Anderson appointment pleases leaders at YSU and in the community

February 18, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Youngstown’s mayor praised the appointment.

YOUNGSTOWN — Cynthia Anderson accomplished a couple of firsts Wednesday.

She is the first woman, the first Youngstown area native and the first Youngstown State University graduate to be named president of the institution.

Her appointment by the university’s board of trustees was met with a standing ovation from hundreds of people gathered in Kilcawley Center for the occasion.

There was a collective “ahh” of disappointment across the room when it was announced she wasn’t present to receive the accolade in person.

“This is a wonderful day for Youngstown State University,” said Bob Hogue, secretary of the university’s Academic Senate. “I have become very optimistic about our future all of a sudden.”

“It’s a very good fit,” said Chet Cooper, Academic Senate president, adding that Anderson is the right person at the right time for YSU.

“I’m delighted,” said Brian Brennan, president of the 400-member Association of Classified Employees union at the university, adding that, from a labor relationship, he is extremely hopeful for the future. “She is a true success story.”

“This is a big day for Youngstown State University,” said Mayor Jay Williams who attended the trustees’ meeting.

He said he knows and has worked with Anderson in the past and sees her appointment as a significant opportunity to build on relationships the city already has with the university.

Anderson is well prepared to take the university to a higher level, he said.

She was chosen from a list of four finalists, and Scott Schulick, chairman of the trustee board, said the board was impressed with her open, collaborative management style.

She’s not the first YSU president to rise from internal ranks.

John J. Coffelt was vice president for administrative affairs before being named YSU’s third president in 1973. His successor, Neil D. Humphrey, was vice president for financial affairs before becoming president in 1984.