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

• YSU Army ROTC returns to battalion status
• Busy weekend in store on YSU campus
• Summer Festival of the Arts this weekend at YSU
• Country band Ricochet highlights Forte on the Fifty

Calendar
Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m. Fifth Annual Smoky Hollow 5K Run and 1–Mile Family Fun Walk. See News Brief below.

Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. YSU Summer Festival of the Arts. See News Brief below.

Saturday, July 12, noon. All–Alumni Reunion. See News Brief below.

Saturday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. Forte on the Fifty, Stambaugh Stadium. See News Brief below.

YSU Army ROTC returns to battalion status

Expect to see more students and faculty in military uniform on campus this fall, now that Youngstown State University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps has been restored to the host battalion status it lost in 1990.

YSU’s Army ROTC will stand alone, no longer a partnership program of Kent State University as it has been since 1995. The change will mean more full–tuition ROTC scholarships available to YSU students and more ROTC staff.

Army Major Michael C. Stull, officer in charge of ROTC on campus, said the battalion status comes with higher expectations.

The program had 38 cadets enrolled last year and has commissioned 17 second lieutenants over the past three years. As a battalion, he said, its new goal is to enroll at least 60 cadets this fall and to commission 12 officers annually, beginning in 2012.

“The Army has charged us with that mission, and it will provide us with the resources we need to do the job,” said Stull. “I’m confident that, with the continued support of the university, alumni and community, we’ll meet our goals.”

YSU ROTC will offer eight full–tuition scholarships this fall, double the number offered last year, for students willing to make a commitment to military service after graduation.

Generally, Stull said, students are not required to make a military commitment until the start of their third year in ROTC, and lesser scholarships are available for students not ready to make a commitment. Any YSU student may take the course as an elective and earn college credit with no military commitment.

ROTC scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement and extracurricular activities such as athletics, student government and employment, not financial need.

Reinstatement of the YSU–ROTC Battalion is a victory for members of the YSU ROTC Alumni Chapter who fought to keep the program when it was targeted for elimination in the early 1990s due to federal defense budget cuts.

"The government was going to shut it down, but alumni made some calls to the Pentagon," recalled alumnus Pat Billet, an ROTC instructor, master sergeant in the Army Reserves and district administrator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. "To make a long story short, they saved the program from being eliminated."

Alumnus Carl Nunziato, a retired bank attorney and disabled Vietnam War veteran, said he worked to keep the program in the 1990s because he saw the value of its leadership training, both for military officers and in the private sector.

“One reason I was so anxious to help is that, in my experience in banking, I saw how ROTC training gives an understanding of the concept of leadership responsibility and dedication,” Nunziato said. “When I hired a young man or woman with ROTC or military training, I was never disappointed.”

Restoration of YSU’s battalion is part of a national effort to increase the number of new officers commissioned each year nationwide, Stull reported. The Army must nearly double the number of officers now commissioned by West Point and college ROTC programs around the country.

YSU was selected for reinstatement, Stull said, because of the support it receives from the university and the community along with the ROTC program’sﾠ propensity to commission more quality officers.

Facilities were also a factor, he said. The university has a department–dedicated supply room and classrooms, a natatorium for water survival training and an indoor firing range for rifle marksmanship, both located at Beeghly Center.

The battalion will continue to be housed in the basement level of Stambaugh Stadium, but some renovations will be necessary to accommodate the additional five full–time and two part–time employees, said Stull.

For more information about the ROTC program or to apply for a scholarship, contact the ROTC office in the Department of Military Science, 330–941–3205.

Busy weekend in store on YSU campus
The Youngstown State University campus is the place to be on Saturday, July 12, as the university continues its 100^th birthday celebration with the All Alumni Reunion, the Summer Festival of the Arts, Forte on the Fifty and the fifth annual Smoky Hollow 5K Run and 1–Mile Family Fun Walk.

• All Alumni Reunion: Alumni from across the nation will converge on the YSU campus for a fun—filled day of food, music, fireworks and special displays, demonstrations and performances across the campus. From noon to 5 p.m., each college will feature an array of activities and demonstrations throughout campus. At 5 p.m., alumni will gather for the Alumni Dinner in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center, where numerous prizes, including a grand prize worth over $1,000, will be given away. Reservations required. For a complete event schedule and reservation form, visit www.ysu.edu/alumni and click the All Alumni Reunion link. Or call 330–941–1591.

• Summer Festival of the Arts. The annual juried art show on the core of the YSU campus features the works of more than 60 local, regional and national artists, as well as music, dance, theatrical performances, the Festival of Nations, a children’s hands–on art tent and much more. The festival runs Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/sfa/.

• Forte on the Fifty. The Dana All Star band and a performance by country music band Ricochet, followed by a spectacular fireworks show, highlight this annual celebration that begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, in YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/forte/.

• The fifth Annual Smoky Hollow 5K Run and 1–Mile Family Fun Walk will start at Harrison Field in Smoky Hollow, just east of the YSU campus. The 5K run starts at 9 a.m., with the walk starting at 9:10 a.m. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/sfa/SmokyHollow2008.

Summer Festival of the Arts this weekend at YSU
More than 15,000 people are expected to attend the 10^th annual Summer Festival of the Arts this Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13 on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking are free.

“The Summer Festival of the Arts offers up a wonderful collection of all types of art. Not just the fine arts but performances, exhibits and interactive activities are all found in one location. Young and old alike will find something appealing here,” said Lori Factor, festival coordinator.

The heart of the festival is the artists’ marketplace that showcases the work of more than 60 local, regional and national artists selling original, hand–crafted pieces such as jewelry, paintings, sketches, sculptures, glass, wood and textiles.

Family activities include the popular hands on art tent where children are encouraged to create various pieces of artwork under the guidance of a professional art teacher. “The Summer Festival of the Arts is intended to be as much an art show as it is to be an educational event,” Factor said. “By creating their own artwork or participating in a drum circle at the SMARTS tent or interacting with the artists, children learn about art at a young age and then grow to have a positive appreciation for it.”

Dozens of family activities, more than 60 musical, dance and theatrical performances, participation and activities by local cultural and religious organizations, the Festival of Nations ethnic fair and the Smoky Hollow 5K Run and One–Mile Family Fun Walk are just a few of the annual activities set for the SFA.

Wick Ave., the main thoroughfare at YSU, will be open as the festival welcomes a new partner, the Wick Avenue Festival, sponsored by the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Almost every organization along Wick Avenue has prepared a family activity, and tents will be located along both sides from the Arms Museum, where a scavenger hunt will begin, to the Youngstown Board of Education offices. The Wick Avenue Festival will be Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Companion events also include the All–Alumni Reunion, St. Nicholas Greek Summerfest, and Downtown Jazz Festival. “The greater variety of activities we offer to the community, the greater the number of people who will participate. Including these new events will help us all to succeed while having a great time doing so,” said Factor.

The festival is presented by YSU.

For more information and a detailed schedule, visit www.ysu.edu/sfa.

Country band Ricochet headlines Forte on the Fifty
Ricochet, one of the most popular vocal groups in country music, headlines Youngstown State University’s Forte on the Fifty concert and fireworks show on Saturday, July 12 in YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium.

Named Best New Vocal Group by the Academy of Country Music and Billboard Magazine, Ricochet has sold more than a million albums and has had 13 singles hit the Top 40 chart, including the chart–topping “Daddy’s Money.” The group has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards.

Forte on the Fifty is presented in conjunction with the Summer Festival of the Arts, July 12 and 13, on the YSU campus. In addition to Ricochet, the event features a performance by the YSU Dana School of Music’s All–Star Band and a spectacular fireworks display by B.J. Alan Fireworks.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m., with the Dana band performing at 7:30 p.m. and Ricochet taking the stage at 9 p.m., followed by fireworks.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Advance tickets are available at the Stambaugh Stadium ticket office. Tickets are also available at the door. Discount tickets are available at the Summer Festival of the Arts information booth. Also available are tables on the stadium floor. Cost is $500 for a table of eight. For more information, call 330–941–3497 or www.ysu.edu/forte.

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