YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The YSU Foundation unveiled a potential new fundraising venture at its meetings Wednesday.

They're called gratitude markers and are column-shaped structures that can have the donor's name and a message on them.

Markers would be offered in two different sizes, a 9-foot by 4-foot marker and a 5-and-a-half-foot by 3-foot marker.

The larger option requires a $1 million donation while the smaller would be available for $500,000.

Donors can request the location and name or phrase engraved on it, but YSU has the final say on the location and message.

The overhead for the YSU is low, the larger marker costs them around $55,000 to build and put in place while the smaller costs about $31,500.

The new fundraising effort was brought up at the YSU Board of Trustees meeting as a potential move, but nothing is set in stone when it comes to the markers.

The potential new markers come as some donations to the university have been pulled.

21 News has reported over the last few months that some alumni and donors have criticized the hiring process after the announcement that Bill Johnson would take over as university president.

For example, one former grad student and teacher, Patti Ferrara, told 21 News in November 2023 that she gave a substantial amount of money to YSU for scholarships and an endowment that she hoped would reach seven figures, but will no longer support YSU with Johnson at the helm.

Valley entrepreneur Bruce Zoldan donated $5 million to a new student center that would have been named after him back in early 2023. After Johnson joined YSU, Zoldan pulled his funding in protest of the board's secretive selection process.

Zoldan also told 21 News that he would suspend all contributions to the university until 60 days after Johnson is no longer president.