YSU can take pride in its thumbs-up from Forbes

There are more than 2,000 four-year institutions of higher learning in the United States with a combined enrollment of 10 million-plus.

Therefore, being included in any “top” ranking can only be seen as an honor to be celebrated. This is especially true if the ranking organization is Forbes and its list is the annual “America’s Top Colleges.”

This year, Forbes has 650 institutions it believes stand out among the four-year public and private universities and colleges. Youngstown State University is one of the select few.

It is noteworthy that YSU, long considered to be in the lower tier of public universities and colleges in Ohio, was on Forbes’ list the last three years.

YSU President James Tressel reacted to this year’s news with a mixture of pride and determination. The university was unaware of the listing until Vindicator education writer Denise Dick brought it to the attention of officials on campus.

Tressel noted that being among the 650 means Youngstown State is near the top 20 percent of colleges and universities. In pure numbers, there were more than 1,300 institutions that were not considered “top.”

But Tressel also acknowledged that a ranking of 649 – last place is occupied by Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. – presents the open-access, urban university with a challenge.

“If we would shoot for, in the next three to four years, moving in to the 500s, I would say we’ve made some great progress,” said the president, who completed a year at the helm in July.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Last year, YSU was ranked No. 640, in 2013 it was at 628 and in 2012 it was in the 625th spot. Against that backdrop, being 649th this year is cause for some concern. It does show the level of improvement Youngstown State desperately needs as it strives not only to stop the decline in enrollment experienced over the past four years but looks for ways to separate itself from the rest of the higher-education pack in Ohio.

Both challenges are enormous because every public institution is under pressure from Republican Gov. John Kasich and the Republican-controlled General Assembly to justify their existence.

Kasich has made it clear that reducing operational costs, avoiding increases in tuition and ending duplication of master’s and doctoral degree programs and seeing that students graduate in four years — the average is now six years — must all be on the institutions’ priority lists.

State funding for higher education is stagnant, and cuts may well be in the offing in the near future.

President Tressel is not blind to the fact that the status quo is unsustainable. Therefore, the former vice president for student success at the University of Akron and the former coach of national football champion Ohio State is taking steps to redefine Youngstown State University’s raison d’etre.

We have noted in the past that there was a time when the engineering school had a worldwide reputation because of research and development in steel – during the heyday of the steel industry in the Mahoning Valley.

Today, we believe that the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics college is well-positioned to blaze a trail in additive manufacturing and 3-D printing because of its close relationship with America Makes, the first federal government-sponsored additive manufacturing research institution in the U.S.

There is opportunity for the STEM college to attract students not only from around the country but globally.

YSU also has the distinction of serving a population long ignored by the higher-education community: individuals who come from families with no history of college attendance.

Nationally, Ohio ranks low in the percentage of residents with college degrees. Gov. Kasich, like his predecessors, has said that the state must increase the number of college graduates if it is to succeed in the highly competitive high-technology arena.

YSU is well-positioned to make the case that it should be given credit for playing a major role in increasing the number of college graduates in Ohio.

Being listed by Forbes as one of the best is a priceless marketing tool, especially when YSU can credibly argue that it costs less to attend than any of the other state institutions that made the “America’s Top Colleges” list.