Contact: Sheri Pape
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State President Mark Keenum is announcing a $100 million private fundraising effort to support university student and faculty scholarships.
"StatePride: An Initiative for Student and Faculty Support" will be a four-year endeavor led by the MSU Foundation. Its goals include:
--Attracting the state's and region's most capable academic achievers with scholarships that help the land-grant institution reach its goal of enrolling 22,000 students by 2015.
--Solicitation of other gifts for endowed professorships, chairs and fellowships, as well as faculty awards.
Keenum made the announcement Friday [Oct. 16] during his investiture as MSU's 19th chief executive. He was hired by the state College Board late last year and began work Jan. 1.
In his remarks, Keenum told a packed crowd in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium that
MSU will need to increase the number of faculty members to meet the needs of a larger student population. The university also must retain top faculty by increasing research opportunities and providing incentives in all areas of study.
"The StatePride initiative will help Mississippi State continue a pattern of growth and excellence in the areas of learning, research and service," Keenum said. "Our hope is to provide a quality and affordable education for as many students as possible, and employ expert faculty in every academic unit."
In conjunction with the new initiative, the MSU Foundation and athletic department are joining together for a matching gift program unique in the history of the institution. The athletic department has agreed to match up to an average of $750,000 annually for scholarships and faculty support.
"The partnership with athletics will greatly impact our university by providing privately funded academic awards for students and faculty," said John P. Rush, vice president for development and alumni. "The alliance will not only affect Mississippi State today, but will continue to strengthen the university for years to come."
The strategic collaboration between the two campus units will extend beyond the fundraising initiative. Over the next 15 years, athletics has agreed to provide more than $11 million in matching funds for scholarships, faculty support and the campus library system.
Rush said the StatePride commitment is the beginning of an extended partnership between the foundation and athletics department.
Launched in January with Keenum's arrival, the initiative already has raised nearly $20 million in private funds, not including the match from athletics.
Rush said all contributions for scholarships and faculty support made before Dec. 31, 2012, will count toward the $100 million goal. The athletic matching dollars will be available annually on a first-come, first served basis.
He said the foundation will continue to raise funds for other campus needs such as building renovations and expansions. For the next four years, however, an emphasis will be placed on the priorities of the StatePride initiative.
"Our state economy has suffered significantly in the last several months," Rush observed. "The foundation is committed to offsetting the decrease in state appropriations by providing private funds for our students and faculty.
"This will ensure the future of Mississippi's economy by adequately preparing our young people to enter the workforce," he said.