The $500,000 gift comes from the James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Foundation and will continue the work of the Centofanti Symposium, which has brought speakers and lectures to the university for the past decade.
Youngstown State University has received a $500,000 gift from the James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Foundation to provide continued support for the university’s Centofanti Symposium. The Centofanti Symposium has brought speakers and lectures to the university for the past decade, on topics including preventive medicine and public health, social violence, and mental health needs of combat veterans, among others. With this additional $500,000 gift, the James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Foundation's giving to the university has exceeded $3.2 million.
According to an article on Youngstown State University’s website, Mark Graham, who serves as a Centofanti Foundation Trustee, was quoted as saying of the Foundation’s gift, “The Centofanti Foundation is proud to continue supporting the Symposium at Youngstown State University. We are honored to be part of the University’s enduring commitment to educational excellence, community engagement and student opportunity. The Centofanti Symposium supports the University’s commitment by bringing speakers who are expert scholars in their disciplines to provide a thoughtful community lecture at no cost to the public. It has also provided Youngstown State University students with the opportunity for a dedicated meeting time with the speaker(s).”
James Centofanti, who died in 2010, was a businessman, philanthropist, and horseman. His wife, Corlie Centofanti, died in 1999. The couple supported numerous educational and community efforts around the Canfield, Ohio area.
Their philanthropy directed at the university has now exceeded more than $3.2 million. Their gifts created the James and Coralie Centofanti Center for Health and Welfare, established the Centofanti Symposium, supported the Nunziato Veterans Center, supported the Paula and Anthony Rich Center for Autism, established an endowment for the James and Coralie Centofanti School of Nursing at YSU, and more.
YSU President Bill Johnson said, "Because of the Centofanti Foundation’s continued generosity, Youngstown State University has built the Centofanti Symposium into one of the region’s premier forums for presenting serious ideas and conducting meaningful dialogue. With their support, YSU has brought nationally recognized scholars and influential voices to our campus to engage our students and our community on the issues shaping our world. Our job at YSU is to teach our students how to think critically, to ask probing questions, to look at issues – whether scientific or social – from all sides, so that they emerge from our campus fully capable of addressing a wide range of potential solutions to the challenges of their generation. This extraordinary gift ensures that YSU will continue leading those conversations and expanding the educational and cultural vitality of the Mahoning Valley for years to come.”
For more information about Youngstown State University, visit the school’s website.