YSU Three men to receive honorary degrees
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three men with long-standing ties to Youngstown State University will receive honorary degrees from the university during the May 21 spring commencement.
Because of the increased number of graduates, commencement will be split into two ceremonies. The first is at 9:30 a.m. in Beeghly Center for about 1,013 undergraduate students. The second ceremony is at 2 p.m. in Stambaugh Auditorium for about 159 graduate students.
Receiving honorary degrees during the undergraduate ceremony is famed YSU coach Dominic Rosselli, and Tony Lariccia, a Merrill Lynch vice president who has donated thousands of dollars to schools -- including YSU, his alma mater -- and charitable organizations. Lariccia will deliver the commencement address at the morning event.
Bruce Beeghly, an Ohio Board of Regents member and former YSU Board of Trustees member, will receive an honorary degree during the graduate ceremony and deliver the commencement address.
Rosselli coached nearly 1,000 YSU men's basketball games in a 38-year career as head coach. He also served as baseball coach for 27 years, and assistant football coach for 20 years.
A 12-foot-tall, 1,500-pound statue of Rosselli, designed by sculptor Edward E. Hlavka of Utah, was commissioned by Lariccia. The statue will be unveiled at 6 p.m. May 20 on the patio of the south side of Beeghly Center.
Lariccia graduated from YSU in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He's worked 34 years for Merrill Lynch, and has been a vice president of the company since 1978. He has been a school mentor at three area high schools, has sponsored the college education of 65 students, and is a consistent contributor to YSU and other community organizations.
Beeghly, secretary of the state board of regents, is president of Altronic Inc., a designer and manufacturer of electronic products. He also is chairman of the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way, a member of the Youngstown Business Incubator board of directors and was named the 2002 Business Professional of the Year by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
Student speakers
The student speaker at the undergraduate commencement is Jeremy Hamilton of Canfield. He is receiving a bachelor's degree in mathematics and education. A valedictorian of Canfield High School, he is a member of many honors organizations.
Rachel Hoffman of Poland, receiving a master's degree in education in child and adolescent counseling, is the student speaker at the graduate commencement. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from YSU in 2002.
Hoffman served as president of the ETA chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an international honor society in the field of counseling, and was chosen as a CSI fellow for her service to the local chapter. She served on the student advisory committee to the dean of the Beeghly College of Education and as a representative for the East Ohio Counseling Association.
This fall, Hoffman plans to begin work on a Ph.D. in counseling and human development services at Kent State University and will continue to work as a counselor and case coordinator at Youth Services Unit at Tod Children's Hospital.