During Founders’ Day activities March 30 celebrating The University of Southern Mississippi’s 99th anniversary, President Martha Saunders announced the establishment of the Centennial Scholarship Endowment.

Created as a special initiative in conjunction with the university’s Centennial in 2010, the effort is aimed at ensuring the future lifeblood of the institution by increasing the availability of unrestricted, endowed scholarship support.

Southern Miss must have the unrestricted scholarship resources necessary to enhance recruiting efforts to effectively compete for the best and brightest students. “Building a pool of unrestricted scholarship funds is a university priority,” said Dr. Saunders. “We must capitalize on the momentum the Centennial celebration will provide to transform Southern Miss into the university we believe it can be.”

Dr. Saunders also announced that former Hattiesburg Mayor Bobby Chain and his wife, Betty, have made the lead gift of $100,000 to the effort. In all, $200,000 has been secured for the endowment so far. 

The campaign fundraising efforts will be conducted over a 24-month period, beginning in March 2009 and concluding on March 30, 2011. Southern Miss family, friends, alumni, current students and faculty will be encouraged to participate in the campaign.

“This project will provide an opportunity for broad participation and wide investment in the future of Southern Miss by addressing a specific priority need of the institution through the establishment and growth of an unrestricted, endowed scholarship fund,” said Dr. David Wolf, vice president for Advancement.

All donors to the Centennial Scholarship Endowment will be recognized on a donor recognition section of the Southern Miss Centennial Web site located at www.usm.edu/centennial. The list will accrue on a rolling basis throughout the life of the site. Donors of gifts $10,000 and greater will be appropriately recognized at a Centennial location on campus to be determined at a later date.

While giving levels will be incorporated into the recognition structure, all donors, regardless of gift size, will be recognized for their gift to the Centennial Scholarship Endowment.

“The Centennial is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone opportunity to capitalize on the momentum a celebration of this kind can create,” said Dr. Saunders. “Adding unrestricted scholarship resources is the number one fundraising priority of Southern Miss at this time and will lay the foundation for initiating a successful comprehensive capital campaign in the near future.”

For more information or to make a gift to the Centennial Scholarship Endowment, contact the USM Foundation at 601.266.5602.

About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.