Question #7

Question #7 -The goal of the next strategic plan is to help guide YSU on a path to its best possible future.
What should be YSU's role in the community and what kinds of collaborations can drive progress in that role?

Individual Responses -

YSU and downtown need to be seen as one unit like other universities such as Kent State.
We should take an active part in solving the problems of our region. Being an isolated think tank is not what we are about. We need to take the collective know how of our faculty and staff and work along side our community members to solve the problems that the Mahoning Valley is facing. The Centers of Excellence, the Midlothian Free Clinic and other partnerships are what it is all about.
While we seem to have made major inroads into the business sector in Youngstown/Mahoning Valley, there is much to do in the general community in Youngstown - training, education, families, health, etc. Any other sectors that need developing especially among the poorer residents. The redevelopment of downtown does include the residents of the city but attracts suburban residents. We as a university need to help diverse all components of the city with more targeted partnerships.
YSU needs to offer programs to community members that are quick, one-year certificates that help boost their marketability in the community. Many working adults have no time for long term degrees when they only want certain classes that can boost their standing in their current work positions and offer promotion to them.
YSU should continue to collaborate with local area businesses, social service agencies and healthcare institutions both locally and in the surrounding communities to provide more internship, co-op and clinical experiences for students as well as encouraging continuing education for their employees. YSU should also collaborate with local area businesses, social service agencies and healthcare institutions on research projects and look at sharing resources and equipment to save costs for the community.
We always talk about the role of YSU within our community. Many programs work directly with local firms, agencies, or individuals. I think that our strategy should formalize this interaction. I would like to see that every graduate of YSU had a meaningful interaction with the community. So many of our points of pride are about individual programs. I feel a commitment to community involvement across the university would serve as a signature experience that would appeal to both prospective students and employers of our graduates.
The leadership at YSU should engage the people in their community that have the knowledge and experience in specific areas to answer questions relevant to a certain issue. They should not make assumptions or decisions at a thousand foot level without engaging stakeholders, faculty, staff, students and surrounding vested community members input. Everyone has too much at stake for a very small number of people to make critical decisions about the future of this institution without completely engaging everyone who should have a voice.
The antiquated hierarchical culture that leads to misinformed decision making only puts YSU in a more vulnerable position than it already is, especially given the climate of the area with the closing of General Motors. If we allow a few people to lead us down a blind path without accountability, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Progress can only be driven by leaders who are willing to be open to the perspectives of others outside their upper tier cohort, be open and candid with their communication, ask for and offer feedback, be open to hearing the hard things so that the full picture can be seen, be personally invested, learn from success and failure, and act on the feedback they receive.
Right now, this is NOT happening at YSU, and it needs to change.
I think YSU has an important role in the community. As the Director of the Center for Human Services Development, we try to ensure YSU has a seat at the table helping community organizations build capacity, as well as connect YSU faculty to research opportunities in the community. In my experiences, the community turns to YSU as a stable partner. Moving forward YSU should be a resource for research, education, partnership, providing services, etc. I would love to talk about how the Center does this and how I think YSU would be able to build this collaboration further. Thank you for taking the time to look into this area of the plan!
As one of the largest employers in the tri-county area, YSU's role in the community as leaders is absolutely critical. All employees need to be actively engaged "where they live" covering each of the three main counties and beyond. Collaboration with community leaders is strong at the top of the organization, we need more grass roots efforts at the faculty and staff layers. Presenting all employees with opportunities to collaborate is important to this progress.
YSU should be an integral partner with local business and industry to provide well-equiped future employees through our graduates. YSU should also be in better communication with our local K-12 schools so that students who are entering YSU have been adequately prepared to succeed in higher education.
More research. Period. Engineering, sciences, business, humanities. Without increasing the scholarly output of this university, YSU will slowly degrade into a community college rather than an advanced university. This community needs a real university to act as the pillar for economic development and improved vitality.
Navigator to connect campus resources to community needs and partner organizations in effective ways to develop the next generation of business and civic leaders.
YSU is centrally located in the city, which is crucial for access to resources that the community lacks. I would love to see an initiative to sponsor a grocery store that offers affordable produce to both the students and the community near or on campus to make it easier for the community to access healthy foods within their means. Farmers markets fail because of being seasonal and only within a certain time of the day/week. YSU has a unique opportunity to attract a real grocery store to the community, strategically located near all of the city Burroughs by collaborating with business partners and food desert initiatives to attract a brick and mortar store.
YSU's Role in the community should be to contribute to the growth of the economic development of Youngstown, Ohio. YSU needs to have a stronger positioning in the community of Youngstown and surrounding areas. I propose establishing a community development department that focuses on service learning and volunteerism. The office should allow community organizations to connect with YSU students and vice versa. I think by establishing efforts such as this, the students will gain an appreciation for the area of Youngstown and we can retain our graduates to then grow local business in the area. This is important because it will draw younger and more diverse professionals to Youngstown and contribute financially to revitalizing the city.
It would be nice if YSU required some philanthropic involvement prior to graduation. Youngstown is a fairly tight community and it is important for students to have the experience of helping others. Could be built into the curriculum in various ways.
I think YSU should be a major community partner. YSU is a cornerstone in the community and should be a part of helping all of the counterparts within the community to find success. We should be there to help support the failing education system helping them by setting up trainings for their staff and principals on best practices, analyzing data, collecting data, and UDL (universal design in learning). We should be an integral component for our schools to get better. Our professors are some of the best and we should utilize their talents., especially in education, engineering, art, music and all others departments of our wonderful University. If we are committed to help our community prosper the University will prosper. Just think about it.
YSU has declared itself to be an "urban research" institution. When I read or hear the word urban I think city, minority population largely, but I don't see YSU engaging much with the city of Youngstown, which now has a majority African American population, government, and school district. Now that YSU has raised its requirements for admissions and fewer African American students are meeting those requirements, I think it is in both YSU's and African American students in Youngstown and surrounding school districts in Trumbull, Columbiana, and in Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania's interest for YSU to reach out on a regular basis to help better their chances for enrollment at YSU. How can YSU do this? With pre-college workshops on and off campus for them - workshops that focus on what pre-college courses they should be taking from the 9th grade on, the importance of the GPA, class rank, ACT, SAT, admissions process, financial aid process, FASA form, what college life is like, visits to the campus, etc. Also, with the rise in white nationalism and the demographic projections that predict that the United State will become a minority-majority country later this century YSU MUST increase, not decrease, its focus on diversity and inclusiveness.
Now would be a good time to include in our drive to enroll more students, the "non-traditional"student. With the closing of the Metro College a few years ago it seems we have forgotten those who are older and may want to engage in higher education learning. Now with the closing of GM in Lordstown, the need may be greater to market to this older group of people the opportunity to get re-educated in a new employable field.
Another thought I have is the build a small condo community in the Smokey Hollow area specifically for faculty/staff purchase. This would be a tool to generate income for the university, to attract high quality professors, administrators or staff from out of town with the convenience of living on campus.
YSU needs to provide well prepared graduates to assist local and regional companies to be competitive in today's world centered economy. Our area is starved for more potential employees with needed skills and attitudes to make companies more competitive. The General Education portion of all degree requirements needs significant change and updating for currently needed skills in critical thinking considering all sides of an issue, modern technology including social media and computing, and improved writing and speaking skills. All degree programs need revisited, especially those without outside accrediting agencies who provide a needed check and balance on the contents and effectiveness of the programs. And all faculty should be encouraged to engage with local companies to be sure that they are in touch with the skills needed by companies so that classroom material and assignments can reflect this reality. All this needs to be done with conviction by faculty and administration rather than a simple "I did it".
Extend our reach beyond the community— to a wider audience. Then our local community will benefit.
The growing international population (faculty, staff and students) needs to be better integrated within YSU and the surrounding communities. There are many cultural differences that need to be understood by all parties, and a better introduction to American life in regards to basic necessities such as year round housing accommodations, laundry, groceries, hygiene conversations, recreation activities, and better communication by Americans with foreigners. Much can be gleaned from the knowledge and experiences of foreigners by Americans and vice versa. These initiatives should be addressed by the entire campus and local communities.
YSU should be an intellectual oasis offering students a high quality comprehensive undergraduate education. We should also essentially strive to be a Research 2 university; offering students in the Valley opportunities not only for immediate employment, but preparation for graduate study.
It is vital that YSU work with industry to make products in the valley which employ both our students' hands and their minds. However, I believe it is equally vital that YSU continue to play a very big role in the valley by recording, displaying, and archiving the history of the Mahoning Valley across Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties. I would hope to see YSU expanding its historic interests and ties to past industries beyond just the steel industry, to include earlier histories, and even that of the Native Americans who lived in the Valley. YSU has an opportunity with the changes happening in the History Department to look more widely at this region with greater emphasis on all peoples, all immigrants to the region, and to serve the community more widely.
I believe we should be providing opportunities for our students to bring the gap to becoming reflective citizens in their communities. I realize campus groups do community service but what are we doing to promote service by our graduates once they leave the university. Exposure of our students from campus organizations to International Organizations such as Lions International or Kiwanis International to name a few. I believe we should be offering these groups on campus to encourage our youth to be involved after graduation in their communities.
Let's see, I believe we have the responsibility to guide our students into their home communities after graduation. On campus we are providing opportunities to serve in many ways. The however is this thought. How can we expose them to the various service groups that exist in their home communities or communities where they land their jobs. Should we consider offering campus groups such as Lions International or Kiwanis International for example. I am sure there are local clubs in these organizations that would be willing to help our YSU Students become acquainted with these service organization.
Another thought is for YSU to serve as a resource for STEM and STEAM programs that are gaining momentum throughout. I believe we are doing that to some degree but are we all inclusive with grades K-12.
Targeted and limited. I think that generally as a faculty, especially with resources as tight as they are, we try to do too much in this regard; this drains energy and resources from our core activities. That said, there are excellent linkages that are strong, effective and already consume budget lines...such as the planetarium, the museums on campus, and some of the outstanding annual events. These are great and should be supported in perpetuity through other means (AKA separate endowments). We probably do not target all these community engagement deals well enough; do they really serve to raise the stature of YSU in the eyes of the community and thus attract students here? ALSO in light of the fact that we are trying to draw students from further away, we should rethink/retool our community engagement activities to serve the greater NEOhio/WPa region and not just the city of Youngstown and immediately surrounding area. One way to do that would be to help (with $$ or in kind) school teams/groups from beyond our immediate area to join in these activities. I think some $$ in that direction would pay off
YSU should be the "go-to" experts and professionals on any topic in our community. If a member of the news media needs information or an expert opinion on a current event then we should be the first they turn to. We have smart people doing important and often ground breaking work. We should be the very first choice for comment when the circumstances arise.
Every major committee, foundation, initiative and working group in our community from STEM to the arts should include someone from YSU. If that means we must seek out those recommendations and opportunities, then so be it. I believe we have the reputation of not participating if the committee isn't one that garners funding or media attention. We will never be engaged in the community if we don't engage WITH the community. It is far too easy to become bogged down with University related committees, task forces etc., while we forget that our brain trust is needed outside of the walls of this institution. Employees ( not just those at the director level or above) should be given the latitude to work within the framework of their jobs to advance the University's initiatives away from their own desks.
YSU's role in the community should be very public and opinionated. As Youngstown's only 4 year college in the city, it is very important upcoming students know around the area how amazing YSU is for the town and themselves. YSU should join many public forums and organizations or have members of the university join community organizations to figure what YSU should invest their time and money into. The organizations should be focused on city clean up, city improvement, and homelessness throughout the city. If YSU focuses on the real problems in the city, it will make the university more appealing as well as the city of Youngstown.
YSU should build on our already strong Arts/Media/Cultural programs and non-profit organizations in the region by fully developing partnerships between the university and these entities (i.e., Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Western Reserve, Butler Institute, Youngstown Playhouse, Tyler/Arms). These partnerships could include shared installation/exhibition/performance opportunities and facilities, internships for our students, creative/scholarly opportunities for our faculty, coordination of events scheduling - there are countless possibilities. It is well documented that the fine, media, and cultural arts contribute significantly to revitalization and economic redevelopment. Consider these two excerpts from the book, "Cultural Districts: The Arts As a Strategy for Revitalizing Our Cities Cultural Districts:"
"The number of events in the Pittsburgh Cultural District increased from 250 in 1986 to nearly 600 in 1994 with audiences doubling to more than one million annually. In its first decade of operation, the district generated $33 million in public investment and $63 million in private and philanthropic funds, which in turn triggered $115 million in commercial activity. Tax revenues in the district from real estate and performances increased from $7.9 million in 1986 to $19.1 million in 1994.
"Three years after establishing the Tucson Arts District, 26 of the 112 businesses in the arts district were new, 54% had increased their sales volume, and 53% made renovations, with an average cost of $105,272 each. Within four years, the retail vacancy rate declined by 50% and city sales tax revenues in the arts district increased 11.7%, compared with a citywide increase of 7.4%.
"The role of the arts in urban redevelopment: Beautify and Animate cities. Provide employment. Attract residents and tourists to the city. Complement adjacent businesses. Enhance property values. Expand the tax base. Attract well-educated employees. Contribute to a creative, innovative environment."
In the last year's report from the National Endowment for the Arts (data was reflective of 2015, the most recent reporting year), the arts contributed $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy (more than agriculture, transportation, or warehousing). The arts employed 4.9 million workers across the country with earnings of more than $370 billion. Furthermore, the arts exported $20 billion more than imported, providing a positive trade balance.
Links: https://www.arts.gov/news/2018/arts-contribute-more-760-billion-us-economy
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/nea-arts-economic-study-1484587
In Ohio, the arts added $17.5 billion to the economy (2/9% of the state's economy), employing over 174,000 people.
https://www.arts.gov/artistic-fields/research-analysis/arts-data-profiles/arts-data-profile-17
There are numerous other examples of cities across the country that have successfully embedded strong arts components as essential to their areas' redevelopment efforts - with amazing results.
Cultural institutions and their activities significantly affect the development of the physical environment of localities and play a critical role in transforming neighborhoods into more attractive places to work and invest. Cultural resources are one of the most important factors in determining the quality of life for community residents. Universities can provide leadership for the development and transformation of the cultural landscape, which will open opportunities for closer collaborative relationships between the university and its surrounding community. By creating strong shared-benefit partnerships with other local cultural institutions, the university can sustain and grow the cultural landscape, which will directly benefit students, faculty, staff and community residents.
To attract businesses and industries to the area by promoting the outstanding programs we offer and the amazing graduates we produce. To educate the current leaders of local businesses and industries to value, recruit and subsequently compensate those students who earn degrees from YSU.