As a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is part of the strategic review being undertaken by the State System — a top-to-bottom examination of the operations of all 14 system universities and the Office of the Chancellor.

What does that mean to an individual university such as Slippery Rock, which is facing the same challenges that many other institutions within the State System and across the nation are facing?

The intent of the strategic review is to help identify new opportunities that will allow us to continue offering the highest value proposition, which is to best serve students in every region of the commonwealth through high-quality, affordable educational opportunities for years to come.

The numbers tell the story: Even though Slippery Rock’s enrollment is at a record high, overall enrollment across the system has declined by more than 12 percent — or by nearly 15,000 students — over the past six years. The system is receiving about $60 million less from the state this year than it did in 2008, prior to the start of the recession, and an amount essentially equal to what it received in 1999. That’s $60 million less to support the operations of the universities.

The status quo is unsustainable.

Slippery Rock University, like all of the institutions that comprise the State System, has been around for more than a century. It was founded as a privately run normal school in 1889 after a local resident donated 10 acres on which it would be built. Three times campus buildings were destroyed by fire, threatening the school’s future. It survived and was sold to the state in 1916, and followed the same progression as its sister schools — first becoming a state teachers college; then a state college; and, finally, a university in 1983 — to provide wider access to higher educational opportunities for the region.

Throughout its history, Slippery Rock University has evolved to meet the needs of its region and the commonwealth. Just as time marches forward, so too must our vigilance to ensuring our universities remain relevant and continually change to match the demands of the 21st century and beyond.

Slippery Rock’s doctor of physical therapy program prepares graduates for clinical practice in physical therapy, helping to address the need for healthcare practitioners. Its most recent class of graduates had a 100 percent pass rate on the licensure exam and a 100 percent employment rate.

The university also recently developed new programs in petroleum and natural gas engineering and industrial and systems engineering, responding to another growing workforce need.

Slippery Rock University is taking the appropriate steps to evaluate how it fits in the continuously changing higher education landscape in the region, commonwealth and nation. The system needs that kind of introspection, which is why we have engaged a consultant with expertise in higher education management to assist with the strategic review, and why it is so important that the Slippery Rock community be actively involved in this process.

The review will be comprehensive and open to all possibilities. There have been rumors and speculation that some of the universities within the system could be merged or even closed as a result of this strategic review. That is not the goal.

The review is about finding solutions that are right for Pennsylvania, and ensuring each university is meeting the needs of its students, its region and the commonwealth today and for years to come. What happens as a result of the review — the changes that could be made in future years — must first and foremost benefit our students.

We will gain valuable information by looking at the universities individually and collectively. That is one of the advantages of being part of a system — the ability to leverage each institution’s strengths, to share information, to identify what works well and what doesn’t, and to adopt best practices from each other. Every university in the system can learn from each other through this process.

Higher education often is slow to change, but we are working with a sense of urgency. Given the enormous challenges facing virtually every college and university today, change is necessary, and inevitable. We want to be able to guide that change in a positive direction. We approach this challenge with optimism. Slippery Rock University, like the entire State System, already is seizing the opportunity to change for the better.

Cynthia D. Shapira is the chairman of the PSSHE board of governors. Frank T. Brogan is the system’s chancellor.