YSU Signs Agreement with Hungarian University

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University and the University of Szeged, Hungary, signed an agreement Wednesday that will help students enrolled in YSU’s Dana School of Music expand their experience and education abroad.

“It has a very small, but very good program,” said Nate Myers, YSU’s associate provost, international and global initiatives, said of Szeged. “This is going to help internationalize YSU and help students study with some of the best musicians in the world. We are also going to be able to receive Hungarian students as well.”

Myers said the program would likely start small, beginning with two students starting at some point next year. However, it’s very likely that the program would grow over the next several years and meet the university’s goals of giving students the opportunity to engage in international academic studies that enhances their professional and personal skills.

“It would involve students studying performances, labs, music history, and theory,” he said. “Their course offerings run the gamut.”

YSU Provost Martin Abraham and Dr. Peter Toth, representing the University of Szeged, signed the framework agreement in Bliss Hall, which houses YSU’s College of Creative Arts and Communication.

More details of the agreement will be negotiated throughout the semester and summer, Myers said.

The relationship with Szeged was established through Dana music professor Misook Yun, who has made several trips to Hungary with students in the past, Myers said. “She’s going back this summer with some students,” he noted.

The Dana School is one of the most aggressive colleges at YSU in terms of hosting international programs, Myers said, which is an important facet of YSU’s future. “We’re sending a performance tour to Korea this summer and we’re hoping their universities could reciprocate that next summer.”

Other initiatives are under way to establish relationships in Taiwan and China, he said. “This is a piece of it for us. We want more international students coming here to diversify the experience and we want to give our students a low-cost experience that will give them more professional opportunities later.”

Abraham said the agreement Wednesday is “another example of how we’re expanding our international footprint. We see that as a critical function of what we’re trying to do for our students.”

Pictured: Peter Toth of the University of Szeged and YSU Provost Martin Abraham sign a framework agreement. 

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.