YOUNGSTOWN — Even though countless colleges and universities across the state and nation face a future of uncertainties and likely enrollment and other challenges, Youngstown State University finds itself anchored in relatively calm waters, a top official contends.

“Ohio universities are competing for a smaller pool of high school graduates at a time when fewer of them are considering college,” Jennifer Pintar, YSU provost and vice president of academic affairs, said.

More than 100 faculty members, students and others attended Pintar’s State of Academic Affairs presentation Tuesday afternoon at YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration to gain a better idea of the university’s primary goals, priorities and challenges — and how officials plan to address those.

The fall semester begins Monday.

In her 45-minute address, Pintar stressed the value of working as a team to attract and retain a greater number of high school students against a grim backdrop of fewer potential candidates. That was a driving force behind making this semester’s theme “collaborative engagement,” she said.

Between Aug. 1 and Friday, about 1,859 students registered for the fall semester, bringing the overall number to 11,913, Pintar said. Official fall 2024 enrollment was 12,164.

This fall’s true figures, however, will not be known after the 14th day of the semester, Becky Rose, YSU spokeswoman, noted.

The enrollment numbers also reflect an upward trend since the 2023-24 school year.

“That happened because we worked as a team,” Pintar said, specifying that the positive outcome was largely the result of university stakeholders “coming together, keeping together and working together.”

Another goal is to attract 250 to 350 new international students per year, she added.

Pintar ticked off several of YSU’s achievements in the past year that were focused on upholding and maintaining greater accountability and transparency. They included establishing a provost leadership group, creating increased dialogue via town hall gatherings and meetings with support staff from the Office of Academic Affairs, meeting individually with departments to set their program goals and action steps, and collaborating on the university’s Academic Master Plan, she said.

Key reasons for collective engagement as this year’s theme that relate to, and are important for, students are academic quality, cost and financial aid, job placement, internships, applied learning and overall campus safety. Specifically, one of them places a high emphasis on what is best for students. Others focus on aligning with marketplace and student demands, along with business and community leaders, she noted.

“Collaboration runs through everything we do,” Pintar said.

Nevertheless, YSU, like most Ohio universities and colleges, is facing difficulties such as state mandated tuition increases, more graduates than incoming freshmen, student debt and distrust, and fewer high school grads who are considering higher education. Only about 52% of Ohio high school students are planning to attend college, said Pintar, who was unable to cite a reason after an audience member questioned her about the low figure.

Also, more than 600 YSU students in good standing left the university without completing their education. Of those, 545 of them had no restrictions on them, and 190 of those students transferred to another institution of higher learning, she said.

“That had a $5.4 million impact on the university,” Pintar said, adding, “We must do everything we can to welcome these students back to the Penguin huddle.”

The university is trying to address the problem of potentially fewer high school students — while recognizing students’ needs have changed dramatically over the years — via offering certificates, micro-credentials, credentials and workforce education opportunities, she said. Pintar added that associate degree opportunities will be embedded in certain bachelor’s degree programs.

Because of low enrollment, the university will be inactivating Bachelor of Arts degrees for physics, chemistry and biology, though Bachelor of Science degrees for those programs will continue to be offered. Students working toward BA degrees in all three fields will be able to continue uninterrupted, Rose said.

Also starting this semester, YSU intends to step up efforts to increase collaboration and engagement between students and faculty while striving for greater transparency, which she referred to as “ongoing communication rather than boxes to be checked.” All of that will be in conjunction with the university’s plan to further diversify its portfolio to meet students’ needs online and in person.

“Simply put, you are needed on campus, regardless of the modality you teach,” Pintar said about faculty and staff.

In addition, YSU has 23 new faculty members starting this fall, along with five who began teaching last spring, she said.

In her talk, Pintar also outlined this year’s primary goals for the Office of Academic Affairs: continuing to build transparency and accountability, complying with state and federal directives, maximizing recruitment, retention and graduation rates and pushing forward with collaborative engagement.

Overall, YSU intends to implement innovative teaching approaches and programs, step up advising and mentoring opportunities and be actively engaged throughout campus.

When asked how she views the university’s general landscape, Pintar said, “Seventy-five percent positive, 25% awareness.”