$6.5 million in '04 sets record

The schools' grant-gathering ability has steadily improved.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University landed $6.5 million in research grants in fiscal year 2004, its best performance ever.
"The amount of research and grant activity on this campus is unprecedented," said Peter Kavinsky, dean of graduate studies and research. Kavinsky called the efforts phenomenal.
YSU's faculty and staff received funding for 103 of the 152 grant proposals they submitted in fiscal year 2004.
That's a success rate of about 68 percent, which is almost twice the national average of nearly 35 percent, Kavinsky said.
Variety of fields involved
Among the awards is $356,475 provided by the Air Force Office of Science Research. The money will enable James Carroll, who teaches physics and astronomy, to continue his research in nuclear physics.
The Rayen College of Engineering and Technology was granted $496,750 by the U.S. Department of Education.
Professors John Russo and Sherry Linkon landed $350,000 from the Ford Foundation to help advance the YSU Center for Working-Class Studies.
Receiving $209,131 from the National Science Foundation were Chet Cooper and Gary Walker, biological sciences instructors, and Thomas Kim, who teaches chemistry.
The school's ability to gather grants has improved steadily over much of the past decade.
In 2003, $5.9 million was awarded; in 2002, the figure was $4.4 million. Back in 1994, YSU collected $1.2 million.
Explaining the increase
Kavinsky and Robert Bolla, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the boost in grant awards is the result of a cultural and economic shift in higher education.
YSU faculty hired in the late 1960s and early 1970s have retired and were replaced with younger instructors who were educated in a culture that placed more emphasis on scholarship and research, Bolla said.
In 1994, YSU established the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs to provide support, including matching funds, to faculty seeking research grants.
Before that, there was no organized approach to the activity, said Ed Orona, director of grants and sponsored programs.
In the mid-to-late 1990s, the university began to more seriously consider research and scholarship activities in faculty promotions. At the same time, state funding for higher education plunged, forcing many academics to look beyond campus to fund their research.
The surge in grants produces a ripple effect by increasing research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and improving the level of classroom teaching, Bolla and Kavinsky said.
Increased funding and research activity also may benefit the Mahoning Valley. YSU is building a foundation in math, science and engineering that will help attract high-tech companies to the region, Kavinsky added.