YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University officials expect to get the keys by next week to the building that will house its Steubenville campus.

“Our provost, Dr. [Jennifer] Adams, has got a big job on her hands to figure out how we roll out the education there,” YSU President Bill Johnson said at a university trustees meeting Thursday morning.

Last month, trustees voted to accept the title of the former Eastern Gateway Community College classroom building in Jefferson County from that county’s commissioners. 

Classes are expected to start there this summer.

“But we’re going to do it right, because the people of that region deserve a quality education, and we want to make sure that we’re delivering the kind that they want,” Johnson said.

Eastern Gateway, which was based in Steubenville and operated a campus in downtown Youngstown, closed enrollment in 2024. Its dissolution was completed Sept. 30. The college for years faced financial and accreditation challenges mostly linked to its free college benefit program that enabled union members from across the country to attend classes virtually and earn degrees at no cost to them.

A state audit released last month reported $17 million in questionable spending at the defunct college.

Resolutions Approved

YSU trustees Thursday morning approved a resolution setting a $250 per credit hour tuition rate for active military personnel and reservists enrolled in YSU online programs. Johnson said YSU is targeting a market that is largely untapped.

The board also approved resolutions to align with Ohio Senate Bill 1, which took effect earlier this year. The resolutions approved Thursday change some elements of faculty tenure and workload.

Presentations

Trustees also heard presentations from faculty members and students.

A group of faculty members spoke about the YSU Writing Fellows Program, which brings together faculty from the English and other departments to strengthen student writing across various disciplines. The program started through a grant from the Lumina Foundation.

Members of the Student Investment Fund talked about how the club, which earned first place at the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium, has helped them.

Braden Gebhardt, a YSU baseball player, spoke about his experience as a student-athlete, and Sabrina Gatts, a sophomore majoring in primary education/primary intervention specialist, gave a presentation about the Future Teachers Club, which she started at the university.