HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, shares recent news, including:

-- HACC Adopts 2022-23 Budget
-- HACC Adds Cannabis Programs to Meet Workforce Demands
-- More than 135 Future HACC Students Learn Where to Start

Please note: This news release was updated on May 5, 2022.

HACC Adopts 2022-23 Budget
HARRISBURG, Pa. – On April 5, 2022, the Board of Trustees of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, adopted a $117-million budget for 2022-23. 

The College’s 2022-23 budget projects an 8% decrease in enrollment and accounts for the continued widespread impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic. The College is projecting a $4.4 million revenue shortfall as a result.

“As a result of the global pandemic, higher education continues to change. As Pennsylvania’s first and largest community college, we must continue to evolve to meet our students’ changing needs. The 2022-23 budget includes a multitude of factors to ensure they remain at the forefront of our decisions,” said HACC President and CEO John J. “Ski” Sygielski. 

Tuition 

The 2022-23 budget includes a 4% tuition increase for out-of-state, non-sponsoring, sponsoring, dual enrolled and College in the High School students. As a majority of HACC students are non-sponsored part-time students, tuition will increase approximately $54 for the average student. 

Tim Sandoe, HACC’s vice president of finance, said, “We understand the past few years have been difficult for our students, and a tuition increase is not ideal. Our goal is to ensure students complete their education at HACC and to celebrate their accomplishments at a future Commencement ceremony. To do so, we will continue to offer supports, including financial supports, to assist them throughout their journey.” 

Remaining Student Focused 

“Our students are the reason we are here. Whether they are a high school student taking dual-enrollment classes, or an individual who is returning to school to change careers after many years in the workforce, our students will continue to remain our top priority,” Sygielski added.

To ensure student success:

• The College will continue to offer classes on campus and online. 
• The College will seek to expand its CARE Center operations, continue to work with the HACC Foundation and expand workforce development partnerships to support student training needs. 
• Continuing and future students are encouraged to enter to win $2,000 for their fall tuition.

In 2020-21, the HACC Foundation awarded over $1.1 million in scholarships and awards to HACC students. The HACC Foundation provides millions of dollars in funding for student scholarships, innovative academic programs, state-of-the art training equipment and modernized facilities. To learn more, please visit haccfoundation.org.

Cost-Saving Measures

To address the decrease in revenue, the College:

• Sold its Lebanon Campus building. (The College will maintain its presence in Lebanon by occupying the third floor of the building lease free for the next five years.)  
• Exited Midtown 2 which resulted in savings of approximately $2 million a year. (The programs previously located at Midtown 2 have been relocated to facilities at Midtown 1 and HACC’s Harrisburg Campus.)
• Partnered with Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) to develop a strategic enrollment management plan.
• Froze nearly 40 open positions that have been open for a year or longer and placed a hold on the ask for full-time faculty with a few exceptions. 
• Will continue to be forward-thinking by creating partnerships, like with Lock Haven University, to use HACC space and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in managing their bookstore operations. 

The College will remain fiscally responsible and seek alternative cost-saving measures throughout the fiscal year.

Employee Benefits

The College will provide a 4% salary increase for all full- and part-time regular employees not represented by a collective bargaining association. The salary increases will go into effect on July 1, 2022. Using stimulus funds, the College will also provide a 2.5% merit pay for regular 9.5 or 12-month full- and part-time employees not represented by a collective bargaining association. It will be paid in three installments throughout the fiscal year. 

Sygielski said, “The past few years have also been difficult on our employees. The salary increase recognizes the hard work they contribute, and will contribute, to the continued success of the College.”

For more information about HACC, including previous budgets, please see our College Fact Sheet.

HACC Adds Cannabis Programs to Meet Workforce Demands
HARRISBURG, Pa. – To meet the continuing growth of the cannabis industry, HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, has added three new certificate programs that will provide job skills training for those interested in a cannabis career.

HACC is partnering with Green Flower, an on-demand training platform built for cannabis professionals, to provide the programs. The eight-week, fully online programs include Advanced Dispensary Associate Skills Training, Cannabis Manufacturing Agent and Cultivation Technician. Graduates will receive certificates of completion from HACC and Green Flower. In addition, graduates will have access to Green Flower’s employer network.
 
According to the 2022 jobs report by Leafly, a cannabis information firm, cannabis is a $25 billion industry in the United States, creating an average of 280 new jobs per day.
 
“As demand continues to grow for an educated workforce in the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania and across the country, HACC is responding to the need by contracting with Green Flower to give our students opportunities to qualify for entry-level jobs,” said Vic Rodgers, MBA, HACC’s vice president of workforce development and continuing education.
 
“Green Flower is honored to be partnering with HACC to offer our three cannabis industry training courses. As Pennsylvania’s first community college and one of its largest, their history and commitment to help working adults find and build new careers is second to none,” said Daniel Kalef, Green Flower vice president of higher education.
 
“As the medical cannabis industry continues to grow significantly, leaders from the College looked to find ways for people in the area and beyond to become highly qualified to work in cannabis retail, manufacturing and agriculture environments and help ensure not only the continued growth of the industry in Pennsylvania, but growth in great part due to a well-trained workforce. Like other highly regulated industries, the need to have expertise in material handling, quality control, patient care, security, transportation, horticulture and more is vital to the success of all aspects of the industry and all things people will learn in these courses. We can think of no better college or group of people in the Commonwealth with whom to partner to offer these courses and are excited to begin offering them to the public,” Kalef added.
 
Students can register for each self-directed cannabis program to fit their schedules. For more information about the programs, please visit cannabiseducation.hacc.edu. For questions, please email workforce@hacc.edu.

More than 135 Future HACC Students Learn Where to Start
HARRISBURG, Pa. - On March 30, HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, hosted its Free College Day online to inform future students where the HACC to start. 

Throughout the day, future HACC students had the opportunity to:

• Attend 52 sessions 
• Connect with HACC advisors, faculty and admissions counselors
• Attend a virtual class in subjects including education, nursing and culinary arts 
• Be entered into a drawing to win $1,000 toward fall tuition 
• Experience college life for a day

Stepheni Anderson, MBA, HACC’s interim executive director of admissions, said, “At HACC, we know the decision to attend college can be overwhelming. By holding an event like this, HACC is working to ensure future students receive the support they deserve in making this life-changing decision. Free College Day is just one example of how we connect with students to help them understand that HACC remains their best choice.”
 
Future HACC students who missed Free College Day are encouraged to attend a virtual information session or connect with an admissions counselor. Registration for summer and fall classes for future students opens April 11. HACC continues to offer classes on campus and online.
 
To find YOUR place at HACC, please visit hacc.edu/GetStarted.
 
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 14,023 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.

About the HACC Foundation
The HACC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established in 1985 to raise private and corporate revenues in support of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. The HACC Foundation provides funding for student scholarships, innovative academic programs, state-of-the art training equipment and modernized facilities. To learn more about the HACC Foundation, please visit haccfoundation.org. To contribute to the HACC Foundation, please visit hacc.edu/GiveNow. 

About Green Flower 
Founded in 2014, Green Flower is the industry leader in cannabis education, empowering thousands of consumers, regulators, and professionals with the knowledge they need to succeed in the emerging cannabis industry today. Green Flower's content and technology platform powers the cannabis programs of top universities and colleges across the country, provides customized learning and compliance solutions for cannabis businesses of all sizes, and equips individuals with the skills and credentials necessary to make an impact in the modern cannabis industry.