YOUNGSTOWN Regents profile YSU

The College of Education seeks to improve teacher licensure passage rates.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- More than half of Youngstown State University's undergraduate students -- 58 percent -- come from families where incomes are less than $50,000 and where parents did not graduate from college, according to 2002 figures released Thursday by the Ohio Board of Regents.
"This is very much in keeping with our strength as the premier urban comprehensive university in the state," said Tony Atwater, YSU's provost and vice president for academic affairs.
"When it comes to reaching out to the community and the region and serving students who may not have the opportunity to earn a college degree, that's where we shine."
Report card
Ohio's annual report card on higher education, "The 2003 Performance Report for Ohio's Colleges and Universities" was released Thursday by the board of regents.
Atwater said that it shows that YSU continues to score high in areas such as the number of faculty teaching first-year students, cost effectiveness, and the percentage of allied health professions students passing licensure exams.
One area in which the university seeks improvement is in its student passage rate on the Praxis II teacher licensure examinations.
Dr. Phillip Ginnetti, dean of the Beeghly College of Education at YSU, said the 80 percent passage rate in the 2002 school year falls below other universities because YSU's traditional open-enrollment policy means that students from all backgrounds and abilities have been accepted into the school of education.
New requirement
Administrators have raised admission requirements for the school of education: All students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average or a 2.67 with a minimum score on a basic skills exam to get into the program their junior year. Ginnetti said that the school also has reviewed curriculum and added courses on taking the test; faculty will meet with consultants Friday to discuss further ways to improve.
"We're not happy with the scores," he said. "We want to be better."
The board of regents' study is now in its fourth year.
It can be viewed online at www.regents.state.oh.us/perfrpt/2003-I.html
Among the items pointed out by YSU administrators is YSU's full-time undergraduate tuition of $5,448 for the 2003-04 academic year is below the state average of $6,822. Only Shawnee State and Central State universities have lower rates.
Atwater said that 88 percent of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates at YSU in 2001-02 received financial aid.
"We continue to have a strong support system for students in financing their college education," said Atwater, adding that cost is often a large obstacle for first-generation students. "We're pleased to be able to give them the financial aid that we have."
Other assistance
Atwater said such students are also assisted through pre-college programs and services at the Center for Student Progress on campus. Another example of "reaching out to the community" is an Early College High School partnership with the Youngstown city schools and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation that will bring high school students on campus, he noted.
"We identify, bring in an support the needs of students who otherwise would not be able to get a college degree," he said.