Presented by Provost Jennifer Pintar, PhD, MPH
Theme: Challenge Accepted
The 2026 State of Academics address recognizes the many challenges YSU’s faculty and academic community have already met while setting the direction for the year ahead. Provost Jennifer Pintar highlights the University’s continued focus on academic program excellence, enrollment and retention, data-informed decision-making, experiential learning, artificial intelligence, online education, global engagement, and the growth of YSU’s Steubenville location. Building on the previous themes of transparency, accountability, and collaborative engagement, Challenge Accepted calls on the campus community to confront the changing landscape of higher education together and to be the reason students come to YSU, stay at YSU, and graduate from YSU.
Presented by Provost Jennifer Pintar, PhD, MPH
Theme: Collaborative Engagement – Student-Focused, Mission-Centered
The 2025 State of Academics address, delivered by Provost Jennifer Pintar, reflects on the past year's progress and sets a clear direction for the academic year ahead at Youngstown State University. This year’s theme, collaborative engagement, underscores the power of working together across departments, disciplines, and roles to support students and strengthen our academic mission.
In her remarks, Dr. Pintar highlights key institutional efforts—from activating the Academic Master Plan and expanding program-level KPIs, to growing enrollment through Market+ and advancing faculty visibility and presence on campus. As defined in this address, collaborative engagement is not limited to the classroom; it is a shared mindset across the Office of Academic Affairs and the entire academic community.
This address is both a reflection and a call to action—reinforcing our collective commitment to serving students, supporting one another, and moving YSU forward together.
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