Former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and wife Melody have donated $25,000 to the University of Mississippi School of Education to provide scholarships to its exceptional junior and senior students.
Dean of Education David Rock said the university is honored to have the Musgrove family’s generous support, and he has high hopes for the difference this endowment can make in the lives of students at both the university and K-12 levels.
“Supporting passionate education students with scholarships like this one can make a huge difference,” Rock said. “Not only for our students but in the thousands of children they will impact. We want to thank them for being friends of education.”
To qualify for the award, education majors must be enrolled as full-time students with a 3.25 minimum GPA. They will be asked to provide transcripts, ACT scores and a letter of recommendation to be considered for the one-year award. After the award expires, rising seniors may seek to have it renewed for a second year. Applicants must prove both their academic excellence and their financial need.
This endowment is just one on a long list of contributions that the Musgrove family has made to the public education system. Melody Musgrove has served as a teacher, administrator, assistant superintendent and special education director on the state level. She currently holds federal office as director of the Office of Special Education for the U.S. Department of Education.
She believes that the university’s School of Education has committed to a standard of excellence among its students which will lead to positive changes in the lives of schoolchildren both in-state and nationwide.
“We are very proud to be a part of fulfilling that commitment,” she said.
Musgrove began showing his devotion to the improvement of Mississippi’s education system during his tenure as lieutenant governor when he was instrumental in the passage of what William Winter has called the most significant piece of education legislation in the state’s history. While in office, Musgrove also served as the chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board.
Winter noted that the Adequate Education Program, which is designed to provide adequate education opportunities to all children in the state, “would not have passed without the leadership of Musgrove as lieutenant governor.”
In 2001, Musgrove passed the largest teacher pay raise in state history, which raised the Mississippi teacher’s salary to the Southeastern average. The next year, Mississippi became the first state in the nation to have a computer with Internet access in every classroom.
Since leaving office, Musgrove has spent time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and Stewpot Community Services. He also teaches classes at the university and at the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.
Politically, he has made multiple op-ed contributions to The Huffington Post: once to express his recent support for gay marriage and adoption by gay couples, the latter of which he had banned while in office, and again to promote the Southern Progress Fund, of which he is the chairman.
Musgrove emphasized the importance of and his respect for the public education system.
“We have always believed that a strong education empowers people to access opportunities, contribute to our economy and attain some part of the American dream.”
