Office of Student Experience

We are excited to have YOU as a Penguin. You are embarking on an incredible journey and we WELCOME you to the Penguin Family! We have an enthusiastic and caring team in Student Experience who are committed to working with you and encouraging you to take full advantage of the opportunities available to you as a student at Youngstown State University.

We are dedicated to meeting the needs of all students by: creating a sense of belonging; developing a campus community that fosters and celebrates differences and encourages cultural awareness; encouraging independence through promotion and education of healthy lifestyle choices; helping students identify their passion as well as pursue it appropriately; fostering a sense of institutional pride that encourages community and civic engagement.

We encourage you to join one or more of our registered student organizations. All offer opportunities for leadership development, peer support, networking, personal growth and community service. From Club Sports, to Greek Life and many social interests and/or academic based clubs, there is something for everyone.

Explore campus, ask questions, make lifelong friends and learn all you can about your University. Study hard, develop and foster passion, get involved and have fun. We are here to help in any way we can. We hope you reach all of your goals and realize all your dreams.

See you on campus,

Joy Polkabla Byers “JPB”
Associate Vice President of Student Experience

Joy's contact Information
jlbyers@ysu.edu
(330) 941-2242 (O)
(330) 941-2961 (F)

Go to the Division of Student Affairs homepage

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Student Experience Mission

We enhance students’ collegiate experience by creating an inclusive environment which cultivates relationships, fosters a sense of belonging, encourages personal growth and responsibility, and strengthens their interpersonal and professional skills.

The Student Experience team is committed to creating experiences that help our students to gain and develop the following:

Autonomy: Encouraging, supporting and mentoring students to gain independence through a variety of new and relevant experiences, responsibilities, relationships, and exposure to new ideas, people and environments while challenging student to align their personal and social responsibility within the YSU community.

Passion: Helping students identify their ever-evolving passions in their personal, professional and academic lives, through positive campus engagement.

Civility: Treating all members of the campus and community with dignity, courtesy, respect, politeness and consideration in behavior and speech regardless of differences in beliefs or opinions.

Belonging: Encouraging student connections and idea sharing inside and outside of the classroom that culminates in positive experiences, invested relationships and high level of engagement within the YSU community while creating institutional pride.

Identity: Supporting each student's development of an authentic self within a community that strives to fully accept and acknowledge each other, recognizing and valuing the diversity in experience that we can all contribute.

Well-being: Fostering a caring environment that prioritizes attention to physical, mental, and emotional health and quality of life as students pursue their academic and career goals.

Service: Purposefully engaging students in activities that develop and strengthen leadership skills, enrich the lives of those with the YSU community, and establish a commitment to meeting the needs of others.