YSU continues to shine in regents' evaluation

Two years ago, we began an editorial in praise of Youngstown State University with the following words: "The glowing report on [YSU] from the Ohio Board of Regents could not have come at a better time. With the Republican-controlled General Assembly delving into higher education in Ohio and questioning whether the state needs 38 public colleges and universities, YSU can make a strong argument for its continued existence -- and growth."
Fast forward to today and the words still apply. Nothing has changed on the state level with regard to higher education funding. And as for the future of Ohio's universities and colleges, that issue has now become a part of Republican Gov. Bob Taft's agenda for this year.
Hence, this week's release of the 2002 regents' report card ranking the state's institutions of higher learning could not have come at a better time. YSU shines in three important areas: student access to professors; financial aid; and job placement performance.
In the words of President David Sweet: "If my child came home with a report card like this, I would proudly and prominently display it on the family refrigerator."
The Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy is the ideal "refrigerator" for displaying the report. On Monday, in his inaugural address marking the beginning of his second four-year term, Taft announced that he will be creating the commission to study higher education in Ohio and to determine what role it now plays and should play with regard to the state's economy.
Technology
The panel will have 12 months to come up with ways to improve the quality of higher education, increase efficiencies to eliminate unnecessary duplication, broaden the use of technology and determine how higher education can effectively support the state's economy and add to the quality of life for Ohioans.
Superimpose YSU's report from the board of regents on the governor's charge to the commission and what emerges is Taft's vision for Ohio's universities and colleges. When one-third of the first-year students are taught by full professors, as they are at Youngstown State, that is a strong indicator of a quality education. When more than 80 percent of the students receive financial aid, that demonstrates that students can find a helping hand on campus. And when seven in 10 bachelor-degree graduates find work within six months, that is the kind of boost to the economy the governor is talking about.
With stagnant state funding for higher education and with a growing number of legislators questioning the need for so many public institutions, the next 12 months will see a great deal of bloodletting by the state's universities and colleges.
Each institution will be judged on how well it meets its mission, and from what the board of regents says, YSU as an open-admissions regional university is certainly getting the job done.
That's what the members of the governor's commission on higher education must hear and see when they convene.