By Brooke Zucco
Youngstown State University has been committed to financially serving the student body, crediting the Youngstown State University Foundation for going above and beyond to help students get the most out of their college education.
The YSU Foundation set a record number of scholarship funds awarded to students through donations from the YSU alumni “We See Tomorrow” campaign in the form of an endowment.
The foundation has served the student body for 53 years, offering $8.5 million in scholarship funds to 5,394 students this year alone.
The “We See Tomorrow” campaign raises funds for educational opportunities and academic excellence among other campus improvement projects.
Paul McFadden, president of the YSU Foundation, believes the campaign is reaching its full potential by helping fund students’ education.
“We’re very fortunate. Our goal was $100 million, and we’re at $95 million. It’s been a wonderful success for us,” he said. “This campaign has brought in over $40 million in scholarship endowment, so we’ll have a wonderful legacy for our university.”
McFadden says the gratefulness of the students that receive scholarships prompts further donations.
“Our students have to write a thank-you note,” McFadden said. “[Our donors] want to help people and those thank-you notes show them the impact they’re making on a kid’s education.”
Tiffanie Thomas, scholarship coordinator at the YSU Foundation, said there are a variety of scholarships for students who apply for them.
“There’s a scholarship for every type of student you can think of,” Thomas said. “Whether it’s the high school you went to or the county you grew up in … anything you can think of.”
Thomas said next year’s scholarship application is currently online, and she encourages every student to be aware of the scholarship opportunities.
“One application is tied to 300-plus scholarships. It’s so easy,” Thomas said.
Many students are supported financially by scholarships funded through the YSU Foundation program, helping them further their academic success.
Hannah Donkers, a sophomore forensic science major, said the scholarships help diminish the worry of not being able to pay and let her focus on classes.
“Instead of, ‘I can’t get my degree because I can’t afford it,’ or, ‘I’m going to get kicked out of school because I can’t pay for it,’ I don’t have to pay it back at all,” Donkers said. “That’s a wonderful thing for when these years are up and I have next to nothing to pay for my degree.”
Students can find the application under the tuition and financial aid section of the YSU website.
