YSU president finalist builds community ties

Cheryl Norton will address a public forum on campus at 4 p.m. today.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Cheryl J. Norton draws high marks for her ability to link Southern Connecticut State University with the New Haven, Conn., business community.

“She knows how to engage. She knows how to integrate the business community,” said Anthony Rescigno, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.

Youngstown State University would benefit from her expertise in that area, said Larry McHugh, former chairman of the Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees.

“Cheryl excelled at that,” he said.

Norton, 60, has been president of Southern Connecticut State University since 2004. She is one of four finalists for the position of president of Youngstown State University. David C. Sweet is retiring from that post June 30.

Norton will address an open public forum at 4 p.m. today on the first floor of Tod Hall on the YSU campus.

The New Haven business community has been so impressed with her involvement that it is awarding Southern Connecticut its Heritage Award this year for service to the business community, Rescigno said.

He said Norton called him right away when she took office six years ago wanting to talk about strengthening the university’s link to the business community. That interest has never wavered, he said.

“I’m very collaborative. I love teams,” Norton said, adding, “But, I am not afraid to make the tough decisions.”

“I’m a good communicator. I believe listening is an art,” she said.

Norton said she applied for the position at YSU because she saw an opportunity to follow a vision the university has set for itself as an urban institution that is important to its community.

You can actually transform a community, and Youngstown State University has already made that commitment, she said.

“It is that challenge that I find very interesting,” Norton said.

“I’m incredibly competitive,” she said, crediting that attribute to her background in athletics.

She has another important reason for coming to Ohio. It’s her home state, and she has family living near Cleveland.

Youngstown State University’s link to economic development is important to its future, she said. That future and the future of the community are intertwined and dependent on each other, she said.

Not all has gone smoothly at Southern Connecticut during her tenure there.

She came into a very difficult situation, McHugh said, explaining that she was replacing a popular, long-time president.

She made some changes, and some segments of the campus community were not happy, but she did a good job, he said.

It’s common for a new administrator to bring in others as a new team is formed, and sometimes those forced to leave have hard feelings, said Brian Johnson, president of the Faculty Senate at Southern Connecticut.

That happened with Norton’s arrival, and the university basically has an entire new administration, he said, crediting Norton with knowing how to build a very good team.

The university is a much better school now than when she began, he said, pointing out that she updated and professionalized a number of university functions that needed to be updated.

Norton has been “great” to work with and eager to collaborate with faculty and is “a great candidate” for YSU, he said.

She is a very diplomatic person, said Gregg Crerar, vice president of the state American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees union representing hourly workers at four state institutions of higher learning.

The union meets with her monthly and finds her to have a very open-minded approach, he said.

One might disagree with her, but she attempts to explain her reasoning, Crerar said. She’s willing to listen, no matter who you are, he said.

Most of the campus is surprised and sad to learn she might be leaving, he said, explaining, “She’s done a good job. She understood labor.”

“She’s very accessible to everyone,” said Ryan Nobrega, president of the local AFSCME unit at Southern Connecticut.

“I find her knowledgeable. I find her fair,” he said.

Norton lists spreading Southern Connecticut’s name and presence in the community through a “Just Look At Us Now” campaign and the physical transformation of the university campus as key accomplishments during her administration.

But her proudest achievement, she said, is the creation of the “First Year Achievement Program” designed to aid freshmen and encourage student retention.

Half of Southern Connecticut’s freshmen are the first in their family to attend college and 22 percent of them are minorities, she said.

The university launched the program as a pilot project three years ago to provide a support system students need to succeed, both on campus and in their lives, Norton said.

All freshmen are involved now, and first-year retention has improved from 60 percent to 80 percent in just two years, she said. Grade-point averages have risen as well, shew said.

The program connects each freshma n with four people on campus, creating what Norton refers to as, “The Cheers Effect,” a reference to the once popular television program about a Boston bar.

It puts students in a place where everybody knows your name, Norton said.

gwin@vindy.com

Cheryl J. Norton is one of four finalists for president of Youngstown State University. Her credentials:

Bachelor of arts, physical education and recreation with a secondary level teaching certificate: 1971, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board and Kappa Delta Pi.

Master of arts, applied physiology: 1976, Columbia University.

Master of education, applied physiology: 1977, Columbia University.

Doctor of education, applied physiology, 1980, Columbia University.

2004-present: President of Southern Connecticut State University.

1997-2004: provost and vice president for academic affairs, Metropolitan State College of Denver.

1992-96: Chairman, Department of Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies, MSCD.

1991-92: Ombuds officer, MSCD.

1984-96: Professor, Department of Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies, MSCD

1982-83: Temporary full-time faculty, Department of Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies, MSCD

1978-82: Part-time faculty, Department of Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies, MSCD

1976-1977: Temporary faculty, Department of Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies, MSCD

1974-76: Adjunct lecturer, Department of Physical Education, Hunter College, New York.

1973-74: Director of Psychiatric Recreational Therapy Department, University of Virginia Hospital, Charlottesville, Va.

1972-73: Assistant to the director of Psychiatric Recreational Therapy, University of Virginia Hospital.

Source: Cheryl J. Norton