YSU retirees pen letter criticizing President Bill Johnson, presidential search process

Youngstown State University retirees have joined the list of folks who have penned letters to university administration criticizing the appointment of Valley Congressman Bill Johnson as University President and the process used to get him appointed.

Former employees and retirees, who according to the letter make up a combined 2,565 years of active service to campus and who continue to support the university expressed "serious concern" and "strong opposition" to the university's Board of Trustees' search process.

"Our main concerns deal with how your decision will affect both the short-term and long-term welfare of the university that we have been part of for a good portion of our lives. It is already clear that the good name and reputation of YSU has been severely if not permanently damaged as a result of the uniformly critical, sometimes scathing regional and nationwide reviews of your decision," the letter reads.

The letter goes on to state that the Board's actions had "broken the bond" between the university and its community causing many to seek opportunities elsewhere or disengage from YSU entirely.

The letter goes on to address folks who urge Johnson's detractors to "give [him] a chance" stating that his voting record in Congress, his criticisms of higher education, his lack of supporters on campus minus eight trustees, and the absence of qualifications for the job "do not bode well for the future."

”Should we take a chance only to find later that [Johnson was] NOT, as [he] proclaimed, 'what’s best for YSU'? We emphatically declare that the answer is NO," the letter reads.

The letter concludes by citing two others who had expressed displeasure with Johnson's presidency including Molly Seals, the lone trustee who voted against his presidency and former YSU President Leslie Cochran recommending that the board step back and go through the process again in a more transparent way and recommending Johnson to rescind the presidential offer immediately.

Retirees named in the letter include former Provost Ikram Khawaja and former State Representative Michele Lepore-Hagan.

The letter can be read in its entirety below.