YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – On Nov. 21, when the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees named Bill Johnson YSU president, the push-back was immediate. Many donors and alumni said they would suspend or withdraw their financial support to the university.
However, Heather Chunn, vice president of the YSU Foundation, says it still raised nearly $5.8 million, which she called a “strong” first fiscal quarter. That total includes $3.8 million from individuals from outside Ohio who made commitments.
“We continue to focus long term. We talk about how we do understand that people have their beliefs and they’ve made their choices and we completely respect that,” Chunn says of those who chose to back away. “We hope that someday they will return and begin to support and invest in our students again and in the institution, because ultimately that trickles down to community, to the businesses and benefits us all.”
The YSU Foundation has total net assets without donor restrictions of nearly $164 million. It awards more than $11 million in scholarships annually.
A major initiative is raising funds for the renovation of Kilcawley Center, which will cost about $40 million and help make that building a campus centerpiece for students and their organizations.
A major announcement is coming soon about the Kilcawley project, Chunn says, and she hopes donors will focus on that project, as well as the funding needed to support scholarships and endowments that directly affect students each year.
The annual fall appeal, which should be in mailboxes soon, raises about $500,000 each year and donors will be able to select where their donations go.
She talks about the importance of these donations, especially to the individual students who would struggle financially and could not pay for their education absent those dollars.
“We get thank-you notes from our students constantly,” Chunn says, “and we share them with our donors … we just shared one with our team this morning from a student and it was so touching. They talk about how the opportunity to come to college gave them the opportunity to meet so many individuals of different backgrounds – to learn about other people and learn how to be open and respectful.”
In the case she references, Chunn says the scholarship money allowed that student, preparing to graduate this year, to concentrate more on school and less on working to cover his expenses. Those personal stories help Chunn and the staff at the foundation to show donors the impact their donations make.
“You know, if someone in front of you buys you a coffee, magnify that by how many times when someone is assisting with your college tuition. It’s just difficult to put into words,” Chunn says.