R. Scott Evans, vice president for institutional advancement at Lake Erie College, has been named vice president for university advancement at Youngstown State University — a position left vacant for two years.
Evans will assume his post on July 23.
“There was some rethinking and rejiggering of the advancement division,” said Ron Cole, director of university communications. “And that took some time for that to sort of all settle in, and it took some time, too, to conduct the search.”
The division used to include the Office of Marketing and Communications, as well as WYSU, the university’s NPR affiliate. Evans will be responsible for the Office of University Development — the fundraising arm of the university — and the Office of Alumni and Events Management.
The division has been reporting directly to YSU President Cynthia Anderson through her executive associate, Shannon Tirone, since the previous vice president, George McCloud, stepped down in July 2010.
As Chief Development Officer Paul McFadden leaves YSU for the YSU Foundation, Anderson said now was “good timing” to choose McCloud’s replacement.
“[Evans] has a proven track record of fundraising, as well as working with the community at the other university where he has worked,” Anderson said. According to a press release issued by the Office of Marketing and Communications, Evans helped to raise $40 million in six years at Lake Erie College.
Cole said that since state funding has been declining in recent years, private donor funding is becoming increasingly vital, even to public universities like YSU. “It’s important that we have in place a very robust and effective fundraising operation,” he said. “That’s not to say that we don’t already. Our hope is that Mr. Evans will be able to take us to the next level.”
Evans holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Malone College (now known as Malone University) and Kent State University, respectively. His career spans 19 years, fundraising for organizations like the Northeast Ohio Medical University and the United Way of Central Stark County, in addition to Lake Erie College.
Evans said he is enthusiastic about working at YSU and is impressed with Anderson’s vision for the university.
“As you look at the capital needs of the institution and the growth of academic programs and need for scholarship dollars, all of those things are very important for the institution to grow,” Evans said.