Youngstown State trustee chairman explains presidential decision, hears protests
A group of opponents of Youngstown State University’s decision to hire U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson was upset by the school’s trustees not giving them a chance to speak during Thursday’s trustees meeting.
Several protests were made during the speech, one which led to a yelling match with a protester, who identified herself as a staff member with another teacher and Trustees President Michael A. Peterson.
What motivated the protest?
The group claimed that they were promised a chance to speak during the meeting, but Peterson said after the meeting that trustees gave an alumni and student opponent group who asked to speak a chance to speak to the group during Wednesday’s committee meeting.
Peterson gave another statement about the board’s decision during the meeting, video below, and met with the press following the meeting to answer questions, video above.
Why did the trustees chose Bill Johnson?
“As we went through the process of carefully reviewing each applicant, one person emerged as the clear front runner: Bill Johnson,” he said during the meeting. “Search committee members pointed to his love for the university and his deep, strong ties to the region. They liked his energy and his ability to motivate people, and they see him as a visionary who can get things done, traits that he shares with Jim Tressel. They admired his success in business and in public service, including his 26 years in the armed forces, and they appreciated that both his son and his nephew are students here.
“I have spent a lot of time with president-elect Johnson in the last few weeks, and it is very clear to me that he is excited to work with every YSU stakeholder – students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community partners. I know that not every member of the YSU family agrees with his political views, and i want to remind us that president-elect Johnson has stated publicly that his history in politics will not be reflected in the decisions that he makes for Youngstown state university or its students. He is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment at the university and wants everyone to feel welcome at YSU, regardless of their politics, religion, or identity.”
On Thursday morning, the concerned alumni group who collected 2,300 comments opposing the process that went into Johnson’s hire released a report which shared their opposition.
Jacob Schriner-Briggs, who spoke to trustees on Wednesday, said the report was aimed to preserve the public records that happened during the hiring process, their objections to the selection process and Johnson as well as their thoughts on the potential fallout to the decision.
You can read the whole report below.
This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 4:33 PM.
