“Education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.”
– Frederick Douglas, Blessings of Liberty and Education, 1894
PHSC’s Commitment to Academic Excellence and Advancing American Prosperity
Pasco-Hernando State College answers U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s National Call to Action and joins Commissioner Henry Mack in affirming that higher education must advance American interests through academic rigor, transparency, accountability and student achievement. PHSC recognizes its responsibility to prepare graduates who strengthen our workforce, uphold our nation’s founding principles and contribute to America’s continued prosperity.
Serving Pasco and Hernando counties, PHSC puts this commitment into practice through affordable, high-quality education that leads to meaningful careers, financial independence and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. By promoting academic excellence, informed citizenship and the skills our employers need, the College helps students build successful futures while strengthening the communities that sustain our state and nation.
The following commitments reflect PHSC’s dedication to student success, responsible stewardship of public resources and a stronger America.
Prioritizing American Interests
PHSC is committed to advancing American prosperity by leading with academic excellence and preparing students for successful careers, financial independence and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The College will continue aligning its programs with workforce needs, prioritizing credentials that employers recognize and value, and evaluating programs for improvement, restructuring or sunsetting when they consistently offer limited potential or opportunities.
Through civic literacy education, PHSC strengthens students’ understanding of the U.S. Constitution, our nation’s founding principles and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. By preparing graduates for careers in cybersecurity, public safety and other essential fields, PHSC helps build a skilled American workforce, protect our communities and secure a stronger future for our state and nation.
Fairness and Merit
PHSC is committed to maintaining its open-door mission while clearly communicating the academic expectations associated with each program. The College will continue publishing general admission criteria and additional requirements for limited-access programs, including applicable prerequisites, academic performance standards and assessments. Admission decisions will reflect published criteria, academic achievement and the College’s educational mission. For example, PHSC’s Registered Nursing generic program ranks eligible applicants using prerequisite grade point averages and TEAS scores, providing a defined academic basis for competitive admission.
Free Expression and Open Inquiry
PHSC is committed to an educational environment that encourages questions, thoughtful discussion and the examination of competing ideas while protecting every student’s ability to learn. The College will continue upholding its Free Speech and Assembly policy, which recognizes peaceful, lawful expression and orderly assembly. PHSC will enforce applicable conduct policies to address violence, threats, harassment and disruptive behavior that interferes with instruction, research, public events or College operations. Protecting lawful expression, respecting due process and maintaining a safe, productive learning environment are shared responsibilities essential to student success.
Intellectual Pluralism and Academic Vitality
PHSC is committed to academic excellence rooted in merit, open inquiry and the pursuit of truth. The College will promote the thoughtful examination of competing perspectives across academic programs, encouraging students to evaluate evidence, challenge assumptions and develop independent judgment. Instruction should prepare students to think critically and participate responsibly in American civic life without requiring adherence to a particular political or ideological viewpoint.
PHSC affirms that faculty recruitment, hiring and evaluation should emphasize subject-matter expertise, professional qualifications, teaching effectiveness and contributions to student achievement, alongside respect for academic inquiry and fair consideration of relevant scholarly perspectives. Through ongoing assessment, professional development and program review, the College will strengthen instruction and keep academic offerings responsive to advances in knowledge and the needs of our workforce and nation. Research and scholarly activities undertaken through PHSC will support its educational mission, advance knowledge and serve the public interest.
Academic Rigor and Excellence
PHSC is committed to maintaining rigorous instruction and ensuring that students demonstrate the knowledge and skills required in their fields. Through the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, the College assesses student learning outcomes and conducts academic program reviews on a five-year cycle. PHSC will continue using these findings to guide curriculum improvements, strengthen instruction and address opportunities to improve student achievement.
As artificial intelligence changes education and the workplace, PHSC will support faculty in establishing clear expectations for its permitted use and designing assessments that verify students’ own knowledge, reasoning and skills. The College will uphold academic integrity and combat grade inflation through clear grading standards, review of assessment practices and grades that reflect demonstrated achievement. Faculty development will reinforce effective teaching and the responsible use of emerging technologies while preserving the value of a PHSC credential.
Transparency and Accountability
PHSC is committed to making information about College performance and educational costs readily available to students, families and taxpayers. The College will continue publishing its Fact Book and providing public access to student achievement indicators, tuition and fee information, and program requirements. These resources support informed decisions and allow the community to evaluate PHSC’s enrollment, completion and financial information.
Protecting the integrity of public education also requires safeguards against improper foreign influence. PHSC will apply applicable review, approval and disclosure requirements to foreign gifts, funding, contracts and partnerships, and reject arrangements that compromise academic independence or American security interests. The College will safeguard sensitive information, intellectual property and any research it undertakes through appropriate information security measures and oversight of external access and agreements.
Student Success and Affordability
PHSC is committed to helping students enter college, stay on track and complete their educational goals. The College will continue providing free tutoring through its Academic Success Centers, Academic Advising and degree audits that help students identify the courses needed for graduation. Through Financial Aid guidance, PHSC Foundation scholarships and dual enrollment opportunities for eligible high school students, PHSC will continue helping families manage college costs and pursue affordable pathways to a credential or degree.
PHSC will pursue cost containment through efficient use of College resources, affordable instructional materials and academic planning that reduces unnecessary credits and delays to graduation. Clear information about educational costs, financial assistance and borrowing responsibilities will help students make informed financial decisions. The College will use available program-level employment and earnings data to evaluate educational value and guide improvements, with the goal of preparing graduates for careers that support financial independence and prosperity.
Workforce Readiness and Community Impact
PHSC is committed to preparing students for employment and responding to the needs of employers in Pasco and Hernando counties. The College will continue engaging industry representatives through its technical advisory committees to inform career and technical education programs. PHSC Career Services will support this work through career exploration, education planning, job search assistance and internship opportunities that connect students with professional experience.
Through these commitments, PHSC reaffirms its responsibility to prepare students for successful careers, informed citizenship and lives of purpose. Academic excellence, accountability and responsible stewardship of public resources are central to that responsibility. Every credential should represent meaningful achievement and equip graduates to pursue opportunity, support their families and contribute to the prosperity of our state and nation.
George Washington’s call to cherish “the just pride of patriotism” reminds us that our shared American identity carries both opportunity and responsibility. At PHSC, we honor that responsibility by helping students understand our nation’s founding principles, exercise independent judgment and put their education to work in service to others. We are proud to help students pursue the American Dream while preparing them to preserve its promise for those who follow.
The Declaration of Independence closes with a pledge of “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” an enduring expression of shared purpose and commitment to our nation’s future. In that spirit, PHSC recognizes that the promise of education reaches beyond individual achievement. It strengthens families, sustains communities and prepares each generation to carry our country forward. Our graduates will help shape that future as proud Americans, proud Floridians and proud PHSC graduates, ready to lead, serve and contribute to a stronger community.
Pasco-Hernando State College is committed to ensuring that the web and electronic communications on phsc.edu are accessible to individuals with disabilities. PHSC uses guidelines and standards of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Levels A and AA. If you have a problem with accessing documents on this section of this web page, please contact the Marketing and Communications office at 727-816-3738 or press@phsc.edu. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the College by calling the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771. PHSC will make reasonable efforts to address the accessibility issue as soon as possible. When contacting PHSC with any access issues, please Include the web address of the page you were on, and describe the problem you encountered.
The Student Accessibility Services Office ensures equal access, accommodations, and services to its registered students with disabilities. PHSC contributes to the educational foundation of students with disabilities and supports full inclusion. Accessibility tools are provided to students with disabilities for successful learning experiences, and to be afforded the same opportunities as those without disabilities in a college setting. The Student Accessibility Services Office may be reached by emailing accessibilityservices@phsc.edu or by phone at 727-816-3240.