With a $125,000 gift to support the Patterson School of Accountancy’s new 100,000-square-foot building on the University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus, the professional services firm HORNE is honoring its many employees who graduated from the program.
The firm’s gift also honors generations of Ole Miss accountancy students who are yet to be HORNE employees.
“This is part of a bigger commitment,” said Neil Forbes, managing partner at HORNE, where he leads business strategy development, execution and operations for the firm. He also serves on HORNE’s Board of Directors.
“We’re investing in not only the Patterson School but also the broader community,” he said. “While our gift supports the new building fund, it’s just one component in our commitment to Ole Miss and Mississippi as a whole.”
A longtime supporter of the university, HORNE is continuing to invest in the community financially and physically. The company, which employs over 55 UM accountancy graduates, is in the process of establishing an office just at the edge of campus and has begun an initiative to recruit not only accountancy students but those from other academic backgrounds throughout Mississippi.
The HORNE gift is being honored with the naming of three rooms on the new building’s third floor: an area designated for use by accountancy student organizations, a conference room and a team study room.
Recognized as one of the best accountancy schools in the nation, the PSOA continues to have strong enrollment and sought-after accountancy programs that are expanding. These are some of the factors behind the campaign to construct the academic building that will serve as an impressive gateway to campus when it is built on the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop.
“We are fortunate that our alumni, like our many graduates employed by HORNE, are steadfastly committed to working together to pursue our formal vision of being the best accounting school in the nation,” said Mark Wilder, PSOA dean. “Our new building will help us pursue this vision – and I am grateful for the extraordinary outpouring of financial support from our alumni and friends.”
The planned four-story facility, estimated to cost $100 million, will feature tiered auditoriums and classrooms, study areas, conference rooms, administrative and faculty office suites, and outdoor balconies and terraces.
While the school’s students now attend accountancy classes all over campus, the new building will provide the space needed to bring all classes under one roof.
With headquarters in Ridgeland, Mississippi, HORNE LLP, a national professional services firm with a CPA cornerstone, has a long history of supporting the Patterson School in many ways, one of which is hiring its graduates.
“These students represent future leaders in our firm and provide us the ability to continue to help our clients accelerate in a dynamic business environment,” said Joey D. Havens, former managing partner at the firm and 1980 graduate of the UM School of Business Administration.
In 2022, HORNE committed $540,000 to the Patterson School of Accountancy to establish the HORNE LLP Accountancy Professorship Endowment.
The endowment provides the PSOA and Wilder with the resources needed to support the school’s professors. These additional resources could include salary supplements, additional funds for research and other means of support, said Terry Traylor, HORNE’s director of finance and a 1987 graduate of the Patterson School.
“As I understand it, among the Patterson School of Accountancy’s greatest needs are faculty support and scholarship support,” Traylor said. “Our contributions to the endowment will enable Dr. Wilder to fill those needs.”
In 2008, the firm established the HORNE LLP Accountancy Excellence Endowment with a gift of $100,000. It gave another $150,000 to the school in 2012 to create the Horne LLP Accountancy Lectureship Endowment.
HORNE’S financial support allows the Patterson School to build on its legacy of achievement, Wilder said.
“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with HORNE over a long period, and we appreciate so much their commitment to providing resources for our faculty,” the dean said. “Their support will strengthen the Patterson School and enable our students to receive the best accounting education possible.”
To make a gift online, visit the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund. To learn about supporting the accountancy building construction or to establish an endowment, contact Jason McCormick, executive director of development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation