Proud - Youngstown State University

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Around Campus Around C A M P U S YSU Campus and Beyond Forty education and community leaders from across the region are implementing a plan to bring community college education to the Mahoning Valley, the only metropolitan area in Ohio without such a college. The committee began meeting this spring in Youngstown, and Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, said he expects the community college to be up and running by fall 2009. Speaking at a press conference following the initial committee meeting, Fingerhut thanked YSU and President David C. Sweet for leading the effort to identify and understand the importance and value of providing a community college education in the Mahoning Valley. “This is probably the best news the Mahoning Valley has had in decades,” added U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. He said the community college initiative is critical for the future economic growth of the region. The concept for expanded access to community college education in the Mahoning Valley started more than two years ago, when YSU began studying the feasibility and demand for such a program. The university completed several studies which demonstrate that citizens, employers and community leaders believe a community college will offer the type of education that will help rebuild the region’s workforce and economy. Fingerhut said the effort to bring community college education to the Valley must be a collaboration between existing institutions of higher education, including YSU, Kent State University and Jefferson Community College. “This commitment to raising the educational attainment for our citizens will not only help the Mahoning Valley, but will help the state of Ohio compete on a global scale,” the chancellor said. 14 Youngstown State University U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, left, and Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, chat before a news conference concerning a new community college in the Mahoning Valley. NSF Director Opens Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Chemistry Lab Arden L. Bement Jr., director of the National Science Foundation, visited YSU on June 23 to celebrate the university’s increased and successful research efforts over the past decade. And it’s fair to say he liked what he saw. Bement, the nation’s leading science official, met with faculty and community leaders at a breakfast in Moser Hall, made remarks to a standing-room-only crowd in Ward Beecher Hall, helped cut the ribbon on the new NSF-funded Analytical Materials Instrumentation Facility in the chemistry department, and spent about an hour viewing and listening to faculty and student research presentations, “Students [at YSU] do graduate-level research and Ph.D.-level research [and are] energized and eager and so excited about what they’re doing,” Bement said. “This is a real success story as far as I am concerned.” He added, “At many universities, undergraduate students don’t even get in the laboratories, let alone get close to the equipment. Here, they’re encouraged to do that and encouraged to participate in research.” Bement, accompanied on the visit by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, visits only a handful of university campuses every year. Ryan, who has helped secure nearly $10 million in federal funds over the past five years for a variety of YSU initiatives, said the opening of the instrumentation facility and Bement’s visit are another sign of “our region moving from older industries to science and research based jobs.” YSU President David C. Sweet said Bement’s visit is a reflection of the strides YSU has made over the past several years in institutionalizing a culture that supports and encourages faculty and student research. “With the leadership of the NSF and Congressman Ryan, and the considerable talent we have amongst our faculty and After two years of study and assessment, YSU this summer was awarded a full renewal of its accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. “This is a critical step in the academic future of the institution,” President David C. Sweet said. The purpose of the regularly scheduled, period renewal of accreditation is to reconfirm that YSU is operating effectively within its stated mission and goals. The Higher
staff in the sciences and engineering, we believe YSU can become a center of excellence in the area of molecular science, sparking educational and economic development opportunities throughout the region,” he said. Over the past five years, the NSF has provided $2.1 million to YSU’s mathematics, science and engineering research efforts, including $475,000 for the new Analytical Materials Instrumentation Facility. The visit by Bement was a highlight of a banner inaugural year for YSU’s new College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The STEM college, the first of its kind in Ohio, combines the engineering, technology, science and mathematics disciplines into one academic unit. Martin Abraham is the college’s founding dean. In January, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $2 million grant to the college to create the YSU Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering. In April, NSF announced that the College of STEM would receive a $600,000 grant to fund STEM scholarships. And later in the spring, the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program awarded $848,250 to the STEM college as part of a statewide Around Campus Arden L. Bement Jr., center, director of the National Science Foundation, is joined by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, left, YSU President David C. Sweet and several students and faculty during a visit to campus in June. mathematics preparedness effort. To top it off, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission announced in late June that the STEM college was being recommended for a $2.1 million award to establish a Center for Excellence in Advanced Materials Analysis. “These awards illustrate the role the new College of STEM is already playing in community outreach and regional development,” said Stephen Rodabaugh, interim associate dean. Learning Commission is responsible for accrediting colleges and universities in a 19-state region from West Virginia to Arizona. As part of the accreditation process, dozens of faculty, staff, students and community members participated in developing a four-volume, three-inch-thick report that outlines the university’s strengths and challenges in everything from enrollment and diversity to effective teaching and learning and engagement with the community. The process was led by Bege Bowers, associate provost; Janice Elias, professor and interim dean of the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services; and Sharon Stringer, director of assessment and professor of psychology. An evaluation team of 10 faculty and administrators from universities across the north central United States visited YSU in February as part of the accreditation process. The HLC’s Board of Trustees approved the accreditation renewal in late June. In addition to the accreditation renewal, the board approved a new doctor of physical therapy degree. It is YSU’s second doctoral program. Sweet thanked Bowers, Elias and Stringer for leading the team that put together the self-study for the HLC team site visit. “All of us at the university are grateful for their commitment and hard work that have made this process a success,” he said. Sweet also thanked the dozens of individuals on and off campus “who served on committees, attended countless meetings and dedicated themselves to the preparation of the self-study report.” “And, finally,” Sweet said, “I want to thank every member of the faculty and staff for their honesty during this process and their continued commitment to the success of the university and its students.” More than 200 car enthusiasts and experts from around the nation came to YSU in late April for “The Automobile in Our Culture,” a symposium exploring the past, present and future of America’s love affair with the automobile. Part of Summer 2008 15
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Proud - Youngstown State University

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