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YSU's Dunn Puts Focus on Enrollment, Partnerships
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Youngstown State University is one of the state’s open access institutions, but that doesn’t mean “open enrolment for every student that comes through the door,” says the university’s new president, Randy Dunn.
“It’s time for us to start defining what open access means,” Dunn told the YSU community during his first State of the University address this morning.
YSU needs to adapt as the state of Ohio moves from funding state colleges and universities based on an enrollment-based model to one based on graduation rates, Dunn said. In some cases, that will mean advising students to pursue preparatory work at Eastern Gateway Community College rather than starting at YSU, he said.
YSU, which is anticipating a drop in students for the third consecutive year this semester, will work “very aggressively to “move the needle” on enrollment, Dunn said.
Part of that will involve rethinking catchment areas and looking at “signature academic programs” such as additive manufacturing and many of the university’s health-related programs that have the potential to attract students from many states, and making YSU not just a “university of place” but also a “university of destination," he continued.
Additionally, YSU is going to focus on growing partnerships wth businesses, municipalities and other institutions in the community.
While the university is going to be “wide open” in terms of the kinds of partnerships it pursues, it also will be selective and focus on “deep, thick, rich relationships,” Dunn said.
For more on Dunn's speech, watch today's Daily Buzz webcast posted this afternoon and read reaction to the address tomorrow morning at BusinessJournalDaily.com.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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