STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — Youngstown State University has been officially approved to take over the former Eastern Gateway Community College campus.
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On Thursday, the YSU Board of Trustees approved the authorization for the school to accept the real estate title and nearly 13 acres of property previously owned by EGCC.
“This is no longer Eastern Gateway Community College. This is Youngstown State University,” YSU President Bill Johnson said. “We are very excited about launching operations here. It took us almost 2 years to get to this point due to factors way beyond our control.”
The deal is set to be officially signed next week, after which YSU will begin transforming the campus.
“The board voted to allow me to accept the deed to this building and to launch operations. We’ve worked out a funding plan with the state. Didn’t get everything we wanted, but we got enough that will enable us to start operation. So people are going to begin to see a transformation here in Steubenville as this building goes from blue to red,” Johnsons said.
Jefferson County Commissioner Eric Timmons highlighted the project’s potential impact.
“Jobs will be created here, and one of the things I ran on was education around the area. Now we have Franciscan, we have Youngstown State all in Steubenville, so education is a priority, and we’re keeping it that way,” he said.
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While some details remain to be finalized, the commissioners anticipate the facility will be operational in a reasonably short timeline.