The Mutual Benefits of ‘Merging a University With Its City’

David Sweet, president of Youngstown State University, is using growth at the university to support the local community, according to a news report.

The university has put up a wellness center and has spruced up landscaping around the campus. New student housing was erected in what was once a blighted area — a boon to the local community. The university is now raising $40-million for a new business college.

“We believe strongly that the university is an economic driver or engine, and that it can be successful only if the city is successful,” Mr. Sweet told WYTV, a local television station. “And the city can be successful only if the university is successful.”

This symbiotic relationship between colleges and cities — particularly in the Rust Belt — was documented in a recent Chronicle article by Karin Fischer.