YSU extends its reach to China

Much of what we do at Youngstown State University is in preparation for what’s to come.

Our students take notes and study hard in preparation for their all-important final exams. Our faculty keep up with their scholarly work in preparation for presenting relevant lectures in their particular disciplines. Our scholar-athletes run sprints, lift weights, watch film and practice, practice, practice in preparation for competition.

Success comes to those who are prepared.

There are two specific preparatory activities – both involving teams of individuals from YSU – that have taken place over the past several weeks that we all hope and believe will pay dividends and result in many successes as we continue to reshape and reimagine YSU into the 21st century.

First, we hit the road and hosted a series of meetings and conversations at locations across the region for high school students, their parents, families and friends. We started Oct. 13 in Columbus, and over the course of four weeks visited hundreds of folks in Lorain, Stow, Ashtabula, Mansfield, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and a few places in between.

Certainly, one of the purposes of these trips was to spread the good news about YSU. It is, after all, all about recruiting. We believe these trips have set the groundwork for what we hope will be another successful year of increased enrollment.

But, one of the great benefits of getting out and about and meeting with folks is that you also learn what’s on people’s minds. And what’s on the minds of many high school students and their parents is student debt.

We talked about student debt in this column earlier this year. It’s a behemoth, potentially threatening all of higher education and the futures of some of our best and brightest young people. At YSU, we continue to work hard to keep costs low – our tuition is $4,000 below the national average – and to implement programs that will help our students graduate on time. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that students leave YSU with little or no debt.

The second preparatory activity this fall was a visit that six members of our university made to China. Making connections with universities across the globe, developing faculty relationships and recruiting international students to Youngstown must be a priority for YSU if we are to build a sustainable, diverse institution.

From all reports, the trip was a success. We signed memoranda of understanding with five universities, had opportunities to talk and brag about YSU and Youngstown (i.e. our advancements in additive manufacturing) and had several occasions to engage dozens of young people in China in discussions about considering YSU as part of their higher education plans.

There’s a lot of work to be done. Relationships and connections and exchanges like these do not happen overnight. We have a lot of ground to make up, and we are committed to doing so, in China and elsewhere across the world.

As we move toward the end of another semester, and as the busy-ness of the year begins to wind down, we are constantly in the process of preparation and setting the stage for bigger and better things to come. Stay tuned.

James P. Tressel is president of Youngstown State University