Youngstown State University is looking to open a campus is Steubenville, potentially at the location of Eastern Gateway Community College, which in February announced it would be halting all enrollment as it dealt with financial issues.
No exact location or timeline has been identified yet, but a university spokesperson Thursday said that "ideally," YSU would use Eastern Gateway’s buildings. YSU is one of a handful of higher education partner institutions that have stepped in to help students enroll at their campuses after Eastern Gateway announced it would halt enrollment.
"This is fast moving and constantly changing. YSU is proactively engaged with EGCC (Eastern Gateway), the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission to ensure a seamless transition to YSU for students across the Mahoning Valley and the broader region, including the Upper Ohio Valley," spokesperson Becky Rose said.
YSU President Bill Johnson in recent statements to local media said the college would hope to hire some of Eastern Gateway Community College's faculty to work at the Steubenville campus.
Tammy Graham, director of the dental assisting program at Eastern Gateway, has worked at the school for 21 years. She's previously said she was worried about Eastern Gateway closing for good. She said Thursday that she's "cautiously optimistic" about YSU stepping in.
"I think YSU has good intentions," she said. "I mean, we're never going to be a small community college (again), but we can have a college open in Steubenville."
Johnson has said adding a Steubenville campus has been in the works for "a while," and added that the college will try to match the current cost of attendance at Eastern Gateway Community College.
The Ohio Auditor and law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at the college - which has locations in Youngstown and Steubenville - in January over alleged financial irregularities. The college's former president, Jimmie Bruce, and former vice president James Miller were indicted in summer 2023 over allegations they stole thousands of dollars from the college, although those charges were dismissed "without prejudice" in January, meaning they can be re-filed again.
The college was also ordered to halt enrollment temporarily in 2023 over possible violation of federal law, in connection with how it handled student scholarships through its "Free College Benefit Program," which has since been cancelled
