3 with ties to YSU start a new scholarship fund

Staff report

Youngstown

One current and two former deans of Youngstown State University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts have teamed up to start a new scholarship fund to support students in the college.

The Reaching for Tomorrow’s Stars scholarship is the first scholarship campaign for the F&PA College at YSU, which houses the Dana School of Music and the departments of Art, Communication and Theater/Dance.

Bryan DePoy, F&PA dean, and two former deans of the college – Joe Edwards and George McCloud – have together pledged $10,000 to initiate the scholarship campaign. The initial fundraising goal of the campaign is $100,000 to establish an endowment that will provide scholarship funding in perpetuity.

“As deans, we have experienced the immense joy of shaking the hands of numerous graduates during commencement ceremonies,” said DePoy, who became dean in 2009.

“We know that many of those students would not have completed their college careers without financial assistance of some kind. Our goal with this scholarship is to ensure that we have a diverse array of scholarship opportunities to attract the very best students into our distinguished academic programs.”

McCloud, F&PA dean from 1997 to 2005, said student scholarships remain critical to attracting and etaining students in the college.

“That is why this scholarship fund is so important,” he said. “It will allow students to pursue and reach their professional goals and personal dreams.”

Edwards agreed.

“The F&PA College strives to be a distinguished, nationally recognized center for education in the fine and performing arts,” said Edwards, who served as F&PA dean from 2005 to 2009. “This scholarship extends the extraordinary tradition of excellence for the future.”

The dollar amount and number of scholarships will be determined by the amount of money raised for the endowment. The scholarship is for undergraduate or graduate students pursuing any degree in the College of F&PA and is renewable based on academic standing and by meeting benchmarks indicating progress toward a degree.

“This is not a typical scholarship,” DePoy said. “Students receiving the scholarship must achieve success benchmarks by successfully progressing through their degrees in steady fashion. Graduate students are also eligible for the scholarship, which is somewhat unusual.”

For more information or to make a donation, call the YSU Office of University Development at 330-941-3119 or visit www.ysu.edu/givetoysu.