Youngstown — In a series of long-term challenges facing Youngstown State University and many other four-year colleges, the college says it is making strides to build individual and collective success on many fronts. , the rector said.

“We have to recognize the challenges that are in front of us. We have to use all of our tool bags,” YSU President Jim Tressel said at a meeting Wednesday at the Williamson College of Business Administration. I mentioned it in my final presentation in college.

Among the items in the toolbox is a joint effort on advice and recruitment, which has streamlined and simplified the application process for alumni and undergraduates to receive financial aid and acceptance packages. The advice portion is a platform for making mentoring and other pressing student needs readily available, she explained Tressel.

He also pointed out that freshman retention has risen to 80% from 64% a few years ago, which bodes well for YSU’s revenue stream as well.

“Registrations are the main driver of our revenue,” says Tressel.

Another key growth area, he noted, is YSU’s Honors College, which has jumped from about 300 students eight years ago to an estimated 1,280 today.

We are also seeing success and growth in our new Excellence Training Center. The center will partner with America Makes, Youngstown Business Incubator, and others to build a stronger, more viable advanced manufacturing workforce to meet the needs of businesses such as Lordstown’s Ultium Cells. increase. About $600,000 in scholarships is available for ETC participants, Tressel added.

There has been more than a year of research into what needs to be done with the Kilcoley Center, built in 1964 and expanded in 1971. Tressel said most of the buildings should be replaced as they are outdated. What is needed is a new student center that “meets the needs of today’s students, not the 1970s.”

Another campus improvement is the Watson Team Center, which houses nine engineering teams and is set up to provide additional space for students to collaborate with each other on various projects.

The university also earned a five-star rating for Changing Campus Culture, an effort to address sexual violence in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education, as well as the Collegiate Purple Star for helping students with military backgrounds. Award. In addition, YSU earned a perfect four-star rating for adhering to state open meeting laws, continued Tressel.

As YSU seeks to attract more students across the Mahoning Valley, including international students, we remain proactive in terms of community involvement. In these efforts, YSU ranks top of his 14 state universities in Ohio, he noted.

Additionally, four major initiatives have been developed to address online threats such as ransomware. Among these are reducing the threat posed by stolen passwords and usernames, and transitioning all faculty, staff, administrators and contractors to a secure email system to conduct University business. This includes enforcing YSU’s “acceptable use” policy, Tressel explained. The latter should be ready by May 2023, he added.

Another successful example was Penguin Pass. It’s essentially a visual checklist that makes it easier for students to see what they need to graduate, he continued.

Among the undergraduate highlights was Christine Bruns, who received a grant to re-engage students in the field of wellness. Amy Weaver is the first Professor Patricia M. Sweeney to receive a nursing award. Nancy Landgraf is a James P. Tressel Endowment Chair Leadership Award recipient.

Tressel also cited research on predicted growth of students planning to attend four-year colleges between 2012 and 2029. This is despite YSU being in a demographic region that is expected to see a decline of up to 15%. He said plans are in place to counter that possibility through stronger recruiting, marketing and online efforts.

Tressel, who took over as president of the university in 2014, will step down in February 2023. Despite this, he plans to remain actively involved in university affairs, he said.

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