Connect with us

Featured

UM Senior Class Creates Fund for Excellence in Inclusion

Published

on

Many seniors in the Class of 2021 will graduate from the University of Mississippi in May, but not before they leave behind a substantial gift to help retain those coming behind them.

The class has created the Inclusive Excellence Retention Fund through the university’s Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement. The fund is designed for students who are actively focused on promoting and encouraging the university’s ideals of respect, inclusion and diversity.

Those wishing to donate can do so by scanning the QR code above. Photo provided by Ole Miss Communications.

“The Inclusive Excellence Retention Fund will award grants to University of Mississippi students who have been outstanding in promoting diversity awareness, respect and acceptance through education, advocacy and outreach,” said Norris “EJ” Edney, director of inclusion and cross-cultural engagement. “Some of these students are facing modest financial barriers affecting the students’ ability to pay academic-related expenses, preventing them from enrolling or remaining enrolled, or limiting their ability to take advantage of professional development opportunities.”

Senior class officers came up with the idea to create the fund in the summer of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“(Vice President) Evelyn Angle, (Treasurer) Meredith McDonald and I reflected on our time at Ole Miss,” said Flint Christian, class president. “We reflected on what we loved here and what we wanted to see improve. We set goals to directly support students and better the environment at Ole Miss as a place for all.”

The students met with Edney and center staff and started working on making the goals into something tangible to help future Ole Miss students.

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” Christian said.

The money raised will assist students in many ways, from supporting students for conferences, engagements and organizations to granting semester-to-semester relief when personal crises and circumstances outside a student’s control come into play, Christian said.

“We hope this gift will help students in need and make Ole Miss a home that everyone can be a part of and celebrate,” he said. “We hope that students will know that this support system is there for them, that students will put these funds to their best use, and that the university will continue to grow far into the future.”

Tax-deductible gifts to the fund can be made through the University of Mississippi Foundation. Checks should be made payable to the UM Foundation/Class of 2021 and mailed to the foundation at P.O. Box 249, University, MS 38677. Gifts also can be made online at http://www.umfoundation.com/seniors or by calling 800-340-9542.

For more information, call 800-340-9542 or email ag@olemiss.edu. For general information about the scholarship, contact Christian at fchristi@go.olemiss.edu.


By Edwin B. Smith

Sports Editor

Advertisement

Ole Miss Men’s Basketball

Mon, Nov 4Long Island University Logovs Long Island University W, 90-60
Fri, Nov 8Grambling Logovs GramblingW, 66-64
Tue, Nov 12South Alabama Logovs South AlabamaW, 64-54
Sat, Nov 16Colorado State Logovs Colorado StateW, 84-69
Thu, Nov 21Oral Roberts Logovs Oral RobertsL, 100-68
Thu, Nov 28BYU Logovs BYUW, 96-85 OT
Fri, Nov 29Purdue Logovs 13 PurdueL, 80-78
Tue, Dec 3Louisville Logo@ LouisvilleW, 86-63
Sat, Dec 7Lindenwood Logovs LindenwoodW, 86-53
Sat, Dec 14Georgia Logovs Southern MissW, 77-46
Tue, Dec 17Southern Logovs SouthernW, 74-61
Sat, Dec 21Queens University Logovs Queens UniversityW, 80-62
Sat, Dec 28Memphis Logo@ MemphisL, 87-70
Sat, Jan 4Georgia Logovs GeorgiaW, 63-51
Wed, Jan 8Arkansas Logo@ 23 ArkansasW, 73-66
Sat, Jan 11LSU Logovs LSUW, 77-65
Tue, Jan 14Alabama Logo@ 5 AlabamaW, 74-64
Sat, Jan 18Mississippi State Logo@ 17 Mississippi StateL, 81-84
Wed, Jan 22Texas A&M State Logovs 13 Texas A&ML, 62-63
Sat, Jan 25Missouri Logo@ MissouriL, 83-75
Wed, Jan 29Texas Logovs TexasW, 72-69
Sat, Feb 1Auburn Logovs 2 AuburnL, 92-82
Tue, Feb 4Kentucky Logovs 10 KentuckyW, 98-84
Sat, Feb 8LSU Logo@ LSU7:30 PM
SECN
Wed, Feb 12South Carolina Logo@ South Carolina6:00 PM
SECN
Sat, Feb 15Mississippi State Logovs 17 Mississippi State5:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Feb 22Auburn Logo@ Vanderbilt2:30 PM
SECN
Wed, Feb 26Auburn Logo@ 2 Auburn6:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Mar 1Oklahoma Logovs 12 Oklahoma1:00 PM
TBA
Wed, Mar 5Tennessee Logovs 1 Tennessee8:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Mar 8Florida Logo@ 6 Florida5:00 PM
SECN

@ COPYRIGHT 2024 BY HT MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HOTTYTODDY.COM IS AN INDEPENT DIGITAL ENTITY NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.