Saturday, May 17, 2014
YOUNGSTOWN — Some of the strongest supporters of Jim Tressel’s appointment as Youngstown State University president lauded his fundraising skills as a way to address the university’s financial challenges, but the president-designee says that’s not the most-significant part of the solution.
“The biggest financial lever we have is student retention,” Tressel said during an interview with Vindicator editors and a reporter.
Each percentage of students equals $1 million, he pointed out.
“At the University of Akron, I tell my staff, don’t look at retention as affecting the budget; look at it as what we’re supposed to do,” Tressel said.
YSU’s enrollment has declined since 2011, and the university has been seeking ways to keep students in school.
Fall 2013 enrollment saw 13,395 students with 13,813 students in fall 2012, 14,540 in fall 2011 and 15,194 in fall 2010.
“Our financial lever is not development and it’s not state subsidy,” Tressel said. “Development is the second most-important thing to help with finances.”
For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com