YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Building bridges between the local business community, faculty and students at Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration is the goal behind many of the school’s initiatives.

A new way to create those bridges is through a partnership between the WCBA and The Business Journal to get the publication into the hands of more professors and students.

“We have so many incredible businesses that students are just not aware of, and that’s one of the … great, valuable services The Business Journal provides is to give us all that chance to read about businesses that we might otherwise not be familiar with…,” said Betty Jo Licata, interim dean of the Williamson College.

The partnership is a way for YSU business students, faculty and the business community to network, come together and develop value-added relationships, she said.

Andrea Wood, president and publisher of The Business Journal, said the partnership is another way for the publication to support the community.

“We’re committed to do what we can to retain top talent for businesses in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys,” she said.

Licata believes The Business Journal enhances the connection between local businesses and the school, helping WCBA to achieve its three strategic priorities: ensuring students are career ready, developing partnerships with the business community and sharing the expertise of YSU students and faculty with the business community.

“The Business Journal is such an integral part of sharing that news and developments in the area that we wanted to create this opportunity where our students were well aware of what was happening in the business community, what those opportunities are – both in terms of careers as well as business operations – and to give our faculty access to that resource as well to be perhaps building that into some of the courses,” Licata said.

She also pointed to The Business Journal Roundtable Series as being “incredibly informative” and a way students can gain in-depth knowledge about various industries and what local business leaders are doing.

Through the partnership, The Business Journal is offering a 50% discount on 12-month digital access for all faculty and staff at the school, providing a resource for them to stay informed about local business trends, economic insights and market developments and also enriching the curriculum and classroom discussions.

WCBA students are eligible for free digital access to The Business Journal to expose them to the real-world business environment and keep them abreast of trends and career opportunities in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. The students will remain eligible for digital access for nine months after they graduate as they transition into their careers.

“You know, the business college graduates hundreds of students every year that become employees throughout the Valley and beyond,” said YSU President Bill Johnson. 

The more those students know about the business environment, challenges faced and creative solutions implemented by businesses to address those challenges, the better employees they will be, he added.

“So I applaud what you guys [at The Business Journal] are doing,” Johnson said.

YSU’s president said it’s important to introduce students to additional opportunities. Johnson said with 60% of jobs in America and in the region created by small businesses, it’s important for students to know about careers in the area, especially as new opportunities unfold and lead to growth.

“So it’s really, really important, if we want to grow our population, one of the first steps is to keep our population,” Johnson said. “So we want our students to graduate here with the skills to go out into the business community and become productive and get their careers started off right here at home without having to leave. We don’t want them to leave.”

Internships

Part of that is learning about internship opportunities in the area. Johnson pointed to Dawn Inc., a construction company based in Warren that created a program to offer a scholarship to an engineering student. The company wanted the student to intern at the company during the summer too. After several interviews, Dawn Inc. ended up providing the opportunity to three students.

Johnson said he would love to see more businesses take that approach. He also would like to see a clearing house set up for students to learn about more internship opportunities.

Licata said 230 WCBA students had paid internships last year, and that number is expected to grow with the college emphasizing the importance of internships to prospective employers and students.

“Internships are really a pretty direct route to full-time placement, so either staying on with that internship employer or providing them with their career-related experience to go to another employer,” Licata said. “That’s a great recruiting tool for our employers in the Valley too — to bring the students in as interns and develop them into full-time employees.”

Getting a Leg Up

The WCBA hosts Meet the Employer events twice a year to provide an opportunity for students to network and learn more about local and regional businesses. 

The college also encourages students to gain professional certifications, with more than 400 students earning various certifications last year. Licata said this gives students a leg up as they pursue their first job. 

Many WCBA students already have an entrepreneurship interest, and some own their own businesses. 

Through the Excellence Training Center and with financial support from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, YSU hosts an annual Penguin Shark Tank event. Slated for March 20, gives students an opportunity to pitch their businesses and ideas, with $10,000 in prizes on the line.

The Small Business Development Center offers workshops to help the students hone their ideas.

Business Partnerships

Getting more businesses to partner with YSU is important for the growth of the school and for the recruiting efforts of employers, Licata said.

“I would invite the business community to partner with us if they’re interested in networking with our students, serving as a speaker in our classes or providing an opportunity for students to get to know their business,” she said. “We would welcome that opportunity.”

The Business Journal is owned by Sapientia Ventures, which sponsored more than $332,870 in initiatives in 2024.

Pictured at top: YSU President Bill Johnson and Betty Jo Licata, interim dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration.