YSU community breaks ground for new, $34.3M business school

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YSU President David C. Sweet

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Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams

By Harold Gwin

YOUNGSTOWN — The groundbreaking for the new Williamson College of Business Administration building is “a celebration of partnerships,” said Dr. David C. Sweet, president of Youngstown State University.

The $34.3 million structure is the result of the joint effort of many groups, Sweet said, listing the private sector, the city, Mahoning County, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, the state Legislature, local business and labor, and the YSU campus community as those involved in seeing the project become a reality.

Ground was broken on the project Monday and construction will begin after the first of the year with the new facility opening in fall 2010.

“This project represents what can happen when institutions with similar interests combine forces for the common good,” Sweet said.

The university plans to raise $16 million from private sources for the project and has already secured $12.4 million in donations from more than 50 individuals.

State capital funds will cover the rest of the cost of the three-story, 110,000-square-foot building which will be about twice the size of the present building on Lincoln Avenue.

Dr. Betty Jo Licata, dean of the college, said getting the new building has been a long-term goal.

It will provide cutting-edge classroom and laboratory facilities for the college’s 1,950 students and provide a stronger link between the university and the downtown business district. It will also be a building for use by the local business community, Licata said.

The project is the largest in YSU’s 100-year history.

The lead gift for the development is a $5 million contribution from the family of the late Warren P. Williamson Jr., founder of WKBN Broadcasting Corp., for whom the college is named.

It’s inspiring to see how the community has come together to make this project happen, said Warren P. “Bud” Williamson III, speaking on behalf of the family. He said his family has been involved in supporting education for as long as he can remember.

The largest individual gift for the project — $4 million — has come from Tony and Mary Lariccia of Boardman. Lariccia is chairman of YSU’s Centennial Capital Campaign.

“I’ve always said we can play ball with the Wharton School of finance,” said Lariccia, a Williamson College of Business Administration alumnus. He noted that Williamson is recognized as being in the top 25 percent of business schools in the country and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.

“This facility will give us an even greater advantage as we compete for the best and brightest business students and faculty across the nation and expand our services to the regional business community,” Licata said.

It will be an environment-friendly building, she said, pointing out that it is being designed in line with standards of the U.S Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

Mayor Jay Williams, also a Williamson graduate, said the business school will be a milestone for the Youngstown community.

“This is an historic development ... in the Mahoning Valley,” he said.

The building will be bounded by Wood Street on the south, Rayen Avenue on the north, Phelps Street on the east and a proposed extension of Hazel Street on the West.

The Hazel Street project, supported by the university as a way to improve the campus link to downtown, involves the city securing title through eminent domain to the Grenga Machine and Welding Co. property at 128 Rayen Ave. The extension would run right through the Grenga building and the city is seeking a common pleas court order to allow appraisers to enter the property at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Owner Joseph Grenga on Friday filed a request in common pleas court for a preliminary injunction against the city, YSU, the Ohio attorney general and six unidentified “John Does” in response to what he described as an entry to the Grenga land and building made without a valid search warrant.

Grenga’s court filing said the city and YSU’s actions are invalid, haven’t followed the law and have denied him the right to due process. His business has suffered a loss of income and property damage as a result, he said. He is seeking more than $500,000 in damages each against the city, YSU and the six John Does.

gwin@vindy.com