Lawsuit Keeps YSU’s Steubenville Plans on Hold
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Youngstown State University's plans to offer a full slate of certificate and degree programs in Steubenville are on hold until litigation surrounding the dissolution of the former Eastern Gateway Community College is resolved, YSU Provost Jenn Pintar said Wednesday.
That litigation -- a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus in 2022 -- alleges EGCC breached an agreement with Student Resource Center to collaborate to develop, market and offer online courses for the community college's Free College Benefit program.
The controversial, but popular, FCB program allowed union and professional association members to earn degrees at no cost. While FCB fueled meteoric growth, it also raised red flags with the U.S. Department of Education, which argued the growth was funded with Pell Grants, a needs-based federal aid program meant to help low-income students get college degrees.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley granted Student Resource Center's motion for prejudgment attachment, barring the sale of EGCC's Pugliese building or its Steubenville campus without the court's permission. It's a move SRC claimed was necessary to prevent the defunct college from selling off its most valuable assets before the suit is settled.
That ruling also dealt a blow to the Jefferson County commissioners' hopes to claim title to the Steubenville campus, deeded to the former Jefferson Technical Institute in the 1960s with the proviso that, should it cease being used for educational purposes, the property would revert back to the county.
The county's legal counsel, Justin W. Ristau of Columbus, had no comment, while Akron-based EGCC lead counsel Justin M. Alaburda did not respond to requests for comment.
Pintar, speaking to members of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, referenced the ongoing litigation and its impact on YSU's plans several times during her lunchtime talk.
She said the university is ready to roll out more than 60 certificate and degree programs in Steubenville, "(but) pending litigation that has nothing to do with YSU is affecting our ability to move forward at this point."
"We're just waiting for the go ahead," she said.
Pintar said YSU also is launching 16 new, fully online undergraduate programs, some of them beginning in January, in areas ranging from criminal justice and social work to business, and is continuing its focus on enhanced workforce education.
While the final headcount isn't in, she said YSU accepted more than 12,000 students for the 2024-25 academic year and added "some of them are attributable to Eastern Gateway."
"We're waiting to see what happens with the building and equipment to see what our next steps are," she said. "Whether it's that building or another, our intent is to bring a full portfolio to Jefferson County."
EGCC is scheduled to be completely shut down by Oct. 31.