Grove City, YSU rank high on test

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A grant approved this week will connect YSU's research program to industry.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — A national survey calling into question the civic literacy of American college students has placed Youngstown State University and Grove City College students near the top of the list for knowledge.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute sponsored a survey conducted by the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy. Students from 50 universities in the United States were surveyed. The survey tested students' civic literacy upon entering college and compared that with students' civic literacy upon graduation.

YSU President Dr. David Sweet told members of the board of trustees Friday that YSU ranked 12th on the list of 50 universities. Grove City College was ranked fourth on the list.

Sweet said the results of the survey are a testament to the students at YSU.

"This just goes to show we have a wonderful group of students contributing to this university in wonderful ways," he said.

Sweet said it is important to note that YSU was ranked higher than several other notable universities included in the survey such as Princeton, Harvard and Stanford.

Enrollment increases

Sweet also told members of the board of trustees that student enrollment at the university is steadily on the rise. After taking a slight dip from 13,101 to 12,812 between 2004 and 2005, enrollment at the university has climbed to 13,183, Sweet said.

"We have significant increases in all categories ... particularly incoming graduate students saw a nice bump after struggling in that area for sometime," he said.

Sweet said the university must now strive to retain those students gained through recruitment efforts. He said a variety of assistance tools will be provided to those students.

"There is a whole range of services we will provide. Our goal is to recruit students, retain students and ultimately graduate those students. It is not enough to just recruit," he said.

Federal program

In other university-related news, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, announced late Friday that Congress approved this week a $1 million federal earmark for YSU, which Ryan had inserted into a Defense Department spending bill. The money will expand the university's CyberEnabled Industrial Innovation Center (CEIIC).

The program, which is administered by YSU's chemistry department, allows off-campus research and academic institutions to remotely access certain YSU research and testing equipment via the Internet. Expanding the YSU CEIIC program will allow the already successful academic research program to begin providing direct services to industry.

"The CyberEnabled technology program is a great example of the innovation now taking place across the Mahoning Valley," Ryan said. "I believe very strongly that we need to continue to support these types of programs and also look for more ways to fully develop our area's potential."

jgoodwin@vindy.com

Saturday, September 30, 2006