To Avoid Program Closures, PASSHE Explores Course Sharing
In this monologue, Michael Horn explains that the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is considering a system-wide course‑sharing model to lower operating costs and ensure students can enroll in classes not offered at their home campus. He frames the idea as common‑sense and notes that similar online course‑sharing arrangements already exist across the country, helping small colleges and regional collaborations. Horn critiques the typical objections—such as a desire for “homegrown” courses or skepticism about online learning—calling them outdated narratives. He argues that a centrally designed, single instance of a course can be higher‑quality because resources can be concentrated, and that aggregating demand across the system makes low‑enrollment majors viable without each campus bearing the full cost.
