The YSU Office of Community Engagement values its partnerships between community organizations and YSU students, faculty, and staff. Community partners in need of assistance (i.e. volunteers, interns, committee members, etc.) can express their needs here.
The YSU Community Engagement Symposium is the annual on-campus showcase of community engaged scholarship. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners share their community engaged scholarship and are recognized for their work.
YSU PenguinPulse is the university platform for finding community engagement opportunities and logging impacts.
Click through the various tabs on this page to learn more.
The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) is dedicated to the collaboration and creation of community partnerships to positively impact the region. OCE serves as the centralized coordinating structure to enhance communication, connect organizations with the appropriate campus resources to advance collaboration requests, and collect all of the community-based experiences from students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, the OCE works with organizations to secure external funds to support meeting community needs and the people they serve. Led by experienced professionals, the OCE provides support and a variety of services to community organizations and departments across campus.
To support Youngstown State University’s mission and core values, the goals of the Office of Community Engagement include:
YSU has adopted the Carnegie Foundation definition for community engagement:
"Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good."
Further, at YSU, community engagement is the collaboration between YSU and the larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources; most often service with a community partner or nonprofit organization.
There are four criteria that serve as standards in which courses submitted for CEL designation are reviewed and evaluated. They include:
In contrast, YSU defines community outreach as the effort of extending university resources, services, or expertise to meet the needs of the community that is one-directional in nature. Community outreach is done “for” an organization or the community, while community engagement is done “with” an organization for shared ownership and benefit.
And finally, university service, for students, is defined as unpaid time helping YSU areas/departments execute programs for the benefit of the YSU community and its students.
YSU PenguinPulse is the university’s platform for finding and tracking community engagement opportunities. All students, faculty, staff, and community partners use this online space to collaborate on volunteer activities and service-learning.
Community partners may request a free account for volunteer management by reaching out to communityengagement@ysu.edu or by using the link below.
All YSU students, faculty, and staff automatically have an account within YSU PenguinPulse.
To log into the platform:
To find volunteer opportunities:
After registering for a community engagement opportunity and volunteering, log your service by:
If you are full-time faculty who are already using Watermark to track community engagement, you do not have to double-track in YSU PenguinPulse. Please just ensure you are checking the community engagement box in Watermark when applicable.
If your organization does not have an account on GivePulse (our parent company for YSU PenguinPulse), you can request a group page be created here. We will build your page and connect the person you identify as your admin to it.
Once you have your account, you will be able to create volunteer opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to view and sign up for directly through the platform. You can also communicate with registrants and verify their volunteer hours.
YSU offices, departments, and areas have a special presence on YSU PenguinPulse as subgroups. If you would like to become an admin for your area’s subgroup, you can email communityengagement@ysu.edu to request access.
As an admin, you can post both service-learning and university service opportunities for students to take part in.
e.g., Research opportunities that serve community partners, volunteering for English Fest, assistance with IGNITE, helping out at a YSU sporting event, etc.
Once you become an admin, you will receive resources and training from the Office of Community Engagement.
All approved student organizations at YSU have a subgroup on YSU PenguinPulse. If you do not see your student organization listed or need to update advisor or student leader admins, please email communityengagement@ysu.edu.
Student leaders can post community engagement opportunities for members to sign up for; e.g., Guinathon planning, sorority/fraternity philanthropy activities.
If you'd like to add several impacts for multiple users (i.e., for a community-engaged learning experience in your course), you can bulk import the impacts:
An impact can be added for any community engagement activity or university service.
YSU has adopted the Carnegie Foundation's definition of community engagement. The full definition can be found here.
Further, at YSU, community engagement is the collaboration between YSU and the larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources; most often service with a community partner or nonprofit organization.
e.g., Packaging food for families at United Way's Satur-Day of Caring event, serving on the Guinathon team to benefit Akron Children's Hospital, tutoring local grade school students, etc.
University service, for students, is: Unpaid time helping YSU areas / departments execute programs for the benefit of the YSU community and its students.
e.g., Volunteering for Penguin Preview Day, showing students how to register during orientation, helping out at a YSU sporting event, etc.
Activities that fall under the category of on-campus involvement should not be added as impacts in YSU PenguinPulse.
On-campus involvement is defined as: Student organization or campus event participation/leadership not tied to engagement with or for a community partner.
e.g., Attending student organization meetings, athletic events, theater productions, etc., taking on a leadership position in a student organization, planning an on-campus academic or social event with no service component. Such events may be posted as events in YSU PenguinPulse, but they do not count as community engagement.
YSU uses “community-engaged learning” to indicate academically based community-engaged courses. Approved courses are designated “CEL courses” and are listed with a “CE” attribute in the course catalog due to system limitations.
The Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) course application is designed to assist faculty with the development of a course to meet the benchmarks required of CEL courses at Youngstown State University. Approved courses will receive the Community-Engaged Learning designation attribute.
There are four criteria that serve as standards in which courses submitted for CEL designation are reviewed and evaluated. They include:
Engagement
The engagement component meets a public good through a collaboration between faculty and community partners. Students’ engagement has community impact. The course’s intent for the community is clear and valuable.
Reflection
There is a mechanism for students to link their learning to course content. There is an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of the engagement.
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is evident in the engagement component. All participants are in the role of teacher and learner, allowing mutual benefit for the student, the organization, and the community. Community partners involved in planning, evaluating & assessing.
Public Dissemination
The engagement experience is presented to the partner/public or allows the opportunity for the community to engage in public dialogue.
Our Strategic Plan to Take Charge of our Future states that YSU will bring about collective impact in the region when we “create deliberate, mutually beneficial, educational, civic, industry, and philanthropic partnerships that achieve equitable and innovative regional development.”
Further, YSU’s vision and core values promote a community-engaged campus. In its vision statement, YSU is seen as a place “where community engagement is a cornerstone of collaboration” that leads to innovative solutions that benefit both students and the community.
This page highlights a sampling of partnerships and initiatives that are meeting the needs of our community.
Since 1978, the university has been hosting the Youngstown State University English Festival, a unique spring event that reaches approximately 3,000 middle and high school students from five surrounding counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania, their teachers and parents, area librarians, and interested community members.
“It is a positive day for me as an educator to see so many students absorbed in literature and writing. Because the students walk away with attitudes of enjoyment and learning, it makes it worthwhile. I also enjoy judging to have exposure to the writing being completed by these students. I find it to be a heartwarming experience seeing the motivation and effort that is put in preparing to come to the festival.”
~Local educator
The Dr. Abdu Pen Pals Program has a rich history at YSU, dating back to 2012. The program connects honors students with local elementary school learners through the exchange of written journals.
Elementary teachers report increased proficiency with spelling and grammar and an excitement for reading and writing. School attendance has also improved.
YSU student leaders organize the journals, ensure students are responding, and transport the journals between YSU and the elementary schools every other week. They share feedback such as, "Being able to communicate with young students is both meaningful and fulfilling for me."
In 2023, Shell Polymers Monaca, a petrochemical company operating in the region, became the primary financial sponsor of the program, which was named in honor of Dr. Rashid Abdu, a longtime tutor and beloved local surgeon who inspired the idea.
YSU and United Way collaborate in multifaceted ways to benefit students and the community. A student community fellow works to liaise between YSU and United Way to ensure smooth collaboration.
Each year thousands of students in the Mahoning Valley are screened by nursing students for vision problems. The United Way, along with the schools, have collected data showing improved academic performance in participating schools. Since 2017, tens of thousands of students have been screened.
Students, faculty, and staff join United Way monthly at the SaturDay at Caring where volunteers pack up and distribute food to more than 400 local families each month.
Students working with the VITA tax preparation program learn more than accounting skills. They learn communication, empathy, and much more.
Students in the Sokolov Honors College worked to raise $10,000 for United Way during the 2024-25 academic year. Read more about their efforts here.
YSU partners with Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley through regular food packing days that include YSU students, faculty, and staff. Last summer, President and First Lady Johnson joined the effort to pack 970 bags the day that the food bank unveiled its new addition. Through the semester, honors students return to Second Harvest weekly to prepare food items for distribution.
The Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork (TILT) empowers students to become impactful leaders, driving positive change within their communities and organizations.
The TILT High School program fosters personal and professional growth by providing hands-on learning experiences. Through a variety of fun and engaging activities, students have the opportunity to explore what makes a great leader and how to work effectively in teams.
YSU partnered with South Range and Liberty during the 2024-25 academic year.
As Youngstown State University continues its work to foster mutually beneficial relationships between campus and community, it also seeks to earn the Carnegie Foundation's community engagement designation to increase the awareness and promotion of community-engaged efforts and learning.
YSU submitted a first-time application for the 2026 Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Community Engagement in the spring of 2025. The elective classification recognizes colleges and university in the U.S. for achievement in institutionalizing community engagement.
Below is a snapshot over the last several years of the process to create centralized goals, resources, and strategies for community engagement at YSU.
The Community Engagement Council will lead the development of the YSU application to the Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
The Community Partner Advisory Committee provides opportunities for input from community partners and adheres to the value of listening to the needs of the community and addressing needs collaboratively.
Community fellows are undergraduate or graduate students who work closely with a community partner to move forward their mission.
(330) 941-3427 ♦ communityengagement@ysu.edu
Melissa J. Chizmar
Program Coordinator, YSU Explore
mjchizmar01@ysu.edu
330-941-1930
Elizabeth Cianciola, MS.Ed.
Director, OCE
eacianciola@ysu.edu
330-941-2227
Amy Cossentino, Ph.D.
Associate Provost, Strategy & Engagement & Dean
alcossentino@ysu.edu
330.941.4741
Levi Smith
Budget Administrator
ljsmith02@ysu.edu
330.941.3119
Andrea Tharp
Assistant Director, Sokolov Honors College
YSU PenguinPulse
amtharp@ysu.edu