In May, the Youngstown State University Academic Senate passed the first step to transition from open enrollment to a conditional admission policy, which is part of the 2020 strategic plan.
Advisers have been identifying and will identify students who need closer attention based on previous academic performance. These students are required to work closely with the Center for Student Progress and have their attendance records and grades monitored.
Jack Fahey, vice president for student affairs, said the administration doesn’t want to rush into a campuswide policy just yet.
“We’re going to see how many conditional admissions students we can help before making any changes,” Fahey said.
Currently, 389 students have been identified by advisers and are receiving support from the CSP.
Though it is too early in the semester to gauge the long-term effects of the admissions policy, Fahey said so far it is being enforced effectively.
“After several semesters, we will be able to gauge the overall student success, and we will move forward,” Fahey said.
Ikram Khawaja, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said active student participation is central to making the policy a success.
“Student academic success is the driving force behind the adoption of the conditional admission policy,” Khawaja said.
Without students taking the initiative, Fahey said, the conditional admission policy will not be successful, and stricter standards for enrollment will be established in the future.
“We are doing some people a disservice by letting them enroll, borrow all the necessary money and watch them not reach their goal,”Fahey said.
With a 7.6 percent decrease in enrollment over the last two years, the choice to turn students away becomes more difficult.
“State funding has increasingly held universities more accountable for student performance,” Fahey said.
But increased state funding for high student performance does not make up for the decline in enrollment YSU has faced in recent years.
Fahey said it is important for the university to maintain a balance between giving its students the quality of education they signed up for and running the university as a successful business.