The Youngstown State University Foundation held a press conference Wednesday morning to reveal its 2013-2018 strategic plan.
While developing the comprehensive strategy, the YSU Foundation focused on governance, board development, financial policies and relationships with the university.
Paul McFadden, president of the YSU Foundation, said the plan “will definitely cogitate to assist students here at YSU.”
“We hope to give students the financial means to pursue their education,” he said.
In 1966, YSU President Howard W. Jones established the Youngstown Education Foundation, whose mission was to support scholarships and student initiatives.
“President Jones was a tremendous visionary, and he understood higher education,” McFadden said. “The barrier students have to education is finances.”
Since being formed, the YSU Foundation has established the Leslie H. Cochran Scholarship, Scholarships for Excellence and various athletic scholarships. The foundation recently hit its $200 million mark in assets.
“It was time for us to take a step back, look at the foundation and decide where we want to go from here,” McFadden said.
McFadden added that the foundation is in the top third in the nation in terms of assets.
“We are very proud from where we are today and are very thankful to the founders,” he said.
McFadden said he’s hopeful that the YSU Foundation will reach another million as a landmark in 2016, when it will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Marco Comichista, a senior intern for the foundation, said he thinks the YSU Foundation can easily achieve this goal.
“The YSU Foundation is all in support for the students and leaving the financial burden of going to college and getting that secondary education,” Comichista said. “It’s taking us to a different level from managing and endowing our gifts, and gives more focus on handling the money that comes in.”
Comichista added that McFadden is a great leader for the YSU Foundation; anything is possible with him as a leader, he said. Addonnus Harden, a student assistant for the foundation, said the YSU Foundation’s future is bright.
“This is a great step for us because it is really an announcement of the university spreading i’s goals and really opening up to the community,” Harden said.