YSU-Steubenville builds momentum in first weeks
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STEUBENVILLE -- One of the first things you notice when you reach the top of the steps that lead from the parking lot to the sidewalk that takes you to the main entrance of Youngstown State University-Steubenville is the fire hydrant.
It looks like a penguin -- Pete, the school’s mascot, to be exact -- and it was painted to look that way on purpose.
“Did you see the penguin?” Jennifer Board, executive director of the local campus, asked earlier this week. “All of the fire hydrants on the main campus are painted to look like Pete. You walk by this one every day. The person who does the ones on the main campus was here two weeks ago, and he finished Pete -- I am very happy with my fire hydrant.
“I think it’s the small things that make a difference,” she added.
While a couple of hydrants on the back side of the building that sits along Sunset Boulevard have yet to get their new look, being greeted by the penguin is symbolic of all the things that are going on there.
“We keep seeing excitement and momentum and students enrolling,” she said. “I think that as the word gets out, people will know that YSU is here to help. I try to walk the hallways and see how things are going. The students seem to be happy.”
Enrollment numbers won’t become official until later this coming week, but Board said the experience so far has been a positive one for students and faculty members.
“I talked with a student the other day who had just started working on her associate’s degree, and she’s already thinking about what her next step will be -- ‘How can I get my bachelor’s degree with YSU?’ -- which is wonderful to hear. Hopefully, that’s the next thing we will offer,” Board said.
“The faculty that I have run into are finding the students to be engaged -- they are taking notes, and they are actively participating in class, which is a good thing. They are attending their classes. It’s something I always tell students -- go to class, go to class, go to class,” she added.
Classes started for the majority of students Aug. 24. The exception was the law enforcement program, which started Aug. 17. Those dates marked the return of education to the building that had sat mostly empty for around two years since the former Eastern Gateway Community College was shut down.
“We’re just working on listening to the students and finding out if we are missing anything or if there is something that we are not providing,” Board said.
Ensuring students stay connected not only with the offerings at the Steubenville campus but also with what is available from the main campus is important, Board added. That’s why the school’s student affairs department is planning to hold a resource fair at the local campus. The goal will be to talk about programs designed to promote academic success, including tutoring.
Those enrolled also will have the chance to learn about the opportunities available to them as YSU students -- they can attend athletic events and have access to facilities, just like students who are studying at the main campus.
A faculty member, Board said, will be heading up a writing center where help will be available during extensive hours.
“We want to make sure that students have all of the services that a student on the main campus has, whether that’s tutoring services, writing services of whatever it might be,” Board explained.
That includes access to the school’s Maag Library. Students can request resources from the library, and they will be delivered to the Steubenville campus once a week.
Response from the community has been very good, Board said.
“We had a display at the Jefferson County Fair, and you always have alumni coming up to you,” she said. “That will be a great opportunity for us to work with the alumni in the county and the surrounding region -- how can we get the alumni involved? But they are excited. I had one woman who came up to me and she had not one, not two but three children who had graduated from Youngstown State.
“So, you hear that, but you also just hear the thank-yous for being here, and that they are so glad somebody is here and it’s another opportunity -- another affordable opportunity,” Board added. “We have others, we know this, but this is just another opportunity for students to pursue higher education.”
Another example she offered involved YSU T-shirts.
“I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of shirts I unloaded at the beginning, and not one single T-shirt came back when we tore down,” Board said. “There are a lot of people with YSU T-shirts running around the area. People are happy, and we are here to serve the area and give to students and adults.”
Getting that message about available educational opportunities is important, she said.
“We’re looking at spring applications, which are open for January,” Board said. “Those already are in progress, and fall of 2027 -- it seems a long time away, but that application is open.”
She said the school will be participating in college and career fairs -- like the one the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce will be holding from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 17 at the St. Florian Event Center -- and building relationships with local high schools.
Board added the local campus is about more than giving high school students an opportunity to continue their education -- classes are available to adults who are looking to get back into the workforce or for additional training.
Another goal, she added, is to make sure the campus is accessible to the community. That includes hosting events like the 77th annual exhibit of the Steubenville Art Association. The grand opening is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Sept. 17. Board said they have received several requests from groups interested in using the facility for meetings and other events, and added school officials are working on policies and procedures that will allow that to happen.
Overall, Board explained, students and faculty members are happy with the way the first couple of weeks at the Steubenville campus have gone.
“If you already, not even a full two weeks in, have a student asking about and looking forward to how she can finish her bachelor’s degree with YSU, that’s a good sign about how she’s feeling in class and how she’s interacting with her faculty members. We have that opportunity for students, and we are looking forward to that,” she said.