(This is No. 10 of the top 10 stories of the year as voted on by newsroom staff.)

YOUNGSTOWN — This year has been one of self-assessment for Youngstown State University as it faces a 5 percent decline in student enrollment and budget concerns that have had a negative impact on the university’s revenue.

Going forward, YSU is navigating through a change in leadership after President Jim Tressel announced plans to step down, ending his eight-year tenure as YSU president.

His final year has been challenging.

In February, the university cut seven full-time faculty members in alignment with the findings from a comprehensive review. The review looked at 145 YSU programs, a process that began more than a year ago, to better determine which ones were poised to have future relevance and future potential for enrollment growth.

The cost-saving measure saved the university about $477,000.

The cuts came after fall 2021 semester enrollment dropped by 1,398.

Neal McNally, vice president for finance and business operations, projected a possible $10 million revenue shortfall if enrollment continued to decrease in the 2022-23 school year.

The cuts were related to the November’s 2021 decision to eliminate 26 associate , bachelor and masters level academic programs, all of which had few or no students.

Also citing struggles with inflation, the YSU Board of Trustees approved a 4.6 percent tuition increase for incoming freshmen.

Incoming fall students paid $5,205.24 per semester, compared to the $4,976.40 rate per semester those freshman paid in fall 2021. McNally urged the tuition increase to give the university more financial leniency and ability to operate more efficiently.

Pushback from the Youngstown Ohio Education Association and student-led protests illustrated resistance toward change the university is considering.

A report announced by Mark Vopat, the YSU-OEA spokesman in February, announced its own financial findings following a November meeting where YSU trustees identified 179 courses that are recommended to be consolidated, rotated or not offered in the future.

In response to the union’s own analysis, Vopat said that further program closures and faculty terminations are not necessary.

“YSU is currently in good financial condition, with solid cash flows and reserves — approximately $90 million — modest debt levels, a stable bond rating, and increasing state support,” he said in the statement.Responding to the analysis by Howard Bunsis, a professor of accounting at Eastern Michigan University, a statement from YSU administration asserts the union’s report only furthers the need to remain proactive and prudent moving forward. McNally said: “The faculty union seems to think that the university shouldn’t make difficult decisions unless and until the university is in a financial crisis. To the contrary, we must make difficult decisions in order to avoid a future financial crisis that would otherwise happen if we ignore the enrollment and demographic realities that we’re faced with.”

No decisions have been made since the November meeting, when trustees shared the report showing 495 courses of 2,130 were determined to meet YSU’s definition of low-enrolled and of those 337 met the state chancellor’s definition of low-enrolled, according to a summary of the report.

YSU, however, is not ending immediately any major or program. If it happens that a program is deemed no longer viable, the university would stop accepting students into that program, but would ensure any student already in the program would be able to finish, a university spokesman has said.

cmcbride@tribtoday.com