As Youngstown State University prepares to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2008, this book is a reflection on its history and heritage. Starting as a YMCA law school in 1908, the institution that became Youngstown State University is now a major and vital force in the community and the region. The images collected here illustrate the transformation of the institution from a storefront operation in the downtown area, to classroom space in former mansions, to a full-blown 21st-century campus. As the community itself became more diverse, the institution that it spawned followed suit as did its student body, faculty, staff, and programs.
Donna M. DeBlasio is an associate professor of history at Youngstown State University and the director of the Center for Applied History. Martha I. Pallante is a full professor in the Department of History and its chair. Both are natives of the community and alumni of Youngstown State University in the 1970s. DeBlasio and Pallante are committed to the preservation and interpretation of the Mahoning Valley and the institution they serve. Both have recently published works focusing on the local area and its people.