Alumnus, artist, educator, advocate

Family honors Al Bright’s legacy with scholarship

The world Al Bright was born into in 1940 didn’t offer the same opportunities to African American men as those born today. But that didn’t stop the budding artist and educator from pursuing his dreams and empowering others until his passing at age 79 late last year.

Bright earned a bachelor's degree in Art from YSU in 1964 and a master’s from Kent State University in 1965. Later that same year, at age 25, he became YSU’s first African American full-service faculty member. Five years later, he helped found YSU’s Black Studies (previously Africana Studies) program and continued to teach for another 35 years.

An internationally renowned artist, Bright also continued to fine tune his craft through more than 100 solo exhibitions and live painting performances with legendary musicians Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, featuring Wynton Marsalis on trumpet.

“Growing up, our father would always say to us that when you find your passion, maximize it to its fullest potential. As a teacher, his goal was to bring out the very best in his students, to motivate them to build self-confidence and discipline,” said Nichole Bright-McNair.

That passion will live on forever now that Bright’s family has established the Al Bright Memorial Scholarship Fund, a needs-based scholarship for an undergraduate student majoring in a field in the department of Art at YSU.

“Dad wanted to leave a legacy of caring deeply for the growth and development of his students and the community. He aggressively pursued his career as a painter and educator, and he would be honored to know that this scholarship will help support students who are passionate about art,“ said Bright-McNair. Bright received the Distinguished Professorship Award three times during his YSU career and the Heritage Award, which is the highest award given by YSU to a retiree, in 2014.

Contributions to the scholarship can be made through the YSU Foundation, 330.941.3211 or ysufoundation.org.

‘We See Tomorrow’ upped to $125 million

THE YSU FOUNDATION ANSWERED THE CALL TO REACH ITS HISTORIC $100 million campaign goal in a little more than two years. But the work is not yet done. In a news conference earlier this year, the Foundation announced it was upping the goal to $125 million.

The fund-raising initiative, titled the “We See Tomorrow” campaign, funds a variety of initiatives at YSU.

“This campaign helps make YSU more affordable, extends opportunities for academic excellence, brings state-of-the-art classroom technology, improves the appearance of our campus and creates a center that we believe will have a far-reaching impact on workforce development and research across the region for years to come,” YSU Provost Brien Smith said.

The $25 million added to the goal is targeted to fund four specific initiatives: student financial support, faculty enrichment, Campus of Tomorrow and collaborative opportunities.

In all, the campaign has garnered nearly 27,000 gifts, including 32 donations of $1 million or more and 39 gifts of $100,000 or more from out-of-town donors. In fact, the 40 trustees of the YSU Foundation, which serves as the university’s fund-raising arm, alone gifted nearly $9.8 million to the campaign.

For more information on the campaign and to make a gift, visit ysufoundation.org or call 330.941.3211.