With a gift of $50,000, University of Mississippi alumnus Ed Krei is increasing a $600,000 gift he and his wife, Barbara, made to the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund in 2023.
“The University of Mississippi has established a world-class accountancy program with its Patterson School of Accountancy,” said Ed Krei, a resident of Edmond, Oklahoma. “A world-class school needs a world-class facility, and I’m convinced the new building will add to the success of what is already a remarkable program.”
Gifts to the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund go toward the construction of a four-story building that will house the school. The 110,000-square-foot structure will overlook the Grove from the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop. When completed, the building will provide study spaces, administrative and faculty office suites, outdoor spaces, such as balconies and terraces, and new tiered auditoriums and advanced classrooms.
The Kreis have a long, generous history of supporting the university, especially its Patterson School of Accountancy. They’ve provided more than $1.5 million to support the school’s faculty and students and established a named accountancy lectureship endowment that was later elevated to the chair level.
“We appreciate so much Ed and Barbara’s generous support of the Patterson School of Accountancy over the years,” said Mark Wilder, dean of the Patterson School. “We are honored to have one of our faculty members, Dr. Kendall Bowlin, receiving support from the Krei Chair of Accountancy and are proud that one of our large first-floor classrooms in the new building will bear the Krei name.
“Ed Krei has enjoyed a remarkable career. We are proud to have him in the Patterson School Hall of Fame and are grateful for all that he and Barbara have done to help our school,” Wilder said.
Ed Krei, a former member of the UM Foundation Board of Directors, earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in business administration with an emphasis in accountancy from Ole Miss in 1973. Accountancy was part of the School of Business Administration until 1979, when it became a separate school. Barbara Krei graduated in 1973 from what is now the UM School of Applied Sciences and has enjoyed a career as a speech pathologist in public schools.
Now retired, Ed Krei was a managing director and board of directors member for the Baker Group in Oklahoma City — an institutional fixed income firm primarily servicing community banks. For 21 years, he represented the Baker Group helping client organizations develop strategies and plan for the future.
Additionally, he was a gold medalist on the CPA exam in Tennessee and has served on the faculty of numerous banking schools and as a trustee of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
“Because of the variety of ways that the School of Accountancy supported me as a student as well as in my career after I graduated, I appreciate being able to support the school,” he said.
The Patterson School offers a bachelor’s degree, four master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in accountancy. The master’s degrees include the traditional MACCY and MTAX as well as master’s degrees in data analytics (Master of Accountancy and Data Analytics and Master of Taxation and Data Analytics). It’s the top accounting school in the SEC and has ranked among the top 10 programs nationally for a decade.
For more information about supporting the new home of the Patterson School of Accountancy, contact Jason McCormick, director of development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757. To make a gift, visit this page.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation