YSU spends more on administration, less on instruction than other state universities

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University spends a higher percentage of its budget on administration, auxiliaries and building operations and maintenance than most other state universities and less on academic instruction, research and academic support, according to a financial analysis prepared by the faculty union.

The analysis obtained by The Vindicator compares YSU with Ohio’s other public universities, excluding Shawnee State and Central State

It compares 2007 and 2013, showing an increase in tuition and fees of 2.9 percent, from 85.8 percent to 88.6 percent of total operating revenue for YSU.

Instructional and department research, or what’s spent for faculty, has grown less than 1 percent, and academic support has grown 1.7 percent from 2007 to 2013.

Conversely, institutional support, or administration, costs and what’s spent on auxiliaries — athletics, housing, Kilcawley Center, the bookstore — have increased, 2.9 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2013.

Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, chief negotiator for the YSU-Ohio Education Association, the union representing YSU faculty, confirmed that the report was presented last week to the joint negotiating team, composed of faculty and administration representatives.

“No one raised any objections as to the facts or projections,” Palmer-Fernandez said.

Ron Cole, university spokesman, hadn’t seen the document.

“We’re not going to bargain this contract in the press,” he said.

The analysis also shows that YSU’s scholarships/fellowships higher than the other institutions in terms of budget percentage.

Read more about the analysis in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.