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YOUNGSTOWN -- Among the number of students Youngstown State University has absorbed from Eastern Gateway Community College, a significant number of them plan to take their education a major step higher, a university official says.
Of the 475 students who have transferred from EGCC, which plans to dissolve Oct. 31, 74 of them intend to go beyond obtaining two-year associate degrees by pursuing four-year bachelor's degrees in an array of fields, Becky Rose, the university's communications and marketing director, said after Thursday morning's quarterly board of trustees meeting in Tod Hall.
In addition, those numbers are part of the 106.5% increase in the number of new transfer students, according to a news release issued earlier this week.
During the one-hour session, trustees unanimously passed a resolution regarding the 14th-day enrollment report, which showed a 10.7% increase this fall semester, compared to one year ago. The 14-day period after the first day of classes takes into account the time students have to drop classes.
Specifically, enrollment this semester is 12,164 students, significantly higher than the 10,993 figure for the fall 2023 semester, according to the release. The rise marks the largest enrollment in six years.
The increase, which runs contrary to national and state trends, also aligns with what should be a "vibrant future" for the university, YSU President Bill Johnson said in his report to the board.
The overall enrollment increase also includes more than 60 students from Vietnam, which reflects YSU's largest international student cohort ever, Johnson said.
YSU's largest increase was in the number of associate degree students, at nearly 218%.
Also, the university plans to expand its reach and scope via a Thought Leader series aimed at bringing in speakers from across the country to address topics that might not otherwise have been available to students, he added.
Johnson noted that a major renovation project to Kilcawley Center could begin in May 2025. Efforts to raise funds for the project, estimated at $40 million, are underway, he said, adding that the work may take more than two years.
"It's a home away from home now for over 12,000 students, so it needs a little attention," the president said.
The facility, which is a key hub for student services as well as restaurants and other retail businesses, opened in the 1960s but has undergone few renovations and improvements, Johnson added.
Also at the session, Zane A. Perrico, a junior majoring in physics and mathematics, was sworn in as the newest student trustee.