YSU looks forward to a dynamic future

As president of Youngstown State University, there are great weeks, and some not so great weeks. Fortunately, through the hard work of so many people on campus and in the community, most weeks at the helm of YSU are great.

This past week, in particular, has been especially outstanding and speaks to YSU’s promising future as a dynamic, transformative institution of higher learning.

On June 20, the YSU Board of Trustees approved a fiscal year 2009 general fund budget that, for the second consecutive year, freezes tuition for all undergraduate students. YSU historically has had the lowest tuition among comprehensive public universities in Ohio. By freezing tuition, YSU solidifies its position as the most affordable and accessible quality public university in the region and the state.

The budget also includes a 9.1 percent increase in state subsidies. Since 2001, Ohio’s investment in public higher education has been on the decline. State support has slipped precipitously, and in turn, tuition has gone up. Gov. Ted Strickland, Chancellor Eric Fingerhut and the General Assembly, including our local legislative delegation, have worked hard to reverse that trend, and YSU’s state subsidies have now increased to 2001 levels. Committed to higher education’s critical role in the future economic life of the state, the governor, chancellor and legislature have acted boldly to again make higher education a priority.

Success story

Also last week, Dr. Arden Bement Jr., director of the National Science Foundation and the highest ranking scientist in the federal government, visited YSU and helped cut the ribbon on the NSF-funded Analytical Materials Instrumentation Facility in our chemistry department. Dr. Bement, who visits only about a dozen university campuses every year, met with faculty and business leaders, and spent much time talking with YSU students about their research projects. He was impressed with what he saw and heard. “Students (at YSU) do graduate-level research and PhD-level research, (and are) so energized and so eager and so excited about what they’re doing,” Dr. Bement commented during his visit. “This is a real success story as far as I am concerned.”

Dr. Bement’s visit is a reflection of the strides YSU has made over the past several years in institutionalizing a culture that supports and encourages faculty and student research, particularly for undergraduates. That culture is a key to increasing the Mahoning Valley’s competitive research capacity, which in turn sparks new companies, new jobs and a more robust economy.

That’s why U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan brought Dr. Bement to YSU — to see what a medium-sized urban university in Northeast Ohio is capable of doing when given the talent and resources.

Also this past week, the Higher Learning Commission moved closer to final approval of YSU’s 10-year accreditation renewal, a critical step in the academic future of the institution as a whole. And, finally, on June 27, the university announced that, through the Centennial Capital Campaign, we have raised $13.2 million (twice as much as projected) for student scholarships. For the first time in our 100-year history we surpassed the $1 million mark in Annual Fund gifts. Again, a reminder of the continued and strong support from our alumni and friends across the region and nation.

So, it was a good week. As YSU continues celebrating its Centennial and its proud past, we also map a course for our next century and a promising future. Many good weeks, months and years are ahead.

X Dr. David C. Sweet is president of Youngstown State University.