NORTHEAST OHIO Colleges design masters-level writing program

The selective program will begin in January if the regents board accepts it.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Cultivating and improving writers' talents is the goal of a new master's degree program Youngstown State University is proposing, along with three other northeastern Ohio universities.
YSU is joining Kent State, Cleveland State and the University of Akron in trying to establish a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.
Dr. Philip Brady, a YSU English professor, will serve as program chairman for its first two years, if it becomes a reality, which would be in January at the earliest.
Getting the OK
Trustees at Youngstown and Cleveland state universities have authorized the program. Trustee approval is still pending at the University of Akron and Kent State University, Brady said.
Should trustees at all four universities agree to the program, it still must be authorized by the Ohio Board of Regents, Brady explained.
"No one can guarantee the program will inaugurate in January," Brady said. But he added that he's optimistic it will.
A decision by the regents board is expected by September.
The program is being proposed in response to interest throughout the area among students wanting to take their creative efforts beyond the undergraduate level.
"The Mahoning Valley had been a hotbed of creative writing," Brady said. "I see this as an opportunity to enliven the cultural life" of YSU and the region, he added.
If the project gets the green light, applications will be taken in the fall.
"We're really looking for some gifted people," Brady said.
Requirements
Applicants must be eligible for master's work. They must also submit a portfolio showing samples of their work in one of the program areas, those being fiction, poetry, play writing, literary translation and creative nonfiction such as memoirs.
An applicant's work doesn't have to have been published. It must show high potential, though, Brady said, adding that "we expect this program to be highly selective."
No more than 15 graduate students will be accepted to begin work in January. That number represents a total from among all the participating universities.
The program is expected to grow each year, reaching a total of about 125 by its fifth year, Brady said.
Students will travel to each of the participating universities to pursue their studies. To be awarded the degree, they must complete 48 credit hours, which will take about three years, Brady said. The program will be taught by 25 faculty members selected from the universities taking part. YSU will have three instructors attached to the program.
Besides Brady, they are YSU English professors Drs. William Greenway and Steven Reese.
For more information about the program, contact Brady at (330) 941-1952.