Gov. Josh Shapiro Announces New Investment In Higher Education Scholarship Funds For Pennsylvanians
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) announced new investments into the commonwealth's scholarship funding at higher education institutions.
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NewsTranscript
00:00day at SHIP. Every day is like this at SHIP. Good morning and welcome to the
00:06beautiful campus of Shippensburg University. Governor Shapiro, Secretary
00:11Mameen, Chairwoman Shapira, Superintendent August, our great SHIP
00:15student Lacey Hoover, Chairman Harbaugh and our many trustees, Commissioners
00:20Zebrowski and Fasci, we are delighted to have you and to welcome you back to the
00:26campus of Shippensburg University. Our guests, whether you're a student, faculty
00:31member or community partner, your presence is appreciated as we come
00:36together to celebrate an important moment for the state system of higher
00:39education and its many institutions. This year's budget and accompanying
00:43legislation represents meaningful action to invest in higher education. Continued
00:50historic investment by the Commonwealth ensures that our universities meet the
00:54needs of students and employers in innovative ways, enhancing the role
00:59universities serve in meeting workforce demands and expanding the value
01:03proposition of public higher education. Investment in higher education allows
01:08our universities to offer more opportunities for individuals to advance
01:13their career prospects right here in Pennsylvania. For example, Shippensburg
01:20University's focus on engineering and computer science, teacher education,
01:25business and entrepreneurship, logistics and supply chain management, public
01:30public administration and social service professions demonstrate our commitment
01:36to fill high demand professions in the Commonwealth. And SHIP's workforce
01:42demand programs are designed to provide opportunities for individuals to upskill
01:48and to reskill to advance their careers. These programs enable Shippensburg
01:53University to remain responsive to the evolving needs of both employees and
01:58employers. As university presidents of the state system, we understand that
02:04such an investment by the Commonwealth comes with high expectations. I am proud
02:09to say the state system is already exceeding those expectations in
02:13remarkable ways. Just yesterday, it was announced that Pennsylvania's state
02:18system of higher education received the 2024 Exceptional Agency Award from the
02:24State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, or SHEO.
02:35This prestigious award recognizes higher education agencies across the nation
02:39for their innovative policies, practices and actions that advance student
02:44success, that demonstrate exceptional governance or overcome significant
02:48challenges. I'd like to congratulate Chairwoman Shapira and Chancellor Dan
02:53Greenstein and all of our state system administrators, our faculty, our staff on
02:58this recognition. I want to specifically today highlight the value of this
03:03investment by the Commonwealth in the area of student teacher stipends. Today's
03:08college students often work several part time jobs to fund their education
03:13and many face food insecurity, an issue we tackle through our food covered. The
03:19inability to work while engaged in the activity of student teaching creates a
03:22significant barrier for students pursuing education as a discipline.
03:28The increase in student teacher stipends reduces these barriers, enabling
03:31students to pursue careers in education and to meet critical workforce needs in
03:36our schools. Furthermore, the increase in fiat grant funds increased to
03:41support disadvantaged students. Scholarships helps to reduce financial
03:46obstacles while addressing additional critical workforce gaps in Pennsylvania.
03:51The budget represents more than an investment in education. It represents
03:55an investment in the people of Pennsylvania and our shared future.
04:00Thank you, Governor Shapiro and members of the General Assembly for supporting
04:04funding to advance the needs of students in the Commonwealth.
04:09Now, please join me in welcoming the chairwoman of Pennsylvania State System
04:12of Higher Education to the podium, Dr Cindy Shapiro.
04:24Thank you all so much. Thank you, Dr Patterson. Thank you, Governor. It is so
04:27wonderful to be here today. What a beautiful, beautiful day. Um, and I'm
04:32gonna pile on a little so you'll forgive me. Uh, today we are here to
04:35celebrate a huge milestone for higher education, uh, access and
04:40affordability, but not only in Pennsylvania, nationally as well. With
04:45the leadership of our governor and the strong support of our General Assembly
04:50and other important stakeholders, Pennsylvania has passed a package of
04:54bills that not only provide investment in our community colleges and pashy and
05:00our other institutions, but also pathbreaking reform in our higher
05:05education coordination, alignment and funding based on desired outcomes. So
05:12after decades of wringing our hands at Pennsylvania's lowly national status on
05:16so many metrics related to higher education costs, accessibility and
05:22funding with the governor and the legislature's package of reforms were
05:26out in front and we are getting noticed nationally.
05:31The broad recognition is great, but what is really significant is the template
05:35for higher education, especially public higher education that we're building
05:40and that I think will be emulated nationally around the country. And
05:45Governor Shapiro was out in front on this, laying the stake in the ground in
05:49his first and then his second budget address for the state to produce and
05:53implement a blueprint for higher education. It was a challenge that was
05:57thrown down. And how did it get done? Through incredible leadership and a
06:01process that thoughtfully, interactively but efficiently and methodically pulled
06:08together leaders across the higher education, political, business and other
06:13key sectors. And it shows that when different stakeholders are brought
06:18together and consistently reminded of the North Star, which is quality and
06:22affordable higher education that is aligned with workforce needs,
06:26Pennsylvanians can put aside political and parochial perspectives and produce a
06:32blueprint to reform the state. So my five-year-old grandson used to say to me,
06:38what is your superpower? And he would ask me what I thought his superpower was and
06:45you know we would have some discussion about that. But it's clear that our
06:48superpower here in this state is the passion, dedication and incredible smarts
06:54of so many people rowing in the same direction to achieve something truly
06:58great. So thank you Governor and everybody here for what's been achieved
07:03and what will be achieved. In addition to funding and increased scholarships and
07:07grants to deserving students, I am most excited about a State Board of Higher
07:11Education that will pull together the community colleges with PASHE and other
07:16sectors of higher education and it will be able to work together in a strategic
07:22and a collaborative process so that our institutions do continue to meet
07:27workforce needs and serve as the economic driver of the Commonwealth for
07:31generations to come. And Dr. Patterson, I'm not going to reiterate, I had in my
07:37nose to reiterate some of the other wonderful aspects of the reform
07:40package. I don't think I need to, I have a feeling other people will as well. So I
07:44will close again by just thanking everybody here, particularly the
07:49Governor. We're so thrilled to be here. And now I'd like to introduce the
07:53Secretary of Education, Dr. Mumin.
08:06This is a great day today and I'm trying to stay in control as I join you today.
08:13I am Secretary Khaled Mumin and I am a happy SHPE alumni, class of 1995, and also
08:26because we're doing some piling on here, I am a highest award winner here at
08:32Shippensburg University. So these investments and the commitment that
08:40Governor Shapiro has made, it's extremely personal to me. And since
08:46taking office, Governor Shapiro was extremely clear that he expected the
08:52Department of Education to take the bold steps needed to reimagine education in
08:58the Commonwealth from pre-k to post-secondary. As public stewards and
09:05servants of education here in the Commonwealth, we are working each day to
09:11shape public policy and drive strategic investments and resources where they
09:16need to go. Governor Shapiro started a deep conversation about higher
09:25education in his first budget address. And then he made it a priority again. He
09:32tasked us at PDE to bring folks together, gather feedback from stakeholders, the
09:39workforce, students, higher education leaders, and legislators. And that's
09:45exactly what we did. We brought on the incredible Dr. Kate Shaw to lead this
09:58higher education initiative. And I must say, since we're at Shippensburg, I will
10:03share some of my secret sauce. And some of my secret sauce relies in my Shipp
10:09alumni. And with us today, Julie Kane is here, policy director and Shipp alumni,
10:19also a very prominent person on my team who's not here today,
10:23Steven Latanishen, Shipp alumni, director of government relationships, and also
10:31another one of my personnel members who's not here today, my special
10:35assistant, Kathy Hall, who is class of 97, I believe. With that said, as a team, we
10:44held over 100 meetings with a broad range of stakeholders, and we brought
10:49everyone together to the table, collaborating, working together to build
10:54a higher education blueprint that creates access and affordability. Now,
11:01with the governor's budget, we're going to that was signed and the works that's
11:08in progress. And for the first time in decades, the first time in decades, we're
11:13building a stronger higher education system, one that will be better
11:18coordinated to meet Pennsylvania's needs long term, while also making higher
11:24education more affordable for students. So I'm going to go into some of the
11:28investments very quickly, then I'm going to move aside. This budget provides
11:32critical increases to our community colleges and pashy institutions,
11:38including a $15.7 million increase for community colleges and a 35.1 $35,035.1
11:50million increase for pashy schools.
11:55We're making higher education more affordable for students by delivering
12:00more than $120 million in increased funding for scholarships. I repeat, we
12:09are delivering more than $120 million in increased funding for scholarships and
12:17grants for our students.
12:22This budget also creates a new State Board of Higher Education that will for
12:26the first time coordinate between every sector of higher education in the in
12:33Pennsylvania and use student level data to determine what's working and what's
12:40not. This new board will ensure higher education in Pennsylvania works meeting
12:46critical workforce needs and serving as an economic driver for the future of
12:51Pennsylvania. I know that together we can make an impact on our learners
12:57today, tomorrow and for future generations to come. It's a pleasure to
13:04be here at Shippensburg today, and I believe it's just not by happenstance
13:09that we are here. This is a model that we want to uplift not only throughout
13:14our pashy system, but as said earlier, we're talking about this is a national
13:19footprint that we are embarking on. So I thank you so much for your attention
13:24today, and it feels so good to be back home. And at this time, I would like to
13:30welcome to the podium Superintendent August.
13:41Good morning. I am Bill August, superintendent of Shippensburg Area
13:44School District and proud Shippensburg University alumni. It is my pleasure to
13:49attend today's event and to offer some brief remarks on the impact of the
13:53governor's work with the state legislators to support not only higher
13:57education, but also public public education as well. It's a simple truth
14:02that quality teachers are the secret sauce to educational success, and I
14:07promise you we did not collaborate on that phrase.
14:09None of the positive outcomes we want for our students as a district, a
14:16community or Commonwealth happen without having great teachers in front
14:20of our kids. Public schools like mine absolutely depend on the pipeline of new
14:25teachers that distinguished schools like Shippensburg University provide to
14:29us. Shippensburg Area School District certainly benefits from our proximity
14:34to and our relationships with Shippensburg you and the other pashy
14:38schools. But even with these advantages, we and many other districts are still
14:42struggling to meet our hiring needs. Governor Shapiro's prioritization of
14:47funding for higher education is exactly what is needed to help us with this
14:51problem, and its impact goes beyond just the institutions themselves.
14:56Additionally, this administration's outside the box thinking in instituting
15:01stipends for student teachers and then doubling the amount to 20 million can
15:06only help to encourage an even greater number of talented young people to
15:10consider a career in the classroom. My understanding from last year was that
15:14this program was so popular popular that the original $10 million was
15:18claimed within just a few days. It is truly a game changer for those
15:24students who work in our schools.
15:26Part of Shippensburg Area School District's mission statement speaks to
15:30helping our students define their talents. This is something we strive to
15:33do on a daily basis. The thing about talent is, as businesswoman Leila Yana
15:39noted, talent may be equally distributed, but opportunity is not. The governor's
15:44budget opens the door of opportunity wider by providing significant
15:48increases in available resources to make college more
15:52attainable for all students in Pennsylvania. Districts like mine
15:56prepare students for the workforce, military, or higher education, and then
16:01those students and institutions have the resources provided to them from the
16:05state to accomplish their goals. That's what's supposed to happen, and when it
16:10does, everybody wins. Efforts like this don't happen by chance. It takes a fair
16:15amount of courage, persistence, and compromise at all levels to get it done,
16:19and I'm grateful for the leadership and vision that has been provided by the
16:23individuals present here today and across the state to make it happen. Thank
16:28you very much, and it's my pleasure to introduce Lacey Hoover, a Shippensburg
16:33greyhound, who I think you're going to find is an amazing example of what our
16:40systems can produce. So thank you.
16:48Thank you for the introduction. Good morning and welcome to Shippensburg
16:51University. My name is Lacey Hoover. I'm a rising junior in the teacher education
16:56department. I'm a middle-level education major with a dual concentration in math
17:00and science and a minor in sustainability. During my time at
17:09Shippensburg, I was a student lead for our aspiring teachers and
17:13counselors summit committee and the secretary of our CMLA club. I have a
17:17passion for teaching others, and I am following my dreams right now at Shipp
17:21to become a future educator, and I'm thrilled to hear that Governor Shapiro
17:24is making it easier and more affordable for pre-service teachers like me to take
17:28advantage of Pennsylvania's higher education system. I was asked to speak
17:33about the opportunities that grants and funding offer future educators. This
17:37money is vital to making these careers a possibility for people like me. It
17:42ensures our classrooms are staffed by trained, dedicated, and talented
17:45educators for years to come. Through my work with the aspiring teachers and
17:50counselors summit on campus, we brought in high school students who are
17:53considering a future as educators. Local students told us that they wanted
17:58teachers who showed compassion and empathy, as well as the ability to answer
18:02their every question. The possibility of student teaching stipends has a huge
18:09impact on pre-service teachers. The governor actually doubled the investment
18:12this year, making 20 million dollars available so that student teachers can
18:16get paid while they're honoring their craft. This stipend makes higher education
18:21more attainable to us as students. The support from the governor means more
18:25opportunities for future educators and for our students. I would like to thank
18:30you all for your time, and would like to introduce Governor Josh Shapiro to the
18:33podium.
18:35Thank you, Lacey. What's up, Shap? How's everybody doing today? Hey, Lacey, let me
18:49tell you, we are all so proud of you, if you can't tell, and you are a model of
18:54what we are trying to invest in, believe in, and build more of here in the
18:59Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We appreciate you, Lacey. Thank you. Thank
19:03you. President Patterson, thank you for welcoming me back to SHIP. I came today
19:11really just to find the statue to Dr. Mameen that I understand has been
19:15erected here. I don't know if you can show me where that is, but I want to say
19:20thank you to everybody here at SHIP for warmly, I mean literally warmly, welcoming
19:25us back, and for as wonderful as President Patterson is. I know he would
19:30join me in acknowledging the true energy behind this place, in addition to
19:35our students, and that is the faculty and staff here at SHIP, who do an amazing
19:40job every day. And I got to give a special shout out to our union leaders
19:49who are here, who I know represent so many of the wonderful people that work
19:53here, from APSCUF and AFSCME. We are thankful to you. Thank you. And I must say
20:01that the work you do every day, the dedication that you show, puts our young
20:06people on a path to opportunity and success right here in the Commonwealth
20:10of Pennsylvania. I know we are also grateful for the outstanding leadership
20:15of the Apache Board of Governors, led by Cindy Shapiro, who does an outstanding
20:19job as our board chair. Cindy, thank you very, very much. Listen, I firmly believe
20:26that every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and
20:31the opportunity to succeed. And I know there are many paths to success here in
20:37the Commonwealth and all across this country. Some folks will choose to go
20:41into the military. Some will choose to go into a union apprenticeship program and
20:46work with their hands. Some will choose to go straight into the workforce. And
20:51yes, some will choose to go to great colleges like Chippensburg University. I
20:56think it's critically important that we respect all pathways of opportunity, all
21:01pathways of success. And that is exactly what we are doing by investing in each
21:07and every one of those pathways here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. But
21:11really, over the last three decades, what we've seen in this Commonwealth and
21:15the legislature in Harrisburg has actually been a game of disinvesting
21:20from higher education. And because of that, our Commonwealth has sadly been
21:25playing a game of subtraction when it comes to higher education, subtracting
21:30resources, subtracting services, subtracting access for all
21:35Pennsylvanians. And as a result of that, over the last 30 years, we have seen
21:39enrollment decline. We've seen the cost of attending Pennsylvania colleges and
21:44universities skyrocket. Pennsylvanians deserve better than that. So in my first
21:51budget, just a few months after taking the oath of office to lead this great
21:55Commonwealth, I stood before a divided General Assembly, Democrat, Republican
21:59alike. And to the people of Pennsylvania, I said it is time that we do something
22:05about this. Let's reimagine higher education. Let's stop playing a game of
22:10subtraction and start playing a game of addition. I directed our great
22:15Secretary of Education, Dr Khalid Mameen, and his team at the Department of
22:19Education, led by Deputy Secretary Kate Shaw,
22:29to bring together higher education leaders from all across Pennsylvania to
22:33finally have this conversation after 30 years of ignoring the reality before us.
22:38Dr. Shaw and her team at the Department of Education spent a year listening to
22:44stakeholders and higher ed leaders and lawmakers and labor leaders and
22:48especially students like Lacey. And with that feedback, we built a blueprint
22:54focused on three key goals in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. First,
22:58reinvesting in higher education. Second, making college more affordable for all
23:05students. No matter what you look like, where you come from, we want to make
23:09sure that that access is real. And third, increasing coordination between our
23:15colleges and universities to ensure that our higher ed system is meeting
23:19critical state goals, like, for example, graduating enough students like Lacey to
23:24fill the workforce gaps that are so absolutely critical in this Commonwealth.
23:29We brought Republicans and Democrats alike together. We put all ideas on the
23:34table to build on that blueprint. And this bill that I'm about to sign is the
23:39result of that. Because in this first budget, since that process began, we made
23:46the first significant progress on higher education in 30 years here in the
23:52Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
23:59Let me tell you a little bit about that progress we made. First, we are creating
24:03a State Board of Higher Education to coordinate higher ed in Pennsylvania,
24:07collect real data about what is working and what's not. I'm a data-oriented
24:12person. If it's working, we got to double down. If it's not working, we need to go
24:16in another direction. And we need to tie the work that is happening here on our
24:22campuses directly to the workforce needs across Pennsylvania, so that our
24:27colleges and universities become the economic engines of the Commonwealth of
24:32Pennsylvania once again. That board, second, will establish a council and put
24:38in place performance-based funding formulas for our state-related
24:42universities. So the taxpayers, even those taxpayers who aren't attending those
24:48colleges and universities, will know that we will be achieving better outcomes all
24:53across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Third, we are increasing our investment
24:58in PASHE schools and community colleges by just over 6% this year, so they can
25:04continue to do the hard work of creating opportunity for our students. Fourth, we
25:11are committing more resources to scholarships than ever before to make
25:15college more affordable and accessible, and encourage students to attend
25:20high-demand careers like education, so we can have more people like Lacey in our
25:25classrooms. We're investing more state funds than ever before in nursing
25:29apprenticeships, and we saw how many people, as you heard before, applied last
25:35year when we finally made student-teacher stipends available for
25:38the first time. 4,000 people applied in just the first few hours. And in addition
25:45to APSCUF and AFSCME who are represented here today, I have to give a special
25:49thanks to PFT and PSCA for their extraordinary advocacy in this space. We
25:54appreciate them very, very much. Remember I said we follow the data? Well, we
26:02follow the data, and we listen to these aspiring teachers, and in this budget we
26:06doubled down on our investment in student-teacher stipends. Look, this is a
26:12big deal by investing in the future of this Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in
26:18teachers like Lacey. It's a big deal for Shippensburg, who deserve the freedom to
26:23chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed people like Lacey
26:27do. These changes deliver real opportunity for all students that walk
26:32through these doors and others like it across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
26:36because we know when you walk through these doors here at Shipp, you are now
26:40part of contributing to the success of our Commonwealth in the years to come.
26:45Look, here in Pennsylvania, we have shown that we can come together and get stuff
26:53done for the good people of Pennsylvania. Listen, we are the only state in the
26:59entire nation with a divided legislature. Think about that for a second. Senate led
27:04by Republicans, House led by Democrats. In these politically polarized times, where
27:10a lot of people shun the idea of compromise, we are showing how compromise
27:15leads to progress for all Pennsylvanians, bringing people together to move the ball
27:21down the field. And listen, throughout this process, we all had to give a little
27:26bit, and we all had to stay focused on our common goal, which is serving the
27:31good people of Pennsylvania. But by moving past the partisan politics here
27:36in Pennsylvania, by having real conversations with folks who are
27:41invested in the success of places like Shippensburg, then we can get good things
27:46done, and we can make positive change, and we can ensure progress and prosperity
27:52for the next generation here in Pennsylvania. I said it before, this is
27:56the first significant progress on higher education in three decades. We should be
28:01proud of that, and you all should be proud of the bipartisan group of
28:04lawmakers who came together to get this done. And I want you to know, this isn't
28:09the only problem we solved after generations ignoring other issues in
28:13this commonwealth. Think about this. We provided the largest targeted tax cut
28:17for seniors in nearly two decades. Democrats and Republicans talked about
28:22it in the halls of power and didn't do anything for 20 years. We got that done.
28:26Think about this. Following a court ruling that said that our K-12 education
28:30system was literally unconstitutional because we weren't investing enough and
28:35we weren't driving dollars out to the districts that need it most, we brought
28:39Democrats and Republicans together for the first time in a long time and not
28:44only invested in unprecedented new $1.1 billion in our K-12 system, but
28:52importantly, for the first time we have a formula that's driving those dollars
28:56out to the kids that need it most across Pennsylvania, answering the call
29:01from the court and answering to the voices of the people of Pennsylvania who
29:06have righteously been demanding change in our public education system for too
29:10long. We got that done together.
29:18We've solved other problems too. For too long our state police were competing
29:23with our infrastructure needs where building a bridge was literally coming
29:28out of the same fund that funded our state police. We decoupled that and we've
29:32invested more in the state police and more in infrastructure because we came
29:37together, Democrat and Republican alike, and we solved a major problem. We listened
29:44for decades to the public defenders across Pennsylvania who said, hey what
29:50about us? We were one of only two states in the whole nation that weren't funding
29:53indigent defense and public defenders. We got that done, not once but twice. We've
29:59got a long way to go, but we solved another problem in our criminal justice
30:03system. Listen, my administration, we're going to keep on taking on the status
30:08quo. We're going to keep on solving problems. We're going to keep on bringing
30:12Democrats and Republicans together and focus on three simple letters in the
30:17alphabet every single day. G-S-D. Get stuff done. And that is what we're here
30:24to celebrate today. And so with that I'm going to sign this bill and then I
30:35assume Lacey will come back up here and answer all your questions if that's okay.
30:39Come on gang.
30:54Ready?
31:24Mr. President, that is for you. We are grateful for the way SHIP has shown us
31:37the way in this. Thank you very, very much.
31:46We get SHIP done.
31:58I will take a few questions from the media here. Yes?
32:03Senator, can you address the reports that you're on a short list of candidates for the VP job that the Harris campaign has reached out to the vet?
32:12Let me say this. Vice President Harris is an extraordinary nominee for our party
32:20and she will be the 47th President of the United States and I'm going to work
32:25my tail off for her. The Vice President now has an incredibly important and
32:32deeply personal decision to make, similar to the decision that then
32:38candidate Biden made when he chose her to be his running mate. A decision on
32:44who's best partner, who's best to help lead the country forward, who's best to
32:50campaign with to ensure that we defeat Donald Trump and his extremism. The Vice
32:56President, Vice President Harris, should make that decision free from any
33:01political pressure. It is her decision to make. She'll make it on the timeline
33:05that she so chooses and she will, I assume like she does every decision she
33:10makes, make it in the best interest of the American people.
33:13Governor, you are on a short list. Can you tell us what it's like for you and your family to be there? I know we don't know what you're going to do.
33:18I don't know what list I'm on. I'm just here at Shippensburg celebrating the incredible... I'm going to take my coat off because I feel like I'm going to be stuck up here for a while and it's getting warm.
33:30You know, I'm here celebrating the important work that we've done, the way
33:34that we have brought Democrats and Republicans together to accomplish
33:38something really meaningful, something that for 30 years the Commonwealth
33:42hasn't been able to do. So to answer your question, I'm focused on doing my work.
33:46I'm focused on the political task at hand, which is to defeat Donald Trump.
33:50Listen, Donald Trump brings chaos to everything he does. Think about it. I was
33:56Attorney General when he was president before. I spent more time with my team in
34:00court trying to protect people's rights because Donald Trump was trying to rip
34:03them away. Sadly, he was successful. He ripped away the rights of millions of
34:08women to be able to make decisions over their own body. And by the way, if he's
34:12returned to the White House, I'm sure he and Vance will try and pass a national
34:17ban. That's dangerous. Donald Trump has said he wants to take away health care
34:22from 1.2 million Pennsylvanians. He favors less freedom, not more. Kamala
34:29Harris, you know, I've known her 20 years, just about 20 years. She is tough
34:35as nails. She doesn't suffer fools like me. She's been a prosecutor. She stood
34:40up for the rule of law, and she has always stood for the people. Donald
34:45Trump has spent a career screwing over people, and I'm gonna do everything in
34:49my power as the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to stand
34:52up to his extremism and to deny him the keys to the White House once again.
35:02I'm focused on doing my work. I'm here doing it, and that's all I'm focused on.
35:06Yes.
35:07Okay.
35:10I have not.
35:13You say that Kamala Harris is definitely bringing a lot to the top of
35:16that ticket. Regardless of you, what does she need to be looking for in a
35:20vice president to win over the majority of Americans? That's a deeply personal
35:24decision for her to make. Listen, she went through that process with then
35:29candidate Biden. She has done that job incredibly well. She has served
35:35honorably as vice president, and she is absolutely ready to serve as president
35:40today, tomorrow and well into the future. She will make a determination
35:44as to what she needs next to her, by her side, working with her every day to
35:49stand up for the American people and support them.
36:02I heard the news that she stepped down. It's the right thing to do. I mean,
36:06there were obviously incredible failures at the farm show in Butler.
36:10Um, there are many investigations going on, uh, and those investigations need
36:16to unearth where those failures were so that any protecting, uh, it's ensured
36:22the absolute top level of protection going forward. That was a failure in
36:27Butler. Thank God the former president was not assassinated. Sadly, we lost
36:33one Pennsylvania, Corey Compertor, who is an extraordinary man, someone I've
36:39gotten to know now through his wife and his daughters. I feel privileged
36:44that they have shared with me so much about the wonderful life he lived as a
36:48firefighter, as a churchgoer, as a community activist, and yes, is an avid
36:53supporter of the former president. Corey was engaged in civic life. That's
36:58a good thing. We should all be engaged in civic life. And of course, we
37:02continue to pray for the two Pennsylvanians who were wounded that
37:05day, who were in critical condition and now understand in more stable
37:09condition. What happened in Butler was an absolute failure, and there needs to
37:14be answers as to what went wrong. And I think her resignation is an important
37:19step in that process.
37:22Her question. Did you say that no paperwork has been submitted to vet you
37:27as a vice presidential candidate? There's reporting out there that
37:31suggests otherwise, and that's why I'm just answered.
37:35So you weren't asked to submit paperwork. How many times are we gonna
37:39ask the same question? I was not asked, and I have not submitted paperwork.
37:44Does that answer your question? Clearly,
37:47and then regards to what you're talking can jump in here any time.
37:52Come on, Dr Shaw. Yes. With regard to the comments that you made about
37:56getting stuff done, there was an ad that ran in the Washington Post as well
38:01as one that ran in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by the Commonwealth
38:05Foundation, saying that you are the anti GSD governor and just wanted to let
38:10you respond. Those folks have spent years and millions and millions of
38:15dollars attacking me. They don't really have any credibility. Look, let's
38:19examine our record. I am literally the only governor in the nation with the
38:23divided Legislature, and even with that, we've been able to pass historic
38:28criminal justice reform. Even with that, we've been able to now successfully
38:33pass two budgets that invest in public education at historic levels that
38:38invest in public safety at historic levels that finally put us on the map
38:42on economic development for the first time. Really, in generations, we have
38:47managed, despite the political noise out there to bring Democrats and
38:51Republicans together to get meaningful stuff done. I think literally last
38:55week, I must have signed close to 30 bills into law, the product of
38:59bipartisan compromise. I'm gonna continue to do my job, bringing people
39:04together to get stuff done and ignoring the noise of partisans who seek to
39:08only inject more division into our conversations. The eve of this event,
39:13talking about a new chapter for higher education, the chancellor of the state
39:17system, of course, announced he's stepping down. What should we make of
39:20that? And is that a setback to this? No, I think it is a personal decision
39:24for Dan. He's done an outstanding job. We are grateful for his service. I'll
39:28have more to say about his service as we approach his retirement. I have all
39:33the confidence of the world that Cindy Shapiro will put together a process,
39:37and I believe it will be a national search process to bring in a new
39:40chancellor to lead us forward. But I'm really grateful to Dan for his
39:44leadership. He's done a really nice job. Governor, did the new State Board
39:48of Higher Ed accomplish what you wanted to get done? It sure did. It
39:52creates a level of coordination between the colleges and universities. It
39:58allows us to share data. It allows us to put a better product out there for
40:02students to learn from one another, to not have our institutions competing
40:07with one another, but rather working collaboratively. This was both a
40:12collaborative process in the Legislature to find the best ideas.
40:16And now I think we have the opportunity for great collaboration with our higher
40:20ed institutions going forward. Thank you all for being with us today at CHIP.
40:24Okay. Thank you, everybody.