YSU scholarship established in honor of outgoing interim YSU President Dr. Lafferty

The fund advisors of the John S. and Doris M. Andrews Memorial Fund have contributed $25,000 to establish a scholarship at The Youngstown State University in honor of the outgoing, interim president, Dr. Helen K. Lafferty.

Lafferty was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from Ursuline High School, and earned her baccalaureate as well as graduate degrees from Youngstown State University. She went on to get her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and then completed three post-doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and the National University of Ireland-Galway.

Lafferty, who was described in the press release as highly approachable during her time as YSU Interim President and noted she regularly attended student council meetings, and helped set the tone for negotiations for new contracts with both the Classified Employees Union and the Faculty. 

The John S. and Doris M. Andrews Trust and Memorial Fund has given over $5 million to YSU and the YSU Foundation since 2004. The Youngstown State University Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports student scholarships, student development, and career opportunities.

The exact criteria for the scholarship and how it will be distributed are still being decided. Youngstown State University is expected to have those details worked out in the next few weeks.