Minority increase at YSU impresses panel

By Harold Gwin

In fall 1998, only 10.7 percent, or 1,342 of the university’s 12,533 students, were minorities. Fall 2007 showed that 17 percent, or 2,338 of 13,497 on campus, were minority students.

The number of minority students has grown by 1,000 over the last 10 years.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University’s success at increasing its numbers of minority students and minority employees over the past decade should help the university gain a 10-year reaccreditation of its academic programs.

“We got rave reviews on that,” said Yulanda McCarty-Harris, YSU’s director of equal opportunity and diversity, referring to a recent campus visit by a team from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools as part of YSU reaccreditation process.

The visitation team was impressed with the improvement in YSU’s minority numbers over the last decade, McCarty-Harris said.

In fall 1998, only 10.7 percent, or 1,342 of the university’s 12,533 students, were minorities. Fall 2007 showed that 17 percent, or 2,338 of 13,497 on campus, were minority students.

Just 7.8 percent, or 60 of 765 full- and part-time faculty in fall 1998, were minorities. The number grew to 11.7 percent, or 115 out of 981 full-and part-time faculty in fall 2007, McCarty-Harris said.

“There’s always a long way to go,” she said, but the bottom line is that things are progressing, and the university is looking to build on that growth.

Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president, said the Higher Learning Commission visitation team gave the university a verbal recommendation in February that it will propose the university receive a 10-year reaccreditation from the full commission, perhaps as early as June.

The university won praise for both its growth in diversity and enrollment, among other things, Sweet said.

Increasing campus diversity has been and continues to be one of his primary goals, Sweet has said.

The university experienced a significant jump in the number of black employees over the past year, McCarty-Harris said.

‘‘A lot of that was in place before I got here,” she said, crediting a strategic hiring plan created by the late Dr. Robert Herbert, YSU’s former provost, for improving those numbers. McCarty-Harris has been in her post since April 2007.

The plan formulated under Dr. Herbert uses outreach and recruitment to target potential candidates, particularly among the ranks of YSU alumni who have gone on to earn their doctoral degrees, she said.

“That has been working,” McCarty-Harris said, adding, “Word of mouth is one of the best methods of outreach you can get.”

YSU’s affirmative action plan needs to be updated and the university brought in a consultant earlier this month to assess where the university is and what goals it needs to set, whether they be in particular departments or universitywide, she said.

An update of the plan would set a timetable for increasing minority employment, she said, adding that the process should be completed within a couple of months.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity will hold its first Diversity Leadership Recognition Celebration at 6 p.m. April 10 at the D.D. & Velma Davis Education & Visitor’s Center, 125 McKinley Ave. Tickets are $25 and available by calling the office at (330) 941-3370.

gwin@vindy.com