Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Internal Controls - Essay Example

Pennsylvania System of Higher Education Internal Controls Affiliation: Describe four key aspects of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Educations (PASSHE) internal environment including internal processes, leadership, structure and culture. Explain why and how each affects the strategic planning process.Pennsylvania State System of Higher Educations (PASSHE) is one of the largest providers of education in Pennsylvania with fourteen universities and four branch campuses. Its leadership can be said to be the core foundation of PASSHE with a chancellor and a board of governors not to mention presidents of the universities in their different locations.

The leadership is composed of qualified people both academically and management wise and hence will not only provide new aspect academically but also ensure that the management system is coordinated which leads to effective planning.The structure of PASSHE comprises of the board of governors, the chancellor, the 14 presidents of the universities and 14 councils of trustees each representing the 14 universities. The board of governors which is made of 20 members is the one that makes the final decision and this prevents power being vested in one person only (the chancellor).

The structure also permits decentralization of decisions and resources and hence making planning easier and faster.The culture of PASSHE is mostly derived from the mission statement which is to provide instructions to graduate and undergraduate students beyond even the master’s level and in the fields of arts, sciences and even applied fields. It is this mission that has ensured its sole culture is furthering education and professionalism. It is the strict following of this mission that has led to PASSHE having even over 600,000 alumni, an increase in the universities and even an introduction of new studies.

The internal processes of PASSHE include the governance of the employees, students and facilities. The smooth running of these areas is what makes the institution achieve its commonwealth standards. If one of these areas and their processes fails to work or slows down, then the rest will also be affected because these internal processes are interdependent. Planning therefore must involve these areas simultaneously.The same simultaneous involvement of these key aspects of PASSHE must be ensured during planning if the current standards of the state education system are to be maintained and even increased.

Referenceshttp://www.passhe.edu/Pages/default.aspx