Scott Evans, Youngstown State University’s vice president of University Development, has announced his resignation from the university. He will depart on May 20.
In a statement released by Evans, he expressed his appreciation toward the university, while highlighting some of the accomplishments of University Development.
“I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences given to me here at YSU,” Evans said in the statement. “I have enjoyed working with my colleagues, alumni and friends and am proud of our successes in fundraising in securing roughly 15 million dollars over the last two years, the new ‘Experience Y’ marketing campaign and the closure on two important capital projects in recent months. Most of all, I value my relationships with people of the Valley developed over the last two decades while at YSU and previously at NEOMED.”
In an interview, Evans said he will will move on to Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio — where he has accepted the position of senior vice president for Institutional Advancement and chief of the President’s Staff.
“I live up in that area. I have teenagers that live up there. This is really a major family decision for us. I can spend more time with the kids and not uproot my family situation at all. I did work at Lake Erie College for six years before I came here. It is a wonderful place, and the president asked me to come back and serve as his number two, more or less,” Evans said.
In a statement released yesterday, Ikram Khawaja, interim president of YSU, expressed understanding of Evan’s reasoning and thanked him for his service.
“During his brief tenure at YSU, Scott played a key leadership role in the Division University Advancement and on the President’s Cabinet. He will be missed, and we wish him well. Scott worked several years at Lake Erie College prior to coming to YSU two years ago and still lives in the Painesville area, so this advanced position at Lake Erie represents a good opportunity for him and his family,” he said.
Khawaja added he would soon meet with the board to discuss the search for a new vice president of University Advancement.
“Over the next several days, I will be in discussions with the Board of Trustees and others on campus about how to best approach selecting a new vice president for the Division of University Advancement. In the meantime, I have every confidence that the leadership of the Division will effectively and successfully continue to work to further the university on behalf of the campus, our donors, alumni, friends and visitors.”
Evans emphasized that his reasoning for his imminent departure is not concerning his experiences at YSU.
“I want to make it clear, it isn’t anything to do with YSU at all. I’ve known YSU for 20 years. … I got to know Youngstown and YSU a long time ago, and I think a lot of this institution,” Evans said. “YSU is a wonderful institution. The programs, the people, the place, they are all outstanding, and I know that this institution will thrive well into the future.”