Scholarship aid for students at YSU to increase by $726K

By Harold Gwin

YSU has earmarked nearly $11.8 million for scholarship aid next year.

YOUNGSTOWN — There are no tuition increases for any groups of students in the $148 million general fund budget adopted by the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees for 2008-09.

There is, however, an increase in scholarship funds to help students requiring financial assistance to pay for their education.

Eugene Grilli, vice president for finance and administration, told the trustees Friday that money set aside for scholarship aid will increase by $726,000 this fall.

That’s up from just over $11 million allocated this year. Most of the increase will come from the Youngstown State University Foundation.

This will be the second consecutive year of tuition freezes for in-state undergraduate students at YSU, part of a deal that Ohio colleges and universities made with the state last year in exchange for a promise of increased state funding for higher education.

YSU froze its in-state undergraduate tuition at $6,721 per year, a cost that YSU says is $1,900 below the average for Ohio state colleges and universities. In return, the state gave the university an additional $2.9 million last year.

For holding firm to that number for another year, the state will increase its YSU contribution by $4.1 million for 2008-09. That will cover the bulk of the general fund increase from $142.7 million to $148 million.

Total state contributions will reach $49.9 million.

The rest of the general fund increase will come from student tuition, figured on a full-time equivalent enrollment of 10,796, which is based on last fall’s head count of 13,497 full- and part-time students. One FTE generates about $7,000 in annual revenue.

YSU has set a goal of 14,000 full-and part-time students for this fall, and expects to easily reach at least last year’s numbers, thereby meeting the 10,796 FTE mark. Full time is a minimum of 15 credit hours per semester.

The university has yet to reach agreement on a new contract with its 400-member Association of Classified Employees union, but the budget does include a $2.7 million contingency fund that could be tapped for any pay increase the union negotiates.

The old contract expires in mid-August.

That contingency fund is also earmarked for any new debt service the university might incur next year.

The general fund comprises the majority of the total YSU operating budget, which is set for $166.5 million for 2008-09, an increase of $5.9 million.

The total operating budget also includes athletics, the bookstore and various other facilities and programs.

gwin@vindy.com