New YSU Provost Highlights Her Plans for the Job

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Jennifer Pintar, newly minted Youngstown State University provost and vice president for academic affairs, plans to have an open door policy and focus on student success and positive faculty relations in the role.

She also wants to work with people and to maintain transparency.

YSU trustees named Pintar to the role Friday at their regular quarterly meeting. She’d been working as an interim since January. President Bill Johnson recommended Pintar to the position following a national search that drew 40 candidates from across the country.

“Dr. Pintar was considered by far the best candidate,” Johnson said. “She brings the best leadership to the office of academic affairs. That contributes via the academic programs to the vitality of Youngstown State University.”

Pintar started in the role of interim provost and vice president for academic affairs when the university was shifting focus, eliminating six programs and offering voluntary separations to 13 faculty. Those decisions were made based on low enrollment and low graduation rates.

Faculty relations were strained.

“What did we do to try and prevent any hard feelings in the future?” Pintar said. “We started a Focus Plus program.”

It is directed at 12 programs that have low enrollment but should have more students. 

“What we’re doing is having regular meetings with the faculty – myself and a few other people in my office are personally meeting with the faculty members to talk about: What do you need from us? How can we help you with marketing? How can we help you with resources? What do you think differentiates yourselves from other institutions that have this same program?” she said.

Universities are required to submit to the state every three years low enrolled courses and low enrolled duplicative programs.

“What we’re trying to do is keep our programs off that list,” Pintar said.

YSU is also working to prepare students for jobs that are needed in the workforce and the region.

“Workforce relevant, gainful employment are the big labels that are being thrown out,” Pintar said. “At YSU, we are trying to work a spectrum of lifelong learning.”

That includes working with students who are pursuing an associate’s degree. YSU recently added several associate’s degrees as part of its efforts to serve students who transfer from Eastern Gateway Community College, which will close Oct. 31. 

Many of those associate’s degrees are nested within bachelor’s degrees, so students may want to continue to pursue a bachelor’s degree after earning the associate degree.

“Then maybe the master’s degree or the doctorate because we offer all of that at YSU,” Pintar said.

Industry relevant certificates are a focus of YSU Workforce Education and Innovation. They enable people in industry to reskill and upskill, she said. 

“We just added over 30 certificates to the portfolio,” Pintar said.

YSU is also looking at how to attract U.S. military personnel stationed at bases around the world. It’s also launching a wide portfolio of fully online bachelor degree programs starting in January. Those are directed at people age 25 and older who have college credit but no degree.

The university is also targeting those younger than 25 who started college but didn’t finish. That push, though, is to attract them to campus.

“We hope students come to our campus,” Pintar said. “We don’t want to be a fully online campus. We want to make sure that the core mission and value of YSU remains prominent.”

Pintar, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. She secured two master’s degrees and her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Her career path evolved to education.

“My mom was a kindergarten teacher, so there was some education in me. But my dad was a nuclear physicist …,” she said. “But education was always very important.”

She was a swimmer in college, and when she graduated with her undergraduate degree, her adviser asked her what her two favorite places to go were.

“I said, ‘The gym and the library,’” Pintar said. “He said, ‘Consider a graduate degree in kinesiology.’”

She enrolled at Pitt and got a teaching assistant position. She loved the environment and decided that higher education was the right career for her.

“It naturally occurred,” Pintar said.

Pictured at top: Jennifer Pintar, YSU provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.