By Alex Sorrells / The Jambar
Youngstown State University announced the appointment of Sara Michaliszyn as dean of Dr. Dominic A. and Helen M. Bitonte College of Health and Human Services after a committee of faculty and staff chose Michaliszyn over two other candidates.
Starting at YSU in 2013 as an assistant professor, Michaliszyn spent the last 12 years moving up the academic ladder. Michaliszyn served in chair positions within the college and as associate dean until 2024, when she became interim dean following the departure of Dr. Jeff Allen.
Jennifer Pintar, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said each candidate took part in a day-long meeting and provided a presentation for attendees. Those in attendance gave their feedback on each candidate.
“They felt like she understood the needs of the college and the direction it was going,” Pintar said. “A lot of the students depend upon having clinical locations to do their rotations and so having a strong relationship with community members is very important in this position.”
Michaliszyn used her time as interim dean to prepare for her potential hiring, even though the role was not guaranteed, Pintar said.
“I have meetings with her lined up with some community partners that she lined up months ago. Whether she was the selected person or not, she already had those relationships,” Pintar said.
Michaliszyn said being part of the YSU community and having experience in various positions allowed her to get a head start in terms of initiatives and programs.
“Right now, we’re establishing a process — myself and the other chairs — in order to be able to create a good avenue of support for our new tenure-track faculty, so that they can be very successful in their programs of research,” Michaliszyn said.
Along with strategies to increase the quality of educators’ experiences, Michaliszyn looks to the past, present and future of potential, current and graduated YSU students.
“We’re trying to establish all of these different … touch points of connectedness so our students feel connected and begin to feel connected to the college so that they become alumni that want to stay connected,” Michaliszyn said.
Michaliszyn said another short-term goal is to connect with not just alumni, but their support systems as well, starting with the graduation ceremony.
“Now you’re alumni, and that’s really exciting, and there’s really great opportunities for you to stay connected to us,” Michaliszyn said. “Maybe you want to come back and speak to students about what your experience was here or where you’re going now in your career.”
Pintar said Michaliszyn takes on characteristics that allow for effective communication between faculty, staff and students.
“She’s easy to talk to and administration were really looking for that friendly, forward kind of personality so that our faculty do talk to us [and] tell us when there are issues. We can work together to solve problems,” Pintar said.
Michaliszyn said growing up on the west side of Youngstown, attending Chaney High School and playing softball for the university is not what makes YSU feel like home. Local support and collaboration drives her sense of comfort and belonging.
“It’s beautiful and it’s emotional to … feel such warmth and support in a role,” Michaliszyn said. “I’m going to be the dean, wow — and it’s really, it’s a lot of pride. You worked really hard and … I love YSU. I love Youngstown.”