Greater Enrollment, Student Success at YSU

By Ron Cole, Director, YSU Communications
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio –Youngstown State University’s efforts in enrollment, fundraising, research funding, campus development and student success continued on upward trends in 2018 and set the stage for what promises to be a busy and productive 2019.

Last year, the Higher Learning Commission affirmed YSU’s accreditation through 2027, noting that the university is well-managed, extensively engaged and clearly focused on student success.

Full-time equivalent enrollment increased for the third consecutive year and the freshman class’ high school grade point average was the highest in YSU history.

Other highlights of 2018 include:

• The historic $100 million We See Tomorrow fundraising campaign surpassed the $85 million mark.
• Faculty and staff earned $8.9 million in research and service grants, the highest amount in nine years.
• The 194-bed Enclave student apartment complex opened on Wick Avenue. The apartments, as well as all other campus residence halls and apartments, reached capacity.
• The state approved a special $4 million capital allocation to help fund the Excellence Training Center as part of the Mahoning Valley Innovation and Commercialization Center in downtown Youngstown.
• The YSU Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe teams placed first in the state, a first for YSU; the Penguin Intercollegiate Moot Court team remained nationally ranked; and students in University Theater’s Fall production of “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” were selected to perform the show at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
• YSU placed first in the state in the national RecycleMania competition, was again named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Foundation, was again designated a Military Friendly University and again received the Gold Level Award from the Healthy Business Council of Ohio for our employee wellness program.
• More than 10,000 visitors attended public shows at YSU’s Ward Beecher Planetarium, the most in more than a decade.
• YSU implemented the Penguin Tuition Promise, a program under which tuition is frozen during the four years of a student’s enrollment.

In addition, a new economic impact study showed that YSU students, alumni and visitors, along with research, construction and entrepreneurial activities, pump nearly $1 billion into the five-county regional economy every year, supporting close to 16,000 jobs. The report said YSU generates nearly six times more in tax dollars than it spends, and YSU’s return on investment for students outperforms the U.S. stock market.

The university also launched a new strategic planning process, led by a group of faculty, staff, students and administrators. The group is charged with developing a strategic vision that facilitates positive change, builds on the university’s current strengths, improves the culture of the campus community, and positions YSU to be even more successful in the years ahead.

And to top things off, word came in December that YSU and the Smart2 Network will receive a $10.8 million federal infrastructure grant that will completely renovate Fifth Avenue from Mercy Health to the YSU campus and other streets throughout the downtown area.

The project is expected to transform YSU’s and Youngstown’s transportation infrastructure for the 21st century.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.