Matt Schuyler’s four-year term as chair of the Board of Trustees came to an end in November. Schuyler ’87 Bus, who joined the board in 2015 and will continue as a member through the end of his term in 2026, spoke with Penn State News in November about the board’s accomplishments and challenges during his leadership. Among the highlights:

Q: As you reflect on your time as board chair, what makes you the proudest?

SCHUYLER: So many areas, but I will focus on two. One is hiring Neeli Bendapudi, who is just a dynamo and will take Penn State to places that we’ve only dreamed of in terms of next-level performance. The other is the increased engagement that trustees have had with students. In many ways, their success is what drives us, inspires us, and motivates us as trustees in our work to preserve Penn State’s status as a world-class institution for generations to come.

Q: Higher education in general is facing financial challenges. Why was balancing Penn State’s budget such a priority over the last two years?

SCHUYLER: The reality is that state appropriations have remained flat while costs are rising all around us. It has required us to be very strategic about how we are achieving our revenues and how we are spending our revenues. We had to simultaneously look deeply into the cost structure of the university and figure out what the right level of tuition had to be during those especially challenging recent years. We’re going to achieve a balanced budget earlier than anticipated. But this is a never- ending type of endeavor, in that you’re never done managing your revenues or expenses. The way education is delivered is going to have to evolve, and that will require sensible investments.

Q: Can you elaborate on how Penn State is addressing the future of higher education and the challenges institutions are facing?

SCHUYLER: I believe this period represents the most profound transformation that higher education has ever experienced. The value proposition of higher education is under great scrutiny. With advancements in technology and the sudden shift to virtual learning during the pandemic, students are learning things much earlier in their academic careers, and there is a new hybrid approach to how they are learning.

Penn State has done a fantastic job of positioning itself for change. How faculty teach and conduct research must continue to evolve; how students learn and consume information must continue to evolve; how we use technology and platforms to convey information must continue to evolve —and we need to be ready for that. Our vision [for the future of higher education] includes the commonwealth campuses, which are continuing to evolve to meet the moment of this great change as well, while aligning with Penn State’s mission as a land-grant institution, which is to deliver quality education to the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Answers have been edited for length.