Enrollment, quality indicators trend upward

Most major enrollment trends are on an upward trajectory since Youngstown State University changed its admissions approach four years ago.

Freshman enrollment, honors college students, grade point averages, ACT test scores and retention rates have all continued to increase.

“These are all very positive numbers, moving in the right direction and significantly changing the makeup of the student body at YSU,” said Gary Swegan, associate vice president for Enrollment Management.

The enrollment report was among several items discussed during two days of meetings of the YSU Board of Trustees this week. The board also approved a new contract with classified employees, agreed to establish a fall student break and approved the conferral of two honorary doctorate degrees.

Four years ago, YSU changed from open admissions to a more selective process. The change was, for the most part, in response to the state of Ohio’s new funding formula for public universities that was based more on student success and outcomes, rather than enrollment.

The result is an across-the-board increase in student quality indicators: YSU Honors College freshmen up from 96 in 2014 to 333 this year; freshman high school GPAs up from 3.12 to 3.31; ACT test scores up from 21.09 to 21.8. In addition, the retention rate, which represents the percentage of students enrolled as freshmen and returning as sophomores, increased from 67 percent to nearly 75 percent in the same period.

The report also shows that the percentage of students defaulting on their school loans has plummeted, from 20 percent in 2014 to a projected 13 percent this year.

“We are more committed than ever to bringing students to YSU who are prepared to meet the challenges of college, to help them reach their potential, to guide them to graduating on time and to ensuring that they leave here with a job and with little or no debt,” President Jim Tressel said.

Meanwhile, the board also ratified a new three-year contract with employees represented by the Association for Classified Employees. “We appreciate the effort of both the administrative and the classified employees’ negotiating teams to develop a contract that is very forward-looking,” President Jim Tressel said.

Provost Martin Abraham reported to the board that the academic calendar will be slightly altered starting Fall 2019 to provide a fall break for students. The change is being made after a recommendation by Student Government. The Fall 2019 semester will begin on Monday, Aug. 19, and will include a fall break on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 14 and 15.

Trustees also approved resolutions to award honorary doctorate degrees to Bill Bodine and Brian Wolf at Spring commencement in May. Bodine is a Grammy Award-winning composer whose credits include numerous TV appearances and who has written for top music artists. Wolf is executive director of the Marion G. Resch Foundation, which has given more than $2 million to YSU.

Commencement is Saturday, May 5, in Beeghly Center on campus. The 9:30 a.m. ceremony is for students in the Williamson College of Business Administration, the Beeghly College of Education, and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The 2:30 p.m. ceremony is for students in the College of Creative Arts and Communication, the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services, and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.