The Office of the Provost first began as the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affair. Dr. Bernard T. Gillis was named the first Provost of Youngstown State University in 1980. The Office of the Provost encompasses the following areas on campus:

• Academic Programs and Planning (including Accreditation, Assessment and Strategic Planning)
• Academic Calendars
• Schools and Colleges
• Center for International Studies and Programs
• Maag Library
• University Scholars and Honors Program
• Academic Senate, and Academic Outreach (including the Metro College and Public Service Institute)Academic Programs and Planning (including Accreditation, Assessment and Strategic Planning)
• Academic Calendars
• Schools and Colleges
• Center for International Studies and Programs
• Maag Library
• University Scholars and Honors Program
• Academic Senate, and Academic Outreach (including the Metro College and Public Service Institute)

The Office of the Provost is made up of the following personnel:

• Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Associate Provost, Academic Programs and Planning
• Director of Degree Audit
• Director, Associate Degree & Tech Prep Programs
• Coordinator General Education / Professor
• Associate Provost for Research; and Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research
• Director, University Scholars & Honors Program / Professor
• Interim Associate Provost for Academic Administration
• Director of Assessment
• Assistant to the Provost, Academic Budget

The materials in this Record Group date from 1966-2007, however; the majority of the information dates from the terms of Dr. Bernard T. Gillis, Dr. Sally Hotchkiss, and Dr. James Scanlon, when the accreditation process was underway during the 1970s and 1980s. Mission statements were the main focus of the 1990s.