Macte Virtute

Dynamic, Determined and Discerning, at Work, at Home and in the Community

We don’t need a map to tell us that Penguin Country is vast and wide. Those of us who wear our Penguin pride on our sleeves and travel around the country a bit can attest that there are YSU graduates, parents and supporters everywhere. There’s hardly a place we go where we don’t run into someone who went to YSU or knows someone who attended YSU.

The map on the Alumni News page surely bears that to be true. From Hawaii (49) and Alaska (38) to California (1,455) and Florida (3,297), Youngstown State University graduates are in communities across the nation – nurses, engineers, teachers, police officers, artists, bankers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, authors . . . you name it.

Earlier this year, during our Penguin football run to the national championship game, we came to understand and appreciate again the passion our alums have for their alma mater. From Tampa, Las Vegas and Charlotte to Washington D.C., New York and Columbus, thousands of YSU supporters turned out for nearly a dozen alumni-sponsored game day watch parties. The Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown hosted 4,000 fans alone.

But it’s not just at championship time that our alums turn out. Hundreds of our graduates come back to campus every year to share their expertise in the classroom and help counsel students on their futures. Thousands of others provide support through philanthropic gifts.

And the presence of proud Penguins doesn’t stop at our borders. In fact, we have alumni living in 80 countries in every continent across the world. For instance, earlier this year, a delegation from YSU, the Youngstown Business Incubator and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation visited Israel for several meetings with university, business and government officials. During the trip, we had the privilege of meeting up with YSU alum Nadav Batsha of the Israel Electric Corp. A recent trip to China by another YSU delegation also included meetings with alumni. And earlier this year, a representative from our International Programs Office travelled to Ghana to meet alumni in that region.

So, as we near the end of another successful academic year, it’s important to remember that what we do here on campus day-in and day-out culminates in smart, motivated and forward-thinking men and women who go out and make their marks on the world – not only as successful professionals, but also as community leaders, volunteers, parents and grandparents.

Therein lies YSU’s true legacy. Yes, our central mission remains to provide a quality, broad-based higher education in a variety of disciplines. But we also work to help students evolve into discerning, dynamic and determined individuals at work, at home and in their communities. You will read about many of those individuals in this issue of our magazine. Enjoy and . . .

Go Penguins,

James P. Tressel, President