Education

An Ohio Republican U.S. Congressman and Donald Trump ally is going to be the tenth president of Youngstown State University. 

Bill Johnson, who represents 11 Eastern Ohio counties in the sixth congressional district, was named the next president during Tuesday’s special meeting of the Youngstown State Board of Trustees. The vote was 8-1.

Johnson’s first day as president will be in March 2024 and he will have to resign from Congress by then. He will not seek an eighth term in Congress and his salary through the university will be $410,000 annually.

“After much thought and prayerful deliberation, I have accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University,” Johnson said in a statement. “I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love the one I have serving the people of Eastern Ohio in the U.S. House. This was an extremely difficult decision.”

Johnson spoke during a press conference immediately following Tuesday’s special board meeting,

“We’re not hiring a politician,” he said. “We’re here to educate people, not indoctrinate them. … Everybody leaves their political and ideological beliefs at home, just like I did in the Air Force. Just like you’re asking me to do here. Everybody’s got their hair on fire because they think I’m gonna bring my politics here.”

Tuesday’s special meeting

The trustees immediately voted to go into executive session.

“I have to imagine this is one of your most attended board meetings ever,” Mark Vopat, the president of Youngstown State University’s Chapter of the Ohio Education Association, said to the trustees before they went into executive session.

“Perhaps with the news and the people around you might want to accept a few comments or at least answer a few questions before you make this important decision.” 

Despite his plea, the trustees still went into executive session. 

Presidential Search 

Youngstown State University’s Board of Trustees voted to offer Johnson the president’s job on Thursday during an emergency meeting, leading to swift backlash from students, alumni and staff over a lack of transparency.  

The Board of Trustees did not publicly name the finalists or have them meet with university students and staff, Vopat said. The union’s main objection has been the lack of transparency throughout the search. 

“I’m not going to deny that there are obviously people who are upset because it’s Bill Johnson, but it really doesn’t matter that it’s Bill Johnson,” Vopat said. “What matters is that we didn’t get any candidates. We didn’t get any say in who was chosen as president of the university. … This is just not the way you run a search.”

The union released a statement expressing their disappointment in selecting Johnson. 

“The Board’s decision sends the message that their input doesn’t matter at YSU, and that is a terrible message to send to prospective donors and students,” Vopat said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “The Board couldn’t have chosen a worse time in YSU history to alienate so many members of our community with this controversy.”

Hundreds of students, alumni and staff signed a letter asking YSU not to pick Johnson and start the presidential search all over again with involvement from the university community. 

“The Board’s refusal to incorporate the greater YSU community in its decision making flouts basic values of transparency, accountability and democratic participation,” the letter read. “The fact that Johnson’s positions are highly contentious — and directly relevant to the diverse interests and identities of YSU’s student body — increases the need for public vetting of his candidacy.”

YSU used WittKieffer as a search firm, university spokesperson Rebecca Rose said in an email. 

During the press conference, trustee Anita Hackstedde said how conducting an open search process doesn’t always produce the best results for a university. 

“In truth, the best candidates for high level positions in academia and also in private industry, are already well employed and announcing their candidacy for another position puts their current employment at risk, and can end badly if they’re not chosen as the finalist,” she said. “Many institutions of higher learning have made the decision to move to a confidential search process.”

Because of this, she said YSU wanted to “shift gears” in going about their search.

“That does not mean that we took any shortcuts or failed to follow the law in reaching the decision that we are announcing today,” Hackstedde said.

The university wouldn’t name who the other finalists were when asked.

Johnson put out a statement on Nov. 16 saying he was made aware of the chance to become the next YSU president by a national search firm. 

“I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love serving the people of Eastern Ohio. When I was approached about leading this great university, with student success at the forefront, and helping to prepare the next generations of Americans to lead, I listened,” he said in the statement. “If I determine this opportunity to lead YSU is a good fit, I’ll have a very difficult decision to make.”

Johnson’s political career

Johnson, 69, is a Trump backer and has already endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. He objected to the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Jan. 7, 2021, and voted in line with Trump’s position 96.8% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. 

“My history and politics will not be reflected in the decisions that I make for YSU or it’s students here at Youngstown State,” Johnson said during Tuesday’s press conference.

“I am committed to an inclusive and respectful environment at the university,” he said. “Regardless of political, religious or personal affiliations, my focus will be on fostering open dialogue, understanding diverse perspectives, and contributing positively to the well being of every student.”

Johnson, who opposes gay marriage, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. He previously served more than 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and also had a career as an information technology consultant. 

He lacks something most university presidents have — a doctorate degree. He has a bachelor’s degree from Troy University and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech University. 

Youngstown State University 

YSU had more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students attending in Fall 2022. 

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel retired as YSU President in February after serving in that position since 2014. Helen Lafferty is currently serving as the interim president.