YSU increases 'We See Tomorrow' goal to $125 million

When the Youngstown State University Foundation publicly announced a goal of $100 million for its new capital campaign, a few skeptics looked on with arched eyebrows. After all, it was a record amount, by far - nearly $60 million higher than the university’s last comprehensive fund-raising campaign a dozen years ago.

On Wednesday, a little more than two years later, the Foundation held a news conference to announce that, not only had it reached the $100 million mark, it was setting a new goal of $125 million.

“The success of this campaign has been nothing short of phenomenal, a reflection of the generous support and strong reputation that YSU has throughout the region and across the country,” said Jocelyne Kollay Linsalata, a YSU Foundation trustee and campaign chair. “We look forward to keeping the momentum going and setting our sights even higher.”

YSU President Jim Tressel added, “While we’ve had much success, the potential for this campaign has not yet been reached; we are thrilled to continue to move forward.”

The historic fund-raising initiative, titled the “We See Tomorrow” campaign, funds a variety of initiatives at YSU, including new scholarships and student work opportunities, new endowed chairs and professorship positions, campus beautification enhancements, new Classrooms of the Future and the new Excellence Training Center on the south end of campus.

“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.

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.

The $25 million added to the goal is targeted to fund four specific initiatives:

• Student financial support, including scholarships and student work opportunities.

• Faculty enrichment, including endowed faculty chairs and endowed faculty professorships.

• Campus of Tomorrow, including Classrooms of the Future, the Excellence Training Center, campus beautification and the Success Center/Imagination Center "Think Box".

• Distinctive collaborative opportunities, including medical professions, the arts and the Rich Center for Autism.

For more information on the campaign and to make a gift, visit www.YSUFoundation.org or call 330-941-3211.