Joshua Muscatello, a bachelor of science in management information systems (2006) and master of business administration (2011) graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, used his education to open the door to opportunities he never imagined. “The education I received at IUP changed my life,” Joshua said.
Joshua credits the high-quality, affordable education he received at IUP for much of his success. “I wasn’t interested in education in high school, and I was very hesitant to go to college,” Joshua said. “From orientation to graduation, IUP provided me with all the support I needed—including financial support—to be a successful student.”
Joshua, now an assistant dean at IUP and restaurant owner, uses the education he received to oversee the business operations of the College of Health and Human Services and to manage a successful local restaurant. “There is no doubt that without the education and support I received at IUP I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Joshua said. Prior to his work at IUP, Joshua worked in finance, labor relations, and technology in public K–12 education institutions in Pennsylvania.
“The students I see today at IUP are promising, inquisitive, and motivated, but like me as a student, so many of them face serious financial challenges,” Joshua said.
“Public higher education is the key to changing their lives, and to creating a strong, educated workforce for the commonwealth, and for the nation. It’s imperative that public higher education receive the support that our students need and deserve,” he said.
IUP provides access to high-quality, high-growth programs that prepare students to make positive contributions to Pennsylvania. The State System’s advocacy campaign—Fund Pennsylvania’s Future—calls for state investment to provide PASSHE with an inflationary funding increase to keep tuition affordable for students and a targeted investment to educate students for careers in high-growth jobs and occupations strengthening Pennsylvania’s workforce and economy.