YSU's SMARTS opera program marks a milestone with the production of its 10th original opera 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, in the Ford Family Recital Hall in downtown Youngstown. Pictured are sets that students created for the opera. See News Brief below.

Below are a variety of items about upcoming events and other news notes on the campus of Youngstown State University:

• Congressman, Pulitzer winner speak at commencement Saturday
• YSU BS/MD graduates honored on May 12
• SMARTS opera program celebrates 10^th annual performance
• ECCHO College Summit set for May 19
• YSU Board of Trustees schedules June meetings

Calendar
Monday, May 10. The annual YSU Press Day will be held in Kilcawley Center, featuring New York Times reporter David Gonzalez. In addition, Gonzalez and local journalists will participate in a forum 7 p.m. Monday, May 10 in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center. Gonzalez' work has documented the lives and challenges of people living in some of New York''s most diverse neighborhoods.

Tuesday, May 11, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cardboard canoes made by area high school students are featured in the annual Penguin Regatta in the swimming pool of Beeghly Center on the YSU campus. The regatta is sponsored by the YSU Office of Associate Degree and MAC Tech Prep.

Tuesday, May 11, 6 p.m. YSU's Students Motivated by the Arts' opera program marks a milestone with the production of its 10th original opera at the Ford Family Recital Hall in downtown Youngstown. See News Brief below.?

Wednesday, May 12, 3 p.m. The YSU Board of Trustees' Executive Committee meets in the President's Conference Room on the second floor of Tod Hall.

Wednesday, May 12, 5 p.m. YSU graduates of the BS/MD program at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine are honored in the DeBartolo Stadium Club at Stambaugh Stadium. See News Brief below.

Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15, 8 p.m. YSU's Ward Beecher Planetarium presents "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity." The planetarium also presents "Little Star That Could" at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Free.

Saturday, May 15. YSU commencement in Beeghly Center. The ceremony for undergraduate students will be 10 a.m., and the ceremony for graduate students will be 2:30 p.m. See News Brief below.

Congressman, Pulitzer winner speak at commencement Saturday
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Connie Schultz receive honorary degrees at Youngstown State University's spring commencement on Saturday, May 15.

Ryan will receive the degree and speak at the commencement ceremony for undergraduate students at 10 a.m. in Beeghly Center. Schultz, a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and Creators Syndicate, will receive the degree and speak at the commencement for graduate students at 2:30 p.m., also in Beeghly Center.

A native of Niles, Ryan holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Bowling Green State University, and a law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H. After serving as a member of the Ohio State Senate, Ryan was elected to Congress in 2003 and is now in his fourth term in office. He is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. He also serves on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Related Agencies; the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, and the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies.

Schultz received the Pulitzer in 2005 in the commentary category. She also was a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2003 in feature writing. In 2004, Schultz won the Batten Medal, which honors "a body of journalistic work that reflects compassion, courage, humanity and a deep concern for the underdog." She has authored two books, including a memoir about her husband Sherrod Brown's successful race for the U.S. Senate in 2006, and she is a

frequent guest on national television news programs.

Student speakers for commencement are Jennifer Edwards (undergraduate) and Way Jeng (graduate).

Edwards receives a bachelor's degree in social work. She is a member of the Social Work Honor Society, Zeta Phi Alpha, Phi Kappa Phi and Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities. She received the YSU Woman of Achievement Diversity Award, YSU Student of Achievement Diversity Award, YSU Martin Luther King Academic Excellence Award, YSU Leader of Tomorrow Diversity Award, and the BSW Intern Recognition Award for "Exemplary Service in Community Planning." She is the recipient of the National Phi Kappa Phi Emerging Leader Scholarship, the YSU ACE Union Scholarship, the YSU Barbara Lewis Roberts Scholarship, the YSU Mary Ferry Scholarship, the YSU Mary B. Smith Scholarship, the YSU TSW Black Family Scholarship, and the Anne McMahon Youngstown WomenÕs Business Association Scholarship. Edwards is also the co–founder and president of the newly formed YSU student group, NAMI ON CAMPUS, an organization which seeks to offer support to those who suffer with mental illness and their families. She has a 4.0 grade point average and has

been on the Dean's List every semester.

Jeng receives a master's degree in English. During his studies at YSU, he has conducted many research projects, one of which served as the basis of his master's thesis as well as a presentation at the national Conference on College Composition and Communication. Jeng has published several short stories as a freelance writer in national science fiction and fantasy magazines, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2009 Year's Best Science Fiction anthology. His first academic publication, "A Tale of Two Workshops," appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Writing on the Edge.      

YSU BS/MD graduates honored on May 12
Youngstown State University graduates of the BS/MD program at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine will be honored 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, in the DeBartolo Stadium Club at Stambaugh Stadium.

Twenty–three YSU students will receive their medical degrees this year from NEOUCOM. The event will recognize their achievements as well as the dedication and service of those involved with the BS/MD program at YSU, NEOUCOM, and at the clinical sites where students do their clerkships.

YSU students receiving MDs from NEOUCOM are:

William Beam, Wilmington, Ohio
Lynn Choi, Dublin, Ohio
Namrata Dhillon, Canfield, Ohio
James Dombroski, Salem, Ohio
Natasha Grandhi, Centerville, Ohio
Joshua Grosshandler, Zanesville, Ohio
Anna Hennon, New Castle, Pennsylvania
Donald Hope, Wilmington, Ohio
Erica Hope, Canton, Ohio
Christopher Hritz, Salem, Ohio
Devanshi Jadhav, Twinsburg, Ohio
Stephen Jones, Alliance, Ohio
Malav Joshi, Boardman, Ohio
Hayah Kassis, Girard, Ohio
Brian Katz, Boardman, Ohio
Elena Kazimirko, Toledo, Ohio
Shilpi Khetarpal, Canton, Ohio
Colleen Kovach, Canfield, Ohio
Michael Miladore, Canfield, Ohio
Neelam Patel, Columbus, Ohio
Sonal Patel, Columbus, Ohio
Vinay Vajjhala, Indianola, Pennsylvania
Homer Wiland, Canfield, Ohio

NEOUCOM, located in Rootstown, Ohio, offers the combined BS/MD degree program, which allows students to obtain the bachelor of science degree and a medical degree in as few as six or seven years. Students are admitted to the program at one of three consortium universities, including YSU, and spend years one, two and/or three on the university campus.

SMARTS opera program celebrates 10^th annual performance
Youngstown State University's Students Motivated by the Arts' opera program marks a milestone with the production of its 10th original opera 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, at the Ford Family Recital Hall in downtown Youngstown.

"I've seen many, many students grow through the opera program over the past decade," said Kelly Bancroft, SMARTS coordinator. "Extremely shy kids, for example, have flourished by year''s end and are up on stage singing. I''ve seen the opera teachers grow as well."

SMARTS, an arts education partnership at YSU started in 1997, launched the opera program in 2001 at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Youngstown as a way to expose children to the world of opera by having them write, compose, design, produce and perform original operas. That first year, students created and performed the opera "Connect Five" at YSU's Ford Theater.
Since then, more than 400 students from kindergarten through 12^th grade have created, rehearsed and performed original operas before hundreds of audience members at MLK Elementary and Hayes Middle schools, in cafeterias, gymnasiums, guidance counselor's offices, the Oakland Center for the Arts, and, this year, in the Ford Family Recital Hall. Students serve as writers, costume and set designers, actors, reporters, historians, production managers and musicians.

The program is based on the New York Metropolitan Opera Guild's Creating Original Opera program. Ten SMARTS Teaching Artists have been trained through the program.

"The best part about being a SMARTS teacher is seeing the imagination and creative ideas of our students come to life on stage the night of the performance," said Jessica Durham, SMARTS program assistant and teacher. "It's always amazing to see how much energy and work the students put forth."

This year marks the first time that SMARTS is producing shows that have already been written – "The Cheese Stands Alone" by John Jacobson and John Higgins, and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" by Mark Schweizer. Dana School of Music faculty member Corinne Morini and Dana student Neil Meloro are this year''s opera teachers. Admission is $1.

The opera also marks the final production for Bancroft, who has overseen the opera program since its inception. She is leaving to complete her master of fine arts degree in Creative Writing through the Northeast Ohio MFA program.

"I'm excited about starting a new chapter of my life – no pun intended – but I will certainly miss the work at SMARTS," she said. "I'm grateful for these terrific years working with such exceptional students, families and co–workers."

SMARTS is an arts education partnership between YSU's College of Fine & Performing Arts, the Beeghly College of Education, the Youngstown City Schools, and the many vital arts organizations in the community. SMARTS offers free quality arts education classes in music, dance, theater, visual arts and creative writing. The Original Opera is a project of SMARTS and the Metropolitan Opera Guild's Creating Original Opera teacher training program. SMArtS offers free classes in visual arts, music, dance, theater and creating writing.

For more information or to apply for classes, call 330–941–2787 or visit www.fpa.ysu.edu/smarts.

ECHHO College Summit set for May 19
The Educators and Community Helping Hispanics Onward College Summit, designed to assist local high school students and their parents navigate the college admission process, will be 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 19 at 1501 Glenwood Ave. in Youngstown

The free event, sponsored by the Salvation Army and Educators and Community Helping Hispanics Onward Inc., offers students and parents the opportunity to meet one–on–one with admission representatives from a wide range of non–profit, public and private, 2–year and 4–year colleges and universities. Participants will learn about admission requirements, financial aid, course offerings, campus environment, ECHHO book scholarship opportunities and other information pertinent to the college selection process.

For more information, including directions to the fair, a list of colleges exhibiting at the fair, and tips for preparing for the fair, visit www.echho.org or contact Maggie McClendon, ECHHO president, in the Youngstown State University Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 330–941–3243 or mmcclendon@ysu.edu.

YSU Board of Trustees schedules June meetings

The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees meets on the following schedule:

Tuesday, June 1, Kilcawley Center, Presidential Suite. 2 p.m., Internal Affairs Committee; 3 p.m., External Relations Committee; 4 p.m., Academic and Student Affairs Committee.                                                        

Thursday, June 3, Kilcawley Center, Presidential Suite. 2 p.m., Investment Subcommittee; 3 p.m. Audit Subcommittee; 4 p.m., Finance and Facilities Committee.                                                   

Friday, June 11, Tod Hall, Board Meeting Room. 3 p.m., Board Meeting.

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