We See Tomorrow Campaign

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Gifts Create Graduate Fellowships, Support 18 Classrooms of the Future

Nancy & Bruce Beeghly

It’s almost impossible to walk across the YSU campus without seeing the name Beeghly.

Go to commencement or take in a basketball game at – Beeghly Center. Earn your degree in teaching or counseling in – the Beeghly College of Education. Meet the latest, greatest students in the business college – the Beeghly Fellows.

The Beeghly name, and the extensive philanthropic work that goes with it, is expanding again at YSU as Bruce and Nancy Beeghly have pledged $1.5 million for continued support of the Beeghly College of Education.

It was one of two recent $1 million-plus gifts to YSU’s historic “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign. Dr. Chander M. Kohli, a prominent local neurosurgeon, and his wife, Karen, also donated $1.1 million to create 18 Classrooms of the Future on campus.

“We are fortunate to have the continued support of the Beeghly and Kohli families,” President Jim Tressel said. “Their commitment of time and resources have provided tremendous opportunities for countless students. Our thanks to them for their generosity.”

Both Mr. Beeghly and Dr. Kohli are former chairs of the YSU Board of Trustees.

“Youngstown State University is a cornerstone of our community,” said Beeghly, retired president of Altronic Inc. in Girard whose family’s philanthropic initiatives date back more than 100 years. “We are pleased to be a part of this campaign, which will strengthen YSU for years to come.”

“The Classroom of the Future is here today, and I am proud to be a part of it,” said Kohli, a native of India who came to the United States in 1966 and started his own neurological practice in Youngstown in 1972.

The classrooms will be fully equipped with state-of-the-art Cisco Spark Stations - a cutting edge, cloud-based system for wireless presentation, white-boarding and video conferencing. Each room will be named an Aneal Mohan Kohli Classroom of the Future, in memory of the Kohlis’ late son.

The Beeghlys’ gift creates a new endowment for the education college and two new graduate fellowships - the Bruce R. Beeghly Graduate Fellowship in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the R. Thornton Beeghly Graduate Fellowship in Business Administration.

Kohli Family

YSU Trustees also approved several naming resolutions recognizing other major campaign gifts, including:

  • Naming the Payiavlas Family Classroom in the Constantini Multimedia Center at Stambaugh Stadium, in recognition of a $500,000 gift from John and Marissa Payiavlas.
  • Naming the Masternick Family Respiratory Care Laboratory, Cushwa Hall, in recognition of a $250,000 gift from John and Melissa Masternick.
  • Naming the Hively Family Visiting Team Radio Booth in recognition of a $100,000 gift from Lee Hively, a 1974 YSU graduate, and the Dennis and Janet Haines Home Team Radio Booth in recognition of a $100,000 gift. The booths are located in the Constantini Multimedia Center.

 The Paula & Anthony Rich Center for Autism, located in Fedor Hall on the YSU Campus, also accepted a $500,000 gift in February from the Hine Memorial Fund of The Youngstown Foundation. Raising funds for the center is one of eight priorities established under the campaign.

The “We See Tomorrow” campaign is led by the YSU Foundation. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.YSUFoundation.org or call 330-941-3211.