In the name of gratitude, YSU honors donors

By Harold Gwin

Businesses, industry and organizations have been active in project financing.

YOUNGSTOWN — The foundation isn’t even in place yet for the new Williamson College of Business Administration building at Youngstown State University, but some of the classrooms it will hold have already been given names.

The YSU board of trustees has named six classrooms in honor of individuals and organizations that have contributed financially to the construction of the $34 million facility scheduled to open in fall 2010.

The combined contributions from those six amounted to $700,000. The money was channeled through the university’s Centennial Capital Campaign, a five-year fund drive to raise $43 million for construction, scholarships and endowments.

The recently ended campaign wound up raising $50 million, an example of how highly the university is regarded by its alumni and the community, said President David C Sweet. The university is tapping $16 million of the fund to help construct the new Williamson building.

Some of the campaign donations to the campaign were huge, particularly as related to the Williamson facility.

The family of the late Warren P. Williamson Jr. contributed $5 million toward the new building for the college that bears Williamson’s name.

Tony and Mary Lariccia of Boardman, longtime supporters of YSU, pledged $4 million to the campaign, with all of that also going to the Williamson project.

The university, in turn, renamed its department of accounting and finance the Lariccia School of Accounting and Finance.

Beyond the obvious financial support, naming classrooms and other facilities after donors gives the contributors recognition down the road for their investment, said Betty Jo Licata, Williamson dean.

The university stresses that the building, while providing traditional classroom experience for students, will be a resource for the community for years to come, offering a variety of programs, seminars and conferences for business and industry as YSU continues to develop partnerships with off-campus entities.

Other rooms in the new building already have been named for other donors, Licata said, citing the Pollock Foundation Executive Board Room, the Schwebel Cafe, the Hynes-Finnegan Professional Sales Lab, the Andrews Financial Services Lab, the Linsalata Industrial History Gallery and the First Place Bank Student Services Center as examples.

gwin@vindy.com

JOHN A. DEPIZZO JR. CLASSROOM: John A. DePizzo Jr. made a $100,000 contribution to the fund-raising campaign. DePizzo, a member of the YSU President’s Council, also created the JAD Scholarship at YSU in the 1990s and contributed $50,000 in 2004 to the construction of the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

HUNTINGTON BANK AND E.M. BARR TRUST CLASSROOM: Huntington and the Barr Trust contributed $175,000 to the campaign. Both have a long history of support to the university, and both are represented on the President’s Council. The bank has contributed to a scholarship fund, the Campaign for YSU and the Andrews Center.

LIBERTY STEEL PRODUCTS CLASSROOM: Liberty Steel Products and the Weller family (James T. Weller Sr. and Andrew Weller) contributed $100,000 to the campaign. The company also contributed $100,000 to the YSU Foundation scholarship fund in 1999 and is represented on the President’s Council.

ANTHONY AND LENORA PETRARCA CLASSROOM: The Petrarcas contributed $100,000 to the campaign and, in 2004, contributed $100,000 to the Andrews Center project. Both are members of the President’s Council.

SAMUEL A. AND JUDY B. ROTH CLASSROOM: The Roths made a $100,000 contribution to the campaign and have a long history of philanthropic support for YSU, including gifts to the Annual Fund and the Andrews Center.

SCHMUTZ FAMILY CLASSROOM: The W.E. Bliss Foundation made a $125,000 contribution to the campaign, and the Bliss family has a long history of philanthropy with YSU. Bliss Hall was named in honor of W.E. Bliss in the 1960s, and, in 2003, the foundation contributed $10,000 to the Andrews Center project. C. Reid Schmutz, grandson of W.E. Bliss, is a member of the President’s Council and president of the YSU Foundation.

Source: Youngstown State University