Macte Virtute

“We See Tomorrow” – Making Our Potential A Reality

At this year’s Homecoming celebration, 972 YSU supporters flocked to campus to set a new world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Penguins. We think we succeeded – the previous record was 624 – but official verification from the folks at Guinness World Records will take some time. Meanwhile, a big thank you to everyone who came out to support this fun effort.

Now, we want to tell you about another record-setting initiative, one that will shape the future of our university for years to come.

Earlier this fall, we launched the public phase of the $100 million “We See Tomorrow” capital campaign – by far the largest and most ambitious fundraising effort in YSU’s 100-year-plus history. Thanks to the outstanding generosity of so many of our loyal supporters, we have already reached half of our goal.

While we take great strength and wisdom from the lessons of yesterday, we also understand that our greatest accomplishments are yet to be realized. We see a tomorrow filled with tremendous potential. Through this campaign, that potential can become a reality.

The campaign will help fund a new Student Success Center, the new Mahoning Valley Innovation and Commercialization Center, increased scholarship and student work opportunities, more endowed faculty positions, efforts to beautify our already lovely campus, new state-of-the-art classrooms of the future, an expanded Rich Center for Autism and a big boost in our Annual Fund.

The campaign comes at a time of much momentum. Our freshman classes continue to soar, in both number and quality. International student enrollment is up. Residence halls are at capacity. There’s a new Barnes & Noble student bookstore and private student apartment complex on the west side of campus. And construction is underway along Wick Avenue for yet another student apartment and retail complex, The Enclave. All the while, our faculty and students are competing and achieving at national and global levels.

“We See Tomorrow” serves to keep the momentum going, providing more and better opportunities for our students and our community for years to come. We invite you to be a part of this historic initiative.

Learn more about the campaign in this edition of YSU Magazine, or visit www.YSUFoundation.org. Join us as we help lay the financial foundation to allow YSU and our students to continue to excel and impact the future of our city, our nation and the world.

Go Penguins,

James P. Tressel, President