History

Welcome

Hello! I want to tell you how pleased we are to welcome you to Youngstown State University and to the History Program. With a faculty of nine, we offer courses across a broad range of subjects and have something to interest everyone.

I hope that you will drop by and visit us on the fifth floor of DeBartolo Hall, Room 519. Please feel welcome to stop in for advice, general information, or just to chat. You may also want to watch for notices from our Student Clubs -- History Club, Phi Alpha Theta, and the Club for Jewish Culture -- about scheduled events throughout the semester.

I encourage you to drop by the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor located at 151 Wood Street on the southern edge of campus. The museum is managed by the History Program, and you and your guests are very welcome to visit us there. (Your student ID grants you free admission at any time.)

Dr. Brian Bonhomme
History Program Coordinator

Mission

The Program of History at Youngstown State University is dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge about the past, to edify our present, and better plan for the future. The program promotes and integrates scholarship, teaching, and service to educate its undergraduate and graduate students. It promotes civic engagement with the wider community. Through the teaching of history in and out of the classroom the program fosters understanding and appreciation of diversity and provides a global perspective. Our aim is to examine and disseminate knowledge of the past and of the nature of its study and reconstruction through a variety of educational experiences and historical methodologies and to train future scholars of history.

The student majoring in history must complete, in addition to the general University requirements, the group requirements outlined on the curriculum sheet. It is recommended that the student select courses with assistance from an advisor, since certain courses are preferable to others according to whether one contemplates graduate study, secondary school teaching, or any of the many other careers for which History provides excellent preparation.

The Bachelor of Arts in History can be completed in eight semesters if students average 16 hours per semester.

For more information, visit the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which houses the History Program, in DeBartolo Hall, room 519 or contact us at (330) 941-3452.

Dana School of Music to host Flute Festival at Bliss Hall

YSU’s Dana School of Music will host the YSU Flute Festival Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Bliss Recital Hall, located in YSU’s Bliss Hall. This event will feature guest artist Anne Harlow, a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer; YSU professors Emily Sapa and Stephanie Dennis; and the High School Honors Flute Choir. Attendees will be provided the opportunity to enhance their techniques through specialized training sessions.

Department of Art professor featured in exhibit at Akron’s Myers School of Art

The Emily Davis Gallery at the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art, located at the University of Akron, is currently presenting “Reflections,” which includes the work of YSU Department of Art professor Dragana Crnjak among a select group of accomplished artists. The exhibit includes nine of Crnjak’s distinctive works, including three of her most recent paintings.

GRAMMY Award-winning Imani Winds to join Cliffe College Performing Arts Series

The Cliffe College Performing Arts Series will conclude its inaugural 2024-25 season with a performance by Imani Winds, a GRAMMY Award-winning wind quintet, Friday, April 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the YSU Ford Theater, located in Bliss Hall. Well-known for its musical expertise, the group has led an evolution in music with its dynamic playing, adventurous programming, and unique collaborations that have inspired audiences both near and far.

Dana Opera Ensemble to present annual spring event titled “Alcina”

YSU’s Dana School of Music, home to the Dana Opera Ensemble, will present its annual spring opera event titled “Alcina” Friday, April 11, and Sunday, April 13, 2025, at the YSU Ford Theater, located in Bliss Hall. “Alcina,” an opera seria by George Frideric Handel, explores themes of magic, illusion, and love, and is renowned for its dramatic and expressive music.

Dana Chorale to present spring concert

YSU’s Dana School of Music will present its annual Dana Spring Choral Concert, featuring the Dana Chorale, titled “Illuminating Harmony in Light and Unity” Monday, March 31, 2025, at 7:30 PM at St. Columba Cathedral. Directed by associate professor of music Hae-Jong Lee and accompanied by pianist Da-Eun Choi, the chorale will perform musical selections that reflect the rich diversity of its program, highlighting the central theme of “light.”

Dana School of Music students win top honors at music competitions

Two students from YSU’s Dana School of Music recently earned top honors at regional music competitions held in Ohio. Erika Walker, a Master of Music in Voice Performance student, was awarded first place in her category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Great Lakes Regional Auditions, and Laura Bowden, a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance student, was selected as one of only three individuals in her division to advance to the final round of the collegiate division at the Central Ohio Flute Association Competition.

University Theatre to conclude 2024-25 season with “[title of show]”

YSU’s University Theatre will conclude its 2024-25 production season with “[title of show]” in Spotlight Theater, located in YSU’s Bliss Hall, April 4 – 6 and 11 – 13, 2025. The play – truly called “[title of show]” – is a meta-performance of actors portraying themselves actually portraying themselves as they rapidly compose a musical for submission to a festival of new works.

"Annual Juried Student Art & Design Exhibition” returning to McDonough Museum

The McDonough Museum of Art will once again host the “88th Annual Juried Student Art & Design Exhibition” beginning Friday, March 21, through Friday, April 4, 2025. This juried show is a yearly tradition that features works by students who have taken classes in the YSU Department of Art during the 2024-25 academic year. Sculptor Sidney Mullis will serve as the juror for this year’s event.

McDonough Museum to hold screening of short films by Bruce Checefsky

The McDonough Museum of Art will hold a screening of short films by filmmaker, photographer, and writer Bruce Checefsky Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the McDonough Auditorium. Looking to lost, destroyed, or forgotten films that were conceived but never made, Checefsky recreates and reimagines abstract and avant-garde shorts.

Guest artist Frank Oriti to exhibit in Judith Rae Solomon Gallery

YSU’s Department of Art will welcome Cleveland native Frank Oriti to present his exhibit titled “Portraits” in the Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, located in YSU’s Bliss Hall, beginning Monday, March 10, through Friday, April 4, 2025. “Portraits” explores the complex culture blue-collar workers face after returning to the hometowns they once tried to escape.

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