YSU has success stories, but it needs support of the entire community

YSU has success stories, but it needs supportof the entire community
EDITOR:
The recent signing of the two labor agreements at Youngstown State University signifies another success story for the campus and the community as a whole. With enrollment on the rise, the university needed to continue the momentum it has gained since President David Sweet has made enrollment the number one priority for the university.
The contract agreements are just one of many success stories currently taking place on campus. At the forefront of these successes is that the quality of education continues to be a primary focus, making degrees from our university highly competitive with others. Other success stories include: Renovations and additions to campus buildings, providing both an attractive campus, and facilities that are competitive with their counterparts at other universities. In the Smoky Hollow, new dorms are being built that will attract more residential students. Last is a personal observation that I believe is not only positive for the university, but also the community. That is the highly experienced staff that the administration has recruited. This includes one of the top urban planners within the country, Hunter Morrison, who has a proven track record managing the Planning Department for the City of Cleveland, a department that has been highly successful in bringing back a city needing critical care.
Although the positives outweigh the negatives, there is one area that the community as a whole could assist the university with, and that is the current funding levels being allocated by Columbus. As a volunteer and current president of the Youngstown State University Alumni Society, I truly believe that a community that supports its university also facilitates its successes. Whether you are an alum, a Penguin fan, university employee or a person who believes in supporting what's important to the community, I believe we can make a difference by writing the governor and Ohio Board of Regents. First, ask that they find a way to reinstate the most recent cuts in funding. That recent cut to YSU cost the university approximately $3 million, which may be enough to avert another tuition increase.
Secondly, ask that they make higher education a higher priority in Ohio's future budgets. Take the time, write a brief letter and play a positive role in YSU's success story.
PAT BILLETT
Youngstown
Column raises questions
EDITOR:
After reading Thomas Sowell's column in Friday's paper about the lack of production of well educated students, I wondered what other information we're not getting.
For instance, what's the involvement of parents in producing the desire to succeed in school and what criteria at the university level produces a teacher capable of reaching all students (if all students are included)?
I'd like to know the comparison of what made schools abroad produce children who are well educated. What did they do? How do they do it? I've read about those children not continuing at certain school levels, shunted out of the academic environment if certain levels of competency are not achieved. Is the testing of students in schools abroad with this methodology compared with the average American classroom? Not withstanding excellent teachers, it seems much responsibility and participation lie with the student and the parents. That certainly would make for classes with fewer numbers of students.
Granted the American school system may have deteriorated from what we would like it to be, but read your papers. The American society in all walks of life needs an ethics recall.
We know what the problems are, are we not knowledgeable enough to fix them? Do we want to?
Who will lead the way with working solutions to make the changes?
ELEANOR CARTER
Youngstown