Chancellor Dan Jones talks about Arch Dalrymple III at the dedication for the department of history in front of the Lyceum Monday. (DM Photo | Logan Kirkland)
This year’s legacy gift from the graduating class of 2015 will be a $20,000 endowment for a scholarship named after Chancellor Dan Jones that will be awarded for years to come.
Senior Class President Grady Nutt has been in charge of organizing the efforts for the gift and chose to create the “Chancellor Dan Jones Service Before Self Scholarship.”
“As chancellor, Dan Jones serves as the face of our university, and we want to show our gratitude for his years of great service while, in the meantime, celebrating the many accomplishments of the Class of 2015,” Nutt said.
Past legacy gifts have included benches, plaques and other tangible gifts ranging in worth from $800-$6,000. This year’s graduating class has more than doubled the amount of money needing to be raised.
Nutt said $20,000 was an ambitious goal, but 2015 is graduating an ambitious class.
“Not only did I want to pick something that had never been accomplished, but I wanted to take on a project that would make an impact for as long as the university’s doors were open,” Nutt said. “A legacy gift has never raised that much money, but there has also never been a graduating class like ours.”
The gift is an endowment, meaning the sum being donated will be broken into smaller amounts and used over time. Individual scholarships will be awarded in increments from $1,000 to $2,000 each semester. Nutt is excited that the gift will leave a lasting impact.
“Even by the time my grandchildren take their first tour of Ole Miss, there will be a student leader on campus receiving a scholarship from the Class of 2015’s Legacy Gift,” Nutt said.
Nutt has been working closely with his fellow senior class officers and The University of Mississippi Foundation. The team has decided to use a crowdfunding technique to raise the money needed for the endowment.
Brett Barefoot is the director of Development for Parent Leadership at The UM Foundation. The foundation is responsible for receiving, receipting, investing and distributing all gifts for the benefit of the university. Barefoot has been serving as an advisor for the Legacy Gift fundraising.
“Grady and his team worked with us to create an Ignite Ole Miss giving page for the Ole Miss Class of 2015 Legacy Gift,” Barefoot said. “Crowdfunding uses social media outlets to make certain groups aware of specific fundraising initiatives. Sharing the efforts through Facebook and Twitter, for example, allows us to connect with a large number (of) potential donors very quickly.”
Nutt said the team saw a spike in donations right after the site was launched, but donations have slowed.
Donors are able to go onto the University Foundation Ignite page and donate from either a mobile device or a computer, see updates and track the scholarship’s progress. The UM Foundation is also accepting checks to put towards the goal.
Over $10,000 has been raised so far.
“I’ve spent four incredible years with these soon to be graduates, and I know we are capable of setting the bar as high as the tallest oak tree in the Grove,” Nutt said. “We are a special group of seniors, and, for that reason, we are going to tackle a very special project.”
-Lana Ferguson
