By Alex Sorrells / The Jambar
Youngstown State University President Bill Johnson took the stage in Bliss Hall on Aug. 20, where he gave his first State of Academic Affairs address.
Johnson covered several topics including enrollment, academic programs and the student and faculty experience at YSU.
Newly-appointed Provost Jennifer Pintar gave her State of Academic Affairs address Aug. 23, where she spoke about her plans for a thriving university.
Pintar served as interim provost in January until her selection as provost in early June. Johnson recommended Pintar to the board of trustees in May.
“It was very clear to the search committee and to me that Dr. Pintar had not only the qualifications, she has a history here at the university, she knew the faculty, the staff and had been functioning as the interim provost for a while,” Johnson said. “From a character perspective, there is no more solid character than Dr. Pintar. So it was very clear to everybody that she was the right choice.”
In March, Eastern Gateway Community College announced it will close by the end of October. In response, YSU administration has since introduced more than 60 new associate and certificate programs to provide students the opportunity to continue their education.
“There has been a lot of certificates and associate degrees that were added,” Pintar said. “We’re looking at the modalities. We are going to be launching some fully online undergraduate bachelor’s degree programs, starting in January.”
Pintar said there were also new additions including commercial drivers licensing and aviation courses.
“We also [added] a lot of associate degree programs that we already have the bachelor’s degree programs, so it nested right in with those bachelor’s degree programs,” Pintar said.
Pintar hopes the new programs will encourage students to further their education at their own pace.
“Some students aren’t looking for a four-year degree, they want a two-year,” Pintar added. “If you’re interested down the line to come back, you already have two of those four years done. Come on back and get the bachelor’s degree.”
Johnson praised Pintar for her collaborative efforts and commented on how quickly she completed these processes.
“We had a lot of pause to think about what new programs we needed to add to meet the demands of the Eastern Gateway students that we didn’t already have on the books. So I am really proud of the work that Provost Pintar, the academic senate and our faculty did in very short order,” Johnson said.
Pintar spoke about her goals moving forward including transparency between administration, faculty, staff and students.
“If you’re going to be transparent, you have to have better communication, so always trying to find ways to do that including a lot of face-to-face meetings,” Pintar said. “I think that what I’ve heard loud and clear from our faculty is that they want to meet with people in administration face-to-face more often.”
Johnson talked about strategies to increase enrollment including “casting a wider net” and being more competitive in what YSU offers to potential students.
“Whether it’s online, whether it’s developing a seamless integration with the business and industries around our region, or the school districts through which we build pathways for new students when they take College Credit Plus at the high school level,” Johnson said. “There’s a host of enrollment strategies that circle around those kinds of things.”
YSU is also planning to expand and establish a campus in Steubenville, in place of the Eastern Gateway campus that was also affected by the closing. Johnson said if it were up to him, the extension would open tomorrow.
“The truth of the matter is, and I’m simply telling you the truth, the building and the facilities, the equipment that’s in the buildings, that belong to Eastern Gateway, they are tied up in litigation and regulatory issues, both state and federal,” Johnson said.
With the start of the new school year, Johnson urged students to reach out to available resources if they start to fall behind.
“We’re here to help you be successful, we’re not here to watch you fail,” Johnson said. “I’ll go so far as to say if you can’t find answers to your questions anywhere else, come and see me. I guarantee you we will look and find answers to your questions so that you can be successful in your academic journey here. Welcome back to all of our students.”
The board of trustees is scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19 on the first floor of Tod Hall.
