YSU’s enrollment woes linger, and Tressel is now on hot seat

A reduction of 4 percent in Youngstown State University’s enrollment this semester isn’t good news — despite how officials try to spin the loss of 508 students from the 2014 spring semester. The urban institution’s student population has been shrinking since 2010 — after several years of growth — and there is now a sense of urgency on campus to reverse the trend.

Members of the board of trustees have talked about enrollment growth being a priority, while President James Tressel, who has been at the helm since last July, has moved quickly to bolster the effort. Tressel raised $300,000 to pay for a one-year contract with Royall & Company of Richmond, Va., a direct marketing student-recruitment firm, to help boost enrollment.

In October 2013, YSU’s trustees appointed Gary D. Swegan to the new position of associate vice president for enrollment planning and management. The president at the time was Dr. Randy J. Dunn, who described Swegan as the “guru” that every university needs to take responsibility for all aspects of enrollment. Swegan gets paid more than $130,000 a year.

Thus, when YSU’s spokesman, Ron Cole, says the 4 percent decline in enrollment this semester may be a positive sign, we would hope he was signaling that the fall semester will be the real test of the enrollment push.

“The fact we are down 4 percent for the spring is an indication that we may be on the track to begin to stabilize our enrollment situation,” Cole said after the final figure of 12,315 was announced. In the 2014 spring semester, there were 12,823 full- and part-time students.

Cole noted that the university had budgeted for fewer students than what it ended up with.

“Looking to fall 2015, there are several positive indicators, including significant increases in applications, students accepted and students who have registered for orientation,” the spokesman said.

TRESSEL’S CHALLENGE

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the fall enrollment will be a major test of the president’s ability to solve this long-standing problem.

Indeed, one of the main arguments put forth by his supporters during the presidential search was that Tressel’s name and reputation would serve as an important marketing tool for the university. After all, being the coach of two successful college football programs and winning national championships in both puts him in an exclusive class.

Tressel coached Youngstown State’s football team to four national championships and Ohio State University to one.

His supporters, including 32 prominent business, political and community leaders, argued during the presidential search that the university needed someone who not only was a big man on campus but had strong ties to the Mahoning Valley.

Tressel also is said to have played a major role (behind the scenes) in persuading Bo Pelini to come to YSU, after the Youngstown native had been fired as the University of Nebraska’s football coach.

Pelini’s presence on campus already is generating excitement among YSU football fans, and there are those who believe a rejuvenated program can be an important draw for students.

The enrollment stakes are high, as the president and members of the board of trustees have acknowledged.

With state funding for higher education relatively stagnant, and with retention and graduation rates key elements in the funding formula, the decline in the number of students is costly.

It does not matter that the drop in numbers was not as great as had been expected. The revenue loss is significant when viewed in the context of a budget deficit of $10 million that Tressel and the trustees are attempting to erase.