YSU graduates are riding high

There are many methods that we in higher education use to calculate the success of our institutions – balanced budgets, philanthropic gifts, enrollment, research, etc.

But there’s one outcome that rises above the rest: graduates.

In that regard, this past academic year has been historic for Youngstown State University.

After Saturday’s two Spring Commencement ceremonies in Beeghly Center, YSU has presented diplomas to 2,387 students for the 2016-17 academic year – the highest in 34 years and the second highest in the university’s 100-plus year history. It’s only the third time since YSU’s founding in 1908 that an academic year exceeded 2,300 graduates.

Of course, sometimes numbers do not tell the entire story. So let me introduce you to some of these successful students.

Like Jenna Wise, a double major in mathematics and computer science and a recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Jenna will work this summer at the IBM Research Center in New York before enrolling at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she will pursue a Ph.D as the recipient of a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Or Tyler Hovanec, graduating with a degree in electrical computer digital engineering and computer science, who is headed off to California to work for Google. Or Tyler Pabst, a chemistry grad, who is receiving a full-tuition and stipend award to pursue a Ph.D at Princeton. Then there’s Andrew Morgan, an electrical engineering and computer science graduate and also a Goldwater Scholar, who will be attending Yale University to pursue a PhD. And two Mechanical Engineering graduates – Libby Rogenski will work for Goodyear and Nicola Lucarelli has landed a position with Tesla.

For every one of these students, there are hundreds of others just like them, who came to YSU, made their marks on campus, walked across the commencement stage, grabbed their diplomas and are now moving on to pursue success, to live out their dreams and to serve as tremendous ambassadors for themselves and YSU across the region and the nation.

And as they head into that next chapter of their lives – in their professions, in their towns, in their churches, in their social settings – they also go forth as representatives of all of us here in the Mahoning Valley community. And for that, we can be proud.

As our students have been chasing excellence, our workforce has as well. With the goal of becoming an “Honor Roll University” as designated by the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Great Colleges to Work For program, I have had a chance to personally interact with more than 700 of our outstanding YSU faculty and staff in a “Town Hall” format. The backdrop for the meetings were the four common denominators that depict an “Honor Roll University”: 1. Understanding the university’s mission, vision and strategy; 2. A team mentality is emphasized; 3. A culture of soliciting and listening to input from all; 4. And a true team spirit of inclusion. We had lively dialogue as to feelings and ideas of our terrific people. We learned a great deal that will help us to set the proper priorities going forward.

And, oh, by the way, ADT security recently named YSU the safest university campus in the great state of Ohio!

We are … Y and Proud.

James P. Tressel is president of Youngstown State University