YSU Seeks $950,000 for Veterans Resource Center
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Youngstown State University is launching the public phase of a $1.25 million fundraising campaign to build a veterans resource center on Wick Avenue.
The center would help military veterans and service members make the transition to academic life and succeed as university students.
The campaign has raised $300,000 in donations and pledges, leaving $950,000.
YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said the creation of the veterans resource center is another step in the continued commitmentof the university to serve the distinct needs of veteran and students in the military who are separating from the service and entering university life. “It is imperative that we do all we can do to ensure that these individuals, who have served their country with honor, are successful in reaching their educational and career goals,” she noted.
If the funds are raised, a two-story building will be built on the site of the former Peck House on Wick Avenue between Pollock House and Melnick Hall. It would house the YSU Office of Veterans Affairs, created in 2009 to assist current and former members of the military. The building would provide a space for students to gather, interact with other veterans and receive help with admissions, financial aid and related services. Currently, the Office of Veterans Affairs is on the third floor of Tod Hall.
The fundraising campaign is led by a 13-person cabinet that includes retired military personnel with close ties to YSU. Cabinet co-chairmen are Carl Nunziato, a 1961 graduate of YSU, Army veteran of the Vietnam War and former vice president of National City Bank, and Bernie Kosar Sr., a 1959 graduate of the Rayen School of Engineering at YSU and a veteran of 15 years in the Army Reserves.
An architect’s rendering of the center is being developed and will be shared with the public shortly, Kosar said.
He appealed to veterans, veterans groups, members of the community and others to donate. “We are confident that there is sufficient support for our veterans to reach and even exceed our campaign goal,” he said. “If all goes according to plan, we hope to open the doors in 2014.”
To donate or make a pledge, call Heather Chunn in the Office of University Development at 330 941 1363.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.