presentation that they had, and I got to interact with many very 22 impressive students, and when I use the word "student," w e ’re 23 not talking kids with pimples; w e ’re talking a more mature 24 student. And I think I was very impressed with what they were 25 doing. I was very shocked and disappointed with some of the 9 1 funding cuts that have been incurred, and shocked and 2 disappointed in many ways, not just for basic reduction but the 3 lost opportunity in a lot of our fellow citizens, and I 4 appreciate the chairman for this opportunity for all of us to 5 get educated and to listen to the testimony today. 6 You know, I think everybody wants to know that 7 somebody cares, that they have hope, that there's belonging, and 8 I think, you know, we focus so much on the students up to about 9 age 17, 18 when they potentially graduate high school, but what 10 about thereafter? And sitting in this room of some mature 11 students, I remember in law school, the lady that sat next to 12 me, she used to baby-sit for my mother.

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