Macte Virtute

Making the obvious true - Our impact is immense

Look closely at the illustration below and a quote from the late New York Times columnist William Safire comes to mind: “Never assume the obvious is true.”

It’s fair to say that all of us take for granted that Youngstown State University - with nearly 100,000 alums, more than 1,000 faculty members, about 13,000 currently enrolled students and an annual operating budget in excess of $180 million - has had and continues to have an immense impact on our surrounding region.

That is to say - it’s obvious, right?

Well, taking Safire’s suggestion to heart, we set out to discover if the obvious is, in fact, true. And, in short, we found that, yes, YSU has impacted and influenced our area of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania like maybe no other institution in the region.

There’s no need to go through the numbers - you can see for yourself that they’re impressive and speak to the enormous role YSU plays in the educational and economic future of the greater Mahoning and Shenango valley area. But the story is even bigger than that.

Joe Mosca, long-time dean of the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and now interim provost, likes to talk about how, when out talking to various community groups, he points out with pride that just about everyone in the room had been served in some way by a graduate of his college at one time or another - a nurse, a physical therapist, a social worker, a law enforcement officer, a dental hygienist, etc. Well, the same can be said for all graduates across all colleges and disciplines - teachers, artists, engineers, accountants, psychologists, chemists, financial advisors, journalists, economists, computer scientists, school principals, etc.

YSU alumni, faculty and staff are woven into the fabric of their communities, holding positions on local school boards and city councils, serving in their places of worship, raising families and volunteering for thousands of worthy causes. Also, the university offers free dental exams and income tax preparation services to hundreds of people every year. We annually place more than 600 student teachers in nearly three dozen school districts. Nearly 17,000 people attended public shows at the Ward Beecher Planetarium last year, including nearly 200 school field trips.

So, yes, the numbers on the next page are, indeed, impressive. The obvious is true. But, as Safire notes, we should not assume. The higher education landscape is continually shifting and challenges regularly emerge. To remain a strong and positive force, we must remain ever diligent, always working to ensure the success of our students and to increase excellence across the region.

Go Penguins,

James P. Tressel, President