YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University’s enrollment grew for two consecutive fall semesters for the first time in more than 10 years, and fundraising set a record.
Those were a few of the highlights pointed out Monday morning by YSU President Bill Johnson in his State of the University address to members of the faculty and staff in the Williamson College of Business Administration.
“We had an 11% increase in enrollment in the fall of ’24, a 9% increase in the spring of ’25, a 6% increase in the summer of ’25 and now an over 2% increase this fall,” Johnson said. “Now you might not think 2% – given those other big numbers – is that significant. But when you consider that we graduated more students last year than ever before, it really is remarkable.”
And it’s the first time in over a decade YSU experienced back-to-back academic years of increasing enrollment,” the YSU president added.
“We also enjoyed the largest single year of philanthropic fundraising in the history of YSU,” he said. “Over $30 million was raised, surpassing the previous record by millions of dollars.”
He pointed to the YSU Foundation as well as dedicated donors for their contributions in achieving that milestone.
“There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic,” Johnson said. “What that tells me is that YSU’s brand is bright – people see it. Parents and students are seeing the value proposition of pursuing their education here at YSU, and our community partners think our team must be doing a good job, because they continue to invest.”
But enrollment will continue to be a challenge as birth rates remain low, population has declined and fewer younger people are going to college, Johnson said.
YSU personnel will need to figure out how to optimize the university’s top-performing programs like nursing and dental hygiene. Those programs and others reach capacity, causing YSU to turn away students.
“We’re going to be focusing on those kinds of things,” he said.
Johnson also said the state asked YSU to take the lead in a $20 million partnership with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Norfolk Southern Railroad and East Palestine to create a state-of-the-art Fire Science and Public Safety training facility in the village. When a Norfolk Southern train derailed in the village in February 2023, people were evacuated from their homes and emergency crews conducted controlled burns of several railcars, leading to health and environmental concerns.
And Johnson hopes that YSU will be offering more programs in Steubenville this spring to fill the void left by the closure of Eastern Gateway Community College. YSU started more than 50 associate degree and certificate programs at its main campus and began a criminal justice program in Steubenville to serve students.
Eastern Gateway was headquartered in Steubenville, with a campus in downtown Youngstown. The college closed last year amid financial and accreditation issues mostly linked to its Free College Benefit program.
That program allowed union members from across the country to attend classes and earn degrees from Eastern Gateway at no cost to them. Enrollment increased more than four-fold, but the U.S. Department of Education ordered an end to the program, saying the college was charging Pell Grant recipients more than students who didn’t receive the aid.
Shortly after the college closed, YSU announced that it wanted to open a campus in Steubenville, eyeing a building that had been used by Eastern Gateway. That plan got delayed because of lawsuits against the college.
A plan, however, is being worked out among officials in Steubenville, at YSU and at the state level to allow YSU to operate in that building. Welding and criminal justice would be the first programs offered there.
“The welding program is already outfitted – we’ve got all the equipment,” the president said. “Everything’s ready to go. So as soon as we get all of the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed and we make sure that we and the state are on the same page as far as how the operational funding is going to be handled, we’ll be going.”
Pictured at top: YSU President Bill Johnson delivers his State of the University address Monday.