Staff file photo / R. Michael Semple ... Former Congressman Bill Johnson addresses the news media regarding a firestorm of protest created after he was tapped as the new president of Youngstown State University.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is No. 5 of the Top 10 stories of the year as voted on by newsroom staff.

YOUNGSTOWN — The year began with controversy and turmoil at Youngstown State University after the university’s Board of Trustees hired U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, as the school’s next president, following the departure of Jim Tressel.

Many objected to Johnson’s hard-line conservative politics and his support of President-elect Donald Trump and just as many or more accused the Board of Trustees of dishonest and clandestine tactics in hiring him.

The move drew the ire of several of YSU’s largest donors, including Phantom Fireworks owner Bruce Zoldan, who withdrew plans for a multi-million dollar donation for the renovation of Kilcawley Center that would have been renamed for him.

On Johnson’s first day at the start of spring semester, a large group of students and faculty gathered outside of Tod Hall, home to the president’s office, and protested his hiring as well as several cuts the university administration had made to the Dana School of Music and other programs, including the loss of many faculty, before Johnson arrived.

While Johnson has remained a lightning rod for the outrage of many students, the university has moved along without much trouble, expanding programs, growing enrollment, and Zoldan reconsidered his position on making gifts to YSU.

In May, after a national search, Johnson removed the interim tag from Dr. Jennifer Pintar’s title and appointed her provost, a position she had been in since January after serving as associate provost since 2017.

Like Johnson, Pintar was a dartboard for student and faculty outrage after the curriculum cuts, but she also spearheaded one of the largest program expansions in the university’s history, and enrollment has grown at YSU under her watch.

Early in Johnson’s tenure, in February, a tragedy shook the educational landscape of the Mahoning Valley and the region when Eastern Gateway Community College announced its plans to close in June.

In the wake of state and federal investigations and profound financial struggles, the community college based in Steubenville left thousands of students stranded in the midst of their academic pursuits.

Under Johnson and Pintar, YSU developed 32 new associate degree and certification programs, which have so far accommodated about 475 former EGCC students, many of whom intend to pursue education beyond what they would have been able to achieve at Eastern Gateway.

YSU also waived the application fee and worked with EGCC and the state to ensure the students’ credits would transfer.

YSU was also able to obtain the necessary accreditation in record time for many programs, although about 15 in medical programs were left out when the accrediting agencies for their programs said they could not fast-track them to allow the students to enroll this year.

YSU’s enrollment for fall semester was 12,164 students, considerably more than the 10,993 enrolled in fall 2023. The number also includes 60 Vietnamese students, which Johnson said represents the largest international contingent in the university’s history..

At June’s trustees meeting, Sarah Keeler was promoted from her position as a special assistant to Vice President for Government Affairs. Johnson also drew criticism for bringing Keeler with him from Congress and her $140,000 salary, in the wake of program and faculty cuts.

In media interviews, Johnson and Keeler both explained the lack of representation YSU had in Congress during his tenure, with other Ohio universities routinely faring better in federal support.

“Sarah Keeler was my district director, and nobody knows this region — the school systems, the students, the parents, the university — or has the tentacles already established, the relationships already established with the legislatures in Columbus and in D.C.,” Johnson said.

In October, Zoldan reversed his decision to withhold donations from the university until Johnson was fired and the trustees held accountable for their practices in hiring him.

Instead of giving toward the Kilcawley renovation, though, Zoldan donated more than $5 million to maintain programs in the Dana School of Music.

Zoldan said he put the full $625,000 he took away from Kilcawley plus another $5 million into the Dana School and that only Dana director Dr. Joseph Carucci will make decisions about how that money is used.

Zoldan said Carucci told him the school needs $15 million to be sustainable over the next five to 10 years, and Zoldan wants to help them reach that goal. He said he also is planning to hold a fundraising event at his home to generate an additional $10 million for the school.

“My family was dismayed to learn of the significant program cuts imposed on the Dana School, and despite our differences with the board and administration of YSU, we felt the importance of the Dana School to the community and surrounding areas took precedence,” Zoldan said.