The University of Mississippi raised $1.75 billion in the largest fundraising campaign in state history.
Nearly 95,000 donors to the Now & Ever campaign funded scholarships that expand access for students, health care initiatives that serve families across Mississippi, endowed positions to recruit and retain top faculty, and facilities that strengthen research and learning.
“Now & Ever has made a transformative impact on our university,” Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce said. “This campaign has elevated our excellence and will help define our university’s path for generations to come – from student scholarships and faculty support to advancing research, athletics and health care.
“We are incredibly thankful to our deeply committed alumni, friends and supporters who made this campaign a success by investing in this university, its people and in our future.”
With a campaign spanning 10 years, university leadership publicly launched the Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss in 2021 with a bold vision: to attract $1.5 billion. Supporters shattered that goal a year ahead of schedule, setting the stage for the historic accomplishment of $1.75 billion as the campaign continued through 2025.
The campaign was bolstered by cash, pledges, in-kind donations and planned or deferred gifts that reached all seven campuses, including the Oxford and regional campuses, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Ole Miss athletics programs. Over 53,000 first-time donors supported the campaign.
A key to the campaign’s success was the role that volunteer leadership played, with dozens of alumni and friends serving on committees and hosting events in cities across Mississippi and the country. Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, of Memphis, Tennessee; and Debra and retired Maj. Gen. Leon Collins, of Madison, served as campaign co-chairs.
“It is rewarding to see the enthusiasm of the alumni and friends of Ole Miss,” Leon Collins said. “When the call went out, they answered. It is good to know that given this highly competitive collegiate world, we can count on our Ole Miss family to respond positively. It shows the love and dedication we all have for our university.
“I am proud of what was accomplished, because it opens the doors for future success in the classrooms and on the fields of competition.”
An added highlight of the campaign is that the university’s endowment topped $1 billion. Endowed funds are held permanently and invested, with annual distributions directed to initiatives supporting Ole Miss students. The $1 billion endowment places the university in a select group of peers.
Donors established 367 endowments for scholarships, 138 to support student-focused programs and 36 for faculty support. Scholarship support totaled $208 million, providing thousands of current and future students access to essential financial assistance.
More than $880 million will enhance students’ education outside the classroom through athletics, student organizations, experiential learning and career services.
Faculty endowments enable the university to attract and retain top-tier professors through endowed chairs and professorships totaling $23 million, plus an additional $37 million in faculty support. This critical investment strengthens Ole Miss’ academic reputation and fosters innovative research and transformative solutions for our students through enriching experiences.
Faculty support donors Bill and Lee Anne Fry served on the overall campaign steering committee and co-chaired the School of Business Administration’s campaign committee.
“Reaching and surpassing the ambitious financial goals was a headline success,” Bill Fry said. “But the deeper victory was how the campaign reignited pride in everything Ole Miss is achieving.
“Enrollment is climbing, graduation and retention rates are stronger than ever, and our athletics programs continue to inspire.”
The Now & Ever campaign is transforming the university’s Oxford campus and Medical Center with new facilities such as the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation and the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at UMMC Children’s of Mississippi. Additionally, gifts to advance the university’s physical campus aided the expansion of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center and the establishment of a new practice field for the Pride of the South Marching Band.
Funds were also secured for future construction and upgrades including Jones Hall, new home of the Patterson School of Accountancy, and the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute. Other exciting projects will benefit from the success of Now & Ever, including the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency and facilities for Ole Miss soccer and golf.
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the University of Mississippi is more accessible, more innovative and more inspiring than ever,” said Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor for development. “We are deeply grateful to our alumni and friends for believing in our mission and helping us shape an even brighter future for our students.”
For more, see the companion story on the impact of the campaign being felt across campus.
By Tina H. Hahn/UM Development