There are so many positive things to say about this institution both academically and personally.
The academic:
I graduated from YSU in 1983. My late wife graduated in 1982. YSU offered hope for so many young people of my generation. We witnessed, first hand, the harsh reality of deindustrialization on a town dominated by a single industry. Our prospects locally were bleak, our parents were unfamiliar with the strategies required to navigate this new economic landscape, so our hopes rested on an education. YSU was our local option. Back then, it was relatively inexpensive too. Tuition was low compared to today's standards, and grants and scholarships were easy to come by. YSU was a step or two behind the computer wave, but they adapted enough to provide me with the education needed to land and hold a 38 year career with a large tech company. I did have to move to get that job, but we never lost touch with this area, the people, and YSU. Years later, we were able to move back to the area. When my wife decided to become a mental health counselor, she again turned to YSU to get her BA in Psychology. This enabled her to eventually become a School Psychologist in one of the city's high schools. Our educations paid dividends beyond our wildest expectations. We provided well for our family, my wife helped countless youth who were struggling with a difficult start in life, and it gave us the opportunity to travel and experience things that those who lived in past generations, tied to the steel mills, would have struggled to access. I believe YSU is still a great place to gain the foundation to put yourself on a path to a fulfilling life. And who knows, you just might meet that person to spend the rest of your life with.
The personal:
This is where my wife and I met. Inner Circle Pizza, across the street and now closed, served as the lunch spot for our earliest "dates". We started a conversation there that turned into a 38.5 year love affair and marriage. I came back on what would have been our 39th anniversary. It was 7 months since she passed. I was so happy that Cushwa Hall, Kilcawley Center, and the Maag Library were all open so I could retrace some of the most memorable steps of my long life.
The campus has changed. The green spaces have filled in beautifully. The veneer on the buildings and surrounding thoroughfares has been polished, taking on the air of any other fine university town that I've visited. Like me and my late wife, the university has shaken off some of that grittiness that was endemic in this town oh so many years ago. But it hasn't lost the values that made this area such a great place in which to be rooted.
I'll forever be thankful for YSU's purpose, mission, and presence in my life. read more