Sweet: Map plan to move YSU toward greater research, less remedial work

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YSU President David C. Sweet

That doesn’t mean YSU will abandon its undergraduate mission, the president says.

By Harold Gwin

YOUNGSTOWN — President David C. Sweet says Youngstown State University needs to develop a five-year transition plan as it develops into an urban research university and adapts to the addition of community-college education in the area.

The university’s board of trustees must be part of this transition, Sweet said, adding that a significant factor will be defining what an urban research university is.

It’s a title given to YSU under the state’s 10-year Strategic Plan for Higher Education, which was put into place in 2008. Sweet, however, said YSU’s transformation shouldn’t be driven by a state plan, but by what is best for the community and the university.

Developing a transition plan doesn’t mean that YSU would abandon its history of providing for the needs of the community it serves, he said. The university isn’t turning its back on its traditional mission of access and opportunity for students in the Mahoning Valley, he said.

That ongoing mission remains at the forefront, said Scott Schulick, chairman of the board of trustees.

The designation as an urban research university doesn’t mean that Youngstown State University is changing into something new. It’s more of an expansion or an addition to its mission, he said, adding that the university won’t abandon undergraduate education.

In tight economic times, it is essential to set and fund focused priorities, Sweet said, referring to YSU’s designated four Centers of Excellence —materials science and engineering, applied chemical biology, international business and Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism.

The transition plan should also include applied research activity, expansion of graduate programs and reaching out to schools on the subject of what is needed to prepare for college, Sweet said.

He said he proposes a five-year time frame because that is how long it will take Eastern Gateway Community College to become fully operational and how long it will take YSU to get its Centers of Excellence and related programs up and running.

He said the university must seek the support of Ohio’s chancellor of higher education as it develops its transition plan. Among other things, Sweet suggests that the state give Youngstown subsidy funding for Western Pennsylvania students enrolled under the Pennsylvania Initiative, which essentially wipes out their out-of-state tuition surcharge and allows them to attend YSU for only $200 a year more than Ohio residents.

The chancellor should also be enlisted to help YSU overcome traditional road barriers to expanding graduate education and securing approval of a doctorate degree in materials science and engineering, Sweet said.

Schulick said the development of the community college will allow YSU to do some other things.

The community college can provide the remedial education some students need before they enter college, allowing YSU to stop investing time and effort in remedial programs and concentrate more on graduate programs and research.

gwin@vindy.com