YSU to add 2 medical majors

By Harold Gwin

Both majors fit in with the region’s aging population, YSU officials said.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University plans to offer a new major in gerontology this fall and another in radiography in fall 2009.

The Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the university’s board of trustees approved plans for both Tuesday.

The issue will come up for a formal vote before the trustees June 20, but also must win the approval of the Ohio Board of Regents, which governs higher education in Ohio’s public universities.

This region has some of the oldest demographics in the country, Dr. Daniel Van Dussen, assistant professor of gerontology, told the trustee committee.

A bachelor of arts degree in gerontology with an interdisciplinary educational experience will enhance graduates’ employment opportunities and serve the needs of the region’s aging population, he said.

A community advisory committee already has been created to help provide links to the community, he said.

The long-term goal would be to see the program expand to include a master’s and perhaps a doctorate degree, Van Dussen said.

The university could even develop a regional gerontology institute, he said.

A projection shows the program would attract between 50 and 60 students over a five-year period.

Dr. Ikram Khawaja, interim provost, said there will be little need for any significant change in staff or facilities to begin offering the degree.

There are already plans to add a sociology faculty member with a background in the field, and other current faculty will teach related courses, he said.

Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president, called the program “a great example” of reacting to the needs of the community.

An associate degree in applied science in radiography could be offered in fall 2009.

Projections show the program could enroll 60 students in the first year.

It’s a two-year program that could lead to a bachelor’s and master’s degree in related health fields, said Dr. Joseph J. Mistovich, professor and chairman of the Department of Health Professions. It also could lead to the development of other specialty majors in health care, he said, citing a growing need for workers in that field.

He said Humility of Mary Health Partners has expressed an interest in working with YSU to offer clinical experiences for students enrolled in the program.

The ideal program also would have an on-campus radiography lab equipped with computed (digital) radiography equipment. The cost would be about $120,000. A full-time faculty or administrative program director will be required.

Trustee H.S. Wang asked if the new program might not be absorbed by the proposed community college that is to open in the Mahoning Valley in 2009. YSU is involved in the planning process for that college.

Mistovich said he doesn’t know the answer, but that YSU’s plan for offering this particular degree has been in the works since last fall.

gwin@vindy.com