YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown State University's Kilcawley: "Centered on the Future" campaign has received another donation of $272,000 from the estate of Evelyn V. Stephens.

The gift supports university priorities and initiatives that directly enhance student's education and overall experience at YSU.

Stephens was a 1959 YSU graduate with a degree in education, where she dedicated her early career serving students as a special educations teacher.

YSU President Bill Johnson says, "We are deeply grateful for the remarkable generosity of the late Evelyn Stephens and her enduring commitment to education and to Youngstown State University."

He continues, "This meaningful gift will be used where it is needed most, in service of the students and mission she cared so deeply about."

Stephens and her husband Tom co-founded the Thomas M. and Evelyn V. Stephens Scholarship, which supports YSU teacher education students committed to working in public school districts.

Campaign Chair Schott Schulik says, "Their belief in the power of public education lives on through their philanthropy, and this estate gift will further their legacy of supporting future generations of educators."

Tom Stephens died in 2020, followed by Evelyn in 2022.

Stephens's estate is one of many donors in this campaign with others including Dr. George Young, Global Trustee Jocelyne Konay Linsalata, Laura and Paul Lyden and many more.