YSU Foundation receives $131,000 endowment
YSU Foundation receives $131,000 endowment
Staff report
James Herr, a 1974 Youngstown State University graduate, has left a $131,000 endowment to the YSU Foundation.
The endowment, designated to the Beeghly College of Education, will be used to establish a special fund for excellence under the discretion of the dean.
Jim Herr was a graduate of Austintown Fitch High School, received a bachelor degree from Mount Union College and a Master of Science in Education from YSU. He taught history and gifted reading at his alma mater, Austintown Fitch, for 30 years. After
retiring, Herr continued his teaching career at ITT Technical College.
He died Aug. 13, 2013.
Charles Howell, dean of the Beeghly College of Education, described Herr as “a lifelong educator, who embodied the ideals of our college and our profession — a commitment to learning and a belief in the wide horizons of an enlightened life.”
Income from the endowment will be used to support international recruiting efforts, study abroad opportunities for students,
opportunities for conference participation, and other professional development activities that might otherwise have been beyond students’ reach.
“These opportunities will impact generations to come in the region,” said Howell. “The broad perspective and insight students develop through experiences of this kind will be felt in classrooms across the state and beyond.”
Herr traveled extensively, visiting Europe, the Middle East, South America, Japan and the South Pacific. He was civically active, and served on numerous nonprofit governing boards, the Board of Visitors to the Beeghly College of education, and was a lifetime member of the YSU Alumni Association.