Youngstown Association School (1908–1921) Youngstown Institute of Technology (1921–1928) Youngstown College (1928–1955) Youngstown University (1955–1967)
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges and a graduate college. Youngstown State University has over 100 undergraduate degree programs and 50 graduate degree programs serving over 11,000 students in studies up to the doctoral level. Beyond its current student body, the university has more than 115,000 alumni across the country and around the world.
The university's origins trace back to 1908, when the local branch of the YMCA established a school of law within the Youngstown Association School.[5] In 1921, the school became known as the Youngstown Institute of Technology and offered its first evening courses.[5] In 1928, a year after establishing a College of Arts and Sciences, the institute once again changed its name to Youngstown College. In 1955, the name was changed again to Youngstown University to reflect the school's broadening curriculum.[5] On September 1, 1967, after becoming a public institution, it was renamed once more to Youngstown State University.[5] The following spring, YSU opened a Graduate School and College of Applied Science and Technology. In 1974, the College of Fine and Performing Arts was established.
In August 2005, just before the start of the 2005–06 academic year, two of four campus unions were on strike. Following the conclusion of the strike, relations remained strained, with some faculty and staff calling for the resignation of YSU president David Sweet in May 2007.[6]
Kilcawley Center is the university's student center, located at the center of campus. It features reading rooms, computer labs, a copying center, a variety of restaurants and student affairs offices. Offices for many university student media outlets are housed here, including student newspaper The Jambar, student magazine The Yo, and student radio Rookery Radio. There are also many meeting and seminar rooms, which can be rented out for community events.[8]
Jones Hall
Jones Hall, often the building that welcomes those coming onto YSU's campus, was built in 1931 and is one of the campus's oldest buildings, having been built in 1931. The building was renamed Jones Hall in honor of the institution's first president, Dr. Howard Jones. Today, the building is used as administrative office space.[8]
Fok Hall houses the Sokolov Honors College, which consists of administrative offices and classrooms. It was built in 1893 and is the oldest building on campus.[8] Previously the Alumni Building, Fok Hall was renamed in 2014 after a $2.5 million donation to the university by Maria Fok, whose late husband was a professor and trustee of YSU.[9]
In 2013, the former Wick Pollock Inn was converted into the university president's house. The three-year project to renovate the mansion cost YSU over $4 million.[10]
The first facility of its kind at any university in Ohio, the 6,000 sq. ft., fully handicap-accessible Veterans Resource Center houses the Office of Veteran Affairs, as well as lounges, computer labs, and community spaces reserved for student veterans, currently serving members of the military, and military-dependent students.[8]
Home to the YSU Foundation, Melnick Hall is also home to the university's public radio station, WYSU-FM 88.5, which is affiliated with NPR and American Public Media.[8]
Bliss Hall is the home of the Cliffe College of Creative Arts, including the Departments of Art, Theater & Dance, and the Dana School of Music. This building also houses the Department of Communication with programs in communication studies, journalism, and multimedia communications. The building, completed in 1977, features the 390-seat Ford Theatre, the 248-seat Bliss Recital Hall, an experimental theatre, 80 practice rooms with Steinway pianos, TV studio, and audio production labs, as well as the Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, and fully equipped ceramics, photography, metals, and other artistic studios.[8]
Ward Beecher Hall houses the departments of biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. The five-story original unit was constructed in 1958, a major addition was built in 1967 and a small addition comprising chemical storerooms was completed in 1997. The building contains 31 laboratories, including a planetarium and greenhouse, nine classrooms, 53 faculty-research rooms, and a seminar room. Ward Beecher houses the university's planetarium, which opened in 1967 and includes a planetarium projector.
Tod Hall houses the administrative offices of many university officials, including the president, provost, and the Board of Trustees, as well as the Offices of Assessment, Marketing Communications, Human Resources, and others.[8] Other academic buildings on campus include Beeghly Hall, Coffelt Hall, Cushwa Hall, DeBartolo Hall, Fedor Hall, Lincoln Building, Meshel Hall, Moser Hall, Phelps Building, Sweeney Hall, Williamson Hall.[8]
Museums
The McDonough Museum of Art is one of two art museums located in Youngstown, Ohio. The McDonough Museum of Art is closely affiliated with the university, acting as an outreach for the Department of Art. The 14,000 sq. ft. space serves as a showing facility for art students and faculty alike, as well as local and regional talents.[8][11]
The Butler Institute of American Art is located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio. Falling directly on YSU's campus, it is the flagship art museum of the city.
Academics
Greenspace between Jones Hall and Maag Library (right)
The university comprises seven undergraduate and graduate colleges:[12]
Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Science & Education
Bitonte College of Health and Human Services
Cliffe College of Creative Arts
College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
The Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University was deemed an "All-Steinway" school in 2004. The Dana School of Music is one of the oldest non-conservatory schools of music in the United States.[15] The Williamson College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
In addition to traditional four-year programs, Youngstown State University also offers online degree programs and three-year degree pathways.[12] Since 2004, YSU has participated in the Youngstown Early College program, through which students from the Youngstown City School District can take courses for college credit and earn an associate's degree while in high school.[16]
Centers and institutes
YSU operates several Centers of Excellence and designated research and economic development programs, including the Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering, the Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Engineering, the Center of Excellence in International Business, the Center for Applied Chemical Biology, the Institute for Applied Topology, and effective in 2012, the Natural Gas and Water Resources Institute.
Youngstown State University is also home to the Center for Working Class Studies and offers a Regional and American Studies program, which was the first of its kind in the United States. The school assisted the University of Chicago in developing a similar program.
The university's Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies was put into jeopardy when Jacob Ari Labendz, the only professor at YSU qualified to teach Holocaust studies, was laid off in 2021.[17][18]
Library
The Maag Library opened in 1976 and was named after one of the local public library and Youngstown State University's trustees, William F. Maag, Jr.[19] Before it opened, Maag Library became a member of the Federal Depository Library Program in 1971.[19] Currently, it is a six-story building with over 500,000 volumes in-house, as well as access to the collections of 84 other Ohio institutions via participation in the OhioLINK program. The building also houses the writing center and the university's English Language Institute.[8]
Located on the fifth floor of Maag Library, the Archives and Special Collections at Youngstown State is meant to preserve items with historical significance to the school, Youngstown and Mahoning County, as well as its history in the iron and steel industry.[20]
Student life
As of fall 2019, the student body totaled approximately 12,155, 10% of whom were dual-enrolled high school students.[3] YSU has approximately 2,100 full and part-time employees and 426 full-time faculty with 543 part-time faculty. 165 faculty members have full-professor rank, with 79% of the instructors holding doctorates or terminal degrees. The university has a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1.
YSU owns and operates five on-campus residence halls: Cafaro House, Kilcawley House, Lyden House, Weller House, and Wick House.[21] Numerous privately-owned student apartment complexes are located close to YSU's campus.[22][23]
