YOUNGSTOWN - Academic leaders from Youngstown State University are scheduled to take part in a discussion Monday, presenting the reasoning behind plans to eliminate more than two dozen academic programs at YSU.

Dr. Brien Smith, Youngstown State University's provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Jan Pintar, YSU's associate provost for Academic Administration, will join Mahoning Valley journalists Bertram de Souza and Cynthia Rickard for a live online video conversation about the steep decline in student enrollment that has ignited controversy on campus.

DeSouza and Rickard are expected to question Doctors Smith and Pintar about the mission of the university.

The conversation will be streamed beginning at 7 p.m. on WFMJ.com and Bertram de Souza's The Scribbler Publishing Group YouTube Channel and Facebook page, as well as other online platforms.

Viewers will have the opportunity to submit questions and comments via email at scribblerpod@gmail.com or The Scribbler Group's Facebook page.

Last week, two long-time faculty members appeared in an hour-long podcast where they criticized the administration's plan to eliminate over two dozen academic programs to make up for the loss in revenue because of the enrollment decline.

Dr. Mark Vopat, professor of philosophy and co-director of The Dr. James Dale Ethics Center, and spokesman for the faculty union, YSU-OEA, and Dr. Martha Pallante, former dean of the former College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, warned of a lack of trust that does not bode well for the future. They contended that the administration is supporting athletics and other programs at the expense of academics.

The video of that discussion can be found on WFMJ.com and the Scribbler Group's YouTube Channel and Facebook Page.