YSU officials approve two bachelor’s programs

By Denise Dick

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

youngstowN

Individuals considering a college degree have two more options at Youngstown State University.

The university’s trustees Friday approved a bachelor of arts in dance management and a bachelor of science in dental hygiene.

The degrees had previously been approved by trustees’ Academic and Student Affairs Committee.

The dance-management degree “will provide the practical dance and dance pedagogical skills expected of a teacher in a student setting as well as a foundation in small-business practice that may serve the needs of a studio owner,” the resolution reads.

The dental-hygiene degree will serve students seeking a career as a dental hygienist, “by integrating comprehensive theoretical and clinical curricula, preparing graduates for board certification and increasing their ability to provide a competent clinical practice,” that resolution says.

Trustees also voted to create the YSU Research Foundation.

“It will create a partnership between the community and the university,” said Chester R. Cooper, chairman of YSU’s Economic Development Council.

The foundation will be a nonprofit corporation and a separate 501C3 organization from the university.

The foundation will allow more-effective coordination of the increasing number of grants and appropriations that the university receives, officials said.

Cooper said that the foundation will be able to work more efficiently with business — which is accustomed to a faster pace than the academic processes of a university.

“As YSU continues its transition into an urban research university, it is imperative that we have the administrative structures in place to efficiently handle research and other funds as they come to us,” YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said. “This foundation will help ensure that those dollars are being used in the most productive manner possible and in such a way that we get the greatest economic impact.”

The university said the need for the foundation is the result of the growing amount of research funding received by the university. In the last five years, YSU faculty and staff have secured more than $30 million in external grant support. YSU also has received more than $15 million in federal grants and appropriations in that time.

The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with the city schools and Eastern Gateway Community College for a transition of Youngstown Early College students from YSU to EGCC.

The memo previously had been approved by both the EGCC board and the city school board.