YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University is in the beginning stages of assembling a committee to work on an updated campus master plan to align with adjustments some campus officials think will be needed to address a long-term decline in enrollment.

The two reasons for the predicted drop in student numbers are the continued loss of population in the Mahoning Valley, meaning a smaller pool of high school graduates; and uncertainty regarding the ongoing health pandemic. Such a plan would have to address what some see as an excess amount of physical space, given these factors, explained Neal P. McNally, vice president for finance and business operations.

“COVID aside, if you look at the demographic trends and our enrollment trends, it seems clear that we need to prepare to be a smaller university,” he said. “If we’ve learned anything at all from the pandemic, it’s that we probably have more space on campus than what we actually need.”

Such a plan for operations should be tailored to allow YSU to optimize and perhaps consolidate some of its office and classroom space, a move that “could go a long way in helping to address our budget challenges, because less space on campus should translate into lower costs” regarding building maintenance, energy use and other expenses, he continued.

The master plan has yet to be drafted, so it’s too early to say what will be included specifically, McNally said, noting that it’s been nearly 20 years since the university last updated it.

McNally added, however, that he hopes the plan also “considers its impact on YSU’s neighbors,” including the Butler Institute of American Art.

During its quarterly meeting earlier this month, the university’s board of trustees approved a resolution for a property-exchange agreement between the 102-year-old Wick Avenue museum and YSU.

More than 20 years ago, the Butler built a 19,000-square-foot Beecher Center addition, a portion of which was on YSU property. The wing, built in collaboration with the university via a $3.25 million appropriation from the state and a 15-year joint-use agreement between the two entities, has been used to teach, distribute, research and exhibit art via technology-driven and electronic media. The museum is planning to construct another addition to the center on land the university owns.

The agreement has allowed YSU access to the Beecher Center for classes, exhibitions, research, seminars, continuing-education programs, lecture series and other uses.

For its part, YSU is interested in acquiring from the Butler three small parcels next to one another near Tod Hall that include 11 parking spaces the university frequently uses. The two sets of properties being exchanged are similar in size.

In addition, an updated plan could take into account the status of Kilcawley Center, built in the late 1960s, that some university officials feel is outdated.

Students the center serves today are “much different” from those who attended YSU when the student-activity and food-service facility was built more than 50 years ago, McNally said, noting that the university’s contract with Chartwells Dining Service will expire in 2023. The plan also would need to take into account how dining options will be after that, he added.

Joy Polkabla Byers, associate vice president of student experiences who will help lead the effort, said the master plan also will include student input, though she was unable to provide specifics.

University President Jim Tressel has called for an “aggressive planning” initiative that will focus on Kilcawley Center and the rest of the campus.

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