YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY Learning partnership targets Columbiana

The university will hold two spring commencement ceremonies in May.
BOARDMAN -- A partnership among three learning institutions will give Columbiana County residents another option to work toward earning a college degree.
Youngstown State University, the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center and Jefferson Community College are entering into a memorandum of understanding to create the Higher Education Center of Columbiana County.
The center is expected to open in the fall and offer 20 courses, most of them general education, said Dr. William Beisel, executive director of YSU's Metro College and the university's point-man on this project.
Community survey
Beisel says he is taking a conservative approach to enrollment, expecting about 10 people in each class. More courses will be offered each year as the center grows, he said.
YSU President Dr. David Sweet said the three learning facilities will conduct a community survey of adults interested in taking college courses to determine if other classes will be offered in the future.
YSU's Board of Trustees' Academic and Student Affairs Committee recommended the memorandum to the full board. The committee met Tuesday at YSU's Metro College in Southwoods Commons in Boardman. The board of trustees is expected to approve the deal at its March 18 meeting.
Kent State has two regional campuses in Columbiana County, in Salem and East Liverpool. While the Kent State campuses offer some of the same courses, Beisel said those attending the Higher Education Center will take classes designed to lead to degree programs at YSU and/or Jefferson Community College.
The focus of the center will be to direct students into three fields: education, health and information technology, he said.
The center's concept is a result of Columbiana County's low number of adults with at least a bachelor's degree, Beisel said. That number is less than 11 percent compared to 21.1 percent in Ohio.
The Columbiana County Career and Technical Center will use space at its Lisbon building for the Higher Education Center, and YSU and JCC will provide faculty. The three will share costs and coordinate support services.
The three entities plan to sign a three-year deal with one-year renewals thereafter unless one of the partners gives written notice not to continue the program.
Split spring commencement
Also Tuesday, YSU officials announced that the May 21 spring commencement ceremony will be split in two because of the growing number of graduates.
The number of graduates, and the number of people attending commencement has grown significantly in the past few years, said Pam Palumbo, YSU's associate director of events management.
Spring commencement last year in Beeghly Center, which seats about 6,000 people, drew a standing-room-only crowd, she said.
Undergraduates will receive their diplomas at 9:30 a.m. May 21 in Beeghly. Those earning graduate degrees will participate in a ceremony at 2 p.m. that day in Stambaugh Auditorium. There are about 175 graduate students. About 1,000 undergraduates are expected to receive diplomas.
YSU had two options: continue commencement as usual and issue a limited number of tickets, or split the ceremonies and continue to allow unlimited attendance, Palumbo said.
"This is the last ceremony that students participate in before leaving the university," she said, "and we want to make it a positive experience for them, as well as their families and friends."
YSU has held split commencements in the past.
Split commencements won't happen during the August and December commencements, Sweet said.
"This allows a little less time taken in a single commencement, and a little less commotion when people leave Beeghly during commencement," he said.