VOL. 38, NO. 7
FEBRUARY 13 - 19, 2017
Source Lunch
Up to speed Move to 5G technology could be a tricky issue for communities. Page 4
Akron-Canton Airport marketing director Lisa Davala Dalpiaz. Page 27
CLEVELAND BUSINESS
The List Largest philanthropic gifts in NEO Page 26
HIGHER EDUCATION
Tressel tackles YSU’s problems with grit The former coach’s vision has resonated in the Mahoning Valley By RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY rmccafferty@crain.com @ramccafferty
Youngstown State University had been on a bit of a roller coaster in terms of leadership turnover before Jim Tressel took on the presidency in the summer of 2014. Amid that, the university had struggled with the fundamentals such as budgeting, enrollment and financial ratings — what Tressel describes as the “big-picture things.” His goal was to quickly reverse that downward trajectory. So far, Tressel’s game plan seems to be working. For fiscal year 2017, the university trimmed its total operating budget to about $169.8 million, from about $174.2 million the year before. And, the university noted, it was the first operating budget in five years without a structural operating deficit, due largely to a combination of cost reductions and increased student recruitment. The top ratings agencies also are
looking favorably at the turnaround, with Standard & Poor’s raising the university’s rating to A+ and Moody’s Investors Service reaffirming its A2 rating. In terms of enrollment, Youngstown State has made strides to reach students beyond its typical target area and at a younger age. The popularity of Tressel — the former Ohio State University football coach whose recruiting ability is, by some, considered legendary — certainly hasn’t hurt either. Tressel, of course, is no stranger to the Mahoning Valley. Before his stint with the Buckeyes, Tressel served as Youngstown State’s executive director of athletics and head football coach. But now that the university’s operations have been stabilized, the focus is on the future. In fact, the foundation that raises money for the university is in the quiet phase of a major campaign that could significantly change the university’s campus and bolster its offerings for students. SEE TRESSEL, PAGE 11
Illustration by Karen Sandstrom for Crain’s
HEALTH CARE
Clinic’s new $276M cancer hub boasts a ‘pod’ approach to care By LYDIA COUTRÉ lcoutre@crain.com @LydiaCoutre
The new Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center on Carnegie Avenue will consolidate cancer services into one place. (Tim Harrison for Crain’s) Entire contents © 2017 by Crain Communications Inc.
The new seven-story building added to the east end of Cleveland Clinic’s main campus consolidates cancer services into one space, in an effort to add convenience for patients, coordination for providers
and, ultimately, better care. The approximately $276 million Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, which will begin seeing patients March 6, is located on the north side of Carnegie Avenue between East 102nd and 105th streets. It fits with the system’s patient-centered culture and focus on multi-disciplinary care, said Dr. Brian J. Bolwell, chairman of the Clinic’s Taussig
Cancer Institute, who has been in his role for six years. “One of the first things that I did and that we did as a group was to step back and say, ‘What do we want cancer to be at the Cleveland Clinic?’ ” Bolwell said. “And it was pretty evident that we had opportunities to make the cancer programs more of their own organizational units.” SEE TAUSSIG, PAGE 7
Akron news City of Green still fighting Nexus pipeline. Page 2 <<Q&A with Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. Page 24 High St. Hop House Page 24