Sweet lays foundation to help YSU face future

By this time next year, Youngstown State University will have a new president who will offer his or her vision for the open admission, urban institution at the “State of the University” address that precedes the start of the fall semester.

Fortunately, the president will have a great deal to build on. A solid foundation has been laid by Dr. David Sweet, who will be leaving June 30 after 10 years at the helm. Enrollment has grown dramatically, the development of Centers of Excellence, a key component of Gov. Ted Strickland’s long-range plan for higher education in Ohio, is on track and an aggressive building program is continuing.

As Sweet told administrators, faculty and staff Monday at his final “State of the University” address, “This is not the time to be timid. The decade ahead provides an opportunity to complete the transformation that we are now engaged in of becoming an urban research university and in so doing better serving our students, our city, our region and state.”

But even with that solid foundation, YSU’s future will not be without challenges. That is why the appointment of a new president by the board of trustees is by any measure the most important assignment it will undertake. The selection process is just beginning and board President Scott R. Schulick and his colleagues intend to hear from all the groups on and off campus that have a stake in the university’s future.

Chancellor’s participation

Indeed, the trustees can expect Chancellor of Higher Education Eric Fingerhut to be actively involved in the selection because he wants to make sure that the head of every state university and college clearly understands the concept of the University System of Ohio. Each institution must fit into the overall scheme that has been detailed by the governor and him.

Two years ago, during a visit to Youngstown, Fingerhut talked about higher education in the following context:

1. There is no retreating from Gov. Strickland’s plan to make the state’s universities and colleges key players in Ohio’s drive to compete in the global economy.

2. Each institution must have a clearly defined mission and identify areas of excellence.

To ensure that YSU is able to concentrate on its academic mission, the chancellor has facilitated the creation of the Eastern Gateway Community College to provide low-cost, college-level courses to high school graduates and to people who are not seeking four-year degrees. Eastern Gateway will serve as a feeder for YSU and other universities and colleges, and will reduce the need for remediation courses at the four-year institutions.

As the community college takes hold, YSU will lose freshmen enrollment. The subsequent loss of state funding will have to be dealt with. In addition, the new formula for distributing state funds to universities and colleges that is based on student retention and course completion rates will have a significant effect on the revenue stream.

As we noted in an editorial in 2007 after a meeting with Fingerhut, Youngstown State University is the master of its own destiny.