Centers of Excellence in materials science and engineering, applied chemical biology, international business and the study of autism will be formed at YSU under a resolution approved by the Board of Trustees in June.

“While YSU has many outstanding programs with national and even international reputations, we believe these four areas of focus are particularly noteworthy for their current and potential research capabilities and promise to contribute to regional and statewide economic development activities,” Provost Ikram Khawaja said.

Under the state’s 10–year Strategic Plan for Higher Education, Chancellor Eric Fingerhut called for all of the state’s public universities to identify by June 30 specific areas of study and research to be deemed Centers of Excellence on each of the campuses. Khawaja, President David C. Sweet and others met with Fingerhut on June 12 on the YSU campus to outline the university’s proposed centers.

While no funding is anticipated for the centers in the new two–year state budget, YSU hopes to commit internal funds to help jump start each of the centers, Khawaja said. The provost said the university will take the next few months to help better define and to identify the scope and goals of each of the centers.

Khawaja’s office led a four–month Centers of Excellence selection process that started in February with a request for proposals. In all, the provost received 11 proposals, which were reviewed and evaluated by the University Research Council, the Dean’s Council, the President’s Cabinet and the Office of the Provost staff.

Khawaja said he thought the process of identifying the centers was an “extremely positive exercise” that sparked productive faculty discussion and collaboration. He said all 11 of the proposed Centers of Excellence “help provide a certain level of focus on the university’s academic and research strengths and a blueprint as we move forward as an urban research university.”

The presentation made for Chancellor Fingerhut, which outlines specifics of each of the new centers, is available online at http://www.ysu.edu/files/final2003.zip.  

YSU Centers of Excellence