Proud - Youngstown State University

President’s Message
Looking Toward 2108, Creating YSU’s Future
For centuries - from Nostradamus to Alvin Toffler, H.G. Wells to Arthur C. Clarke – the
human race has had a fascination with predicting the future. What lies ahead? What wonderful
inventions and technological advances are to come? What will the world be like for my grandchildren,
and their grandchildren?
In 1908, prognosticators of the day looked to the year 2008 and – quite correctly, it turns out –
envisioned airplanes filling the skies with around-the-world flights, routine human organ transplants
and people walking the streets talking on wireless “pocket” telephones.
So what is in store for the next 100 years? What will the world – and, more specifically, what
will Youngstown State University look like in the year 2108?
In this, YSU’s Centennial year, we have had many occasions to pause and reflect on our proud
David C. Sweet, past – from our beginnings at the YMCA in downtown Youngstown, through the hard work of
President
men like Skeggs, Wick and Jones, to the modern facilities and programs of today’s YSU.
In this issue of the Youngstown State University Magazine, we look to YSU’s second century.
We asked seven individuals, including Youngstown Mayor and YSU alum (1994, BSBA) Jay Williams, to
write short essays on YSU’s next 100 years. Their musings begin on Page 6. We also look to the future with an
article on the upcoming construction of a new, state-of-the-art building for the Williamson College of Business
Administration (see page 10).
Speculating on the future is a dicey proposition. As that famous prognosticator Yogi Berra once said, “It’s
tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” On the other hand, Peter F. Drucker, the Austrian-born
writer and self-described “social ecologist,” once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
At YSU, we are creating a future that I believe bodes well for the university and for the Mahoning Valley
in general.
We recently received a full, institution-wide accreditation renewal from the Higher Learning Commission.
The renewal, which specifically cited YSU’s growth in enrollment and diversity and the university’s commitment
to partnerships with the community, positions YSU well as it enters the 2010s and beyond.
We are closing in on the $44 million goal for the Centennial Capital Campaign, the largest fund-raising
project in the university’s history. The effort will help assure YSU’s continued ability to offer top-notch academic
programs in modern, 21st century facilities at affordable prices. We have already raised $13.2 million for student
scholarships, nearly double the campaign’s goal.
Also sure to have a significant impact on YSU’s future is the creation of a community college in the Mahoning
Valley. Sparked by discussions initiated by the YSU Board of Trustees nearly three years ago, the state of Ohio
hopes to begin offering community college courses in the Mahoning Valley as early as fall 2009. In time, the
new college should increase college-going rates in the region, creating a higher-educated workforce that is better
equipped to excel in the increasingly high-tech global marketplace.
And speaking of high-tech, YSU this summer hosted a visit by Dr. Arden L. Bement Jr., the director of the
National Science Foundation and the nation’s top science official. Dr. Bement’s visit was a celebration and recognition
of YSU’s increased and successful research efforts over the past 10 years. Bement was brought to YSU by
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who has played a significant role in YSU’s emergence as a research leader. Over the past five
years, the congressman has helped secure nearly $10 million for a variety of university initiatives, including the
Center for Transportation and Materials, the Center of Excellence in Industrial Metrology & 3D Imaging Research
and the CyberEnabled Industrial Innovation Center. In the years ahead, as we build on these successes, YSU’s role
in research and development and its economic influence on the Mahoning Valley and the entire Northeast Ohio
region is sure to grow.
Abraham Lincoln, whose actions created a future that we as a nation still enjoy today, once said that “the best
thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.” Hour by hour, day after day, year to year, YSU has
worked for the past 100 years to serve the educational needs of the Northeast Ohio region. We will continue to
build on that proud past, creating a promising future for our students, the region and beyond.
Sincerely,
David C. Sweet
2 Youngstown State University