The MUW Foundation's History
Celebrating 60 Years of What Matters Most
We are honored to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the MUW Foundation, a nonprofit corporation organized to foster, encourage, and promote the educational purposes of the university. By providing financial support through the pursuit of endowments and other gifts, the MUW Foundation has enriched the academic quality and reputation of Mississippi University for Women for six decades.
What began with two gifts of $1,000 each in 1965 has grown to an endowment valued at more than $69 million thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends who recognize the importance of making our students’ dreams come true.
In 1964, when Mississippi University for Women was Mississippi State College for Women, the fledgling concept of a foundation began to take flight. Since that time, the MUW Foundation has soared to reach new heights in providing vital private support for the university.
On May 31, 1965, Charles Hogarth, president of the university; Hazel Howell, MSCW Alumnae Association president; and Emma Ody Pohl, retired chair of the Department of Physical Education, formalized the charter of incorporation to be filed with the State of Mississippi for the legal creation of the MUW Foundation. The first meeting of the board of directors was held August 31, 1965, with Charles Hogarth presiding. Officers were elected, board members chosen, and the important work began.
By 1974, the Foundation had raised more than $250,000 dollars. On August 26, 1974, an amendment to the charter was executed changing the name of the corporation from the Mississippi State College for Women Foundation to the Mississippi University for Women Foundation. The board of directors announced he first matching gift scholarship challenge that year, breaking new ground for the cultivation of endowed gifts.
Following the retirement of President Charles Hogarth in 1977, James Strobel served as president of the university from 1977 to 1988, and the MUW Foundation endowment increased to $4 million during his tenure.
In 1979, the “Mark of Excellence” program to raise $600,000 over a two-year period was accepted and endorsed by the MUW Foundation. Faculty enrichment, scholarships, and special projects were the focus of this program that successfully reached its goal.
The Century of Excellence Fund was established in 1981 by the MUW Alumni Association as a 100th birthday gift to the university. The program succeeded in reaching its goal of raising $250,000 for scholarship funds by 1984. In addition that year, 12 centennial scholarship endowments were established to provide full tuition for top students in recognition of the university’s founding in 1884.
The “Dollars for a Strong Tomorrow” campaign began in 1985. This campaign’s purpose was to provide additional funds needed for maintaining quality programs at The W. During threat of the university’s closure in 1986, the campaign raised more than $850,000.
When state support for MUW was cut by approximately $2 million in 1986, the “Tomorrow Fund” campaign was announced by community leaders. Individuals, businesses, and industries in the Columbus area raised $250,000 to supplement the university’s operating budget. “There must be a tomorrow for Mississippi University for Women,” was the group’s rallying cry.
In the mid-1980s, the first and second faculty chairs were established, the Harriet Stark Gibbons Chair in Journalism and the Emma Ody Pohl Chair in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. In 1986 and 1987, popular “snowball” alumni parties took place. These parties and other efforts met the Annual Fund’s goal during perhaps the most troubling times in the university’s history.
With the leadership of Clyda Rent, president of the university from 1989 to 2001, Foundation assets increased from $4 million to $19 million. Two additional faculty chairs were added, the Ruth Robinson Smith Chair in Education and the Eudora Welty Chair in Humanities.
A new donor recognition society, the Reneau Society, named in honor of one of the university’s founders, Sallie Reneau, was created in 1991 to honor those who include the MUW Foundation in their estate plans and through other planned gifts.
The remainder of the 1990s brought even larger gifts to the Foundation, many through significant estate gifts. Scholarship endowments and funding for programming support saw significant growth in this era. This period also saw increased support from businesses and private foundations including the first of numerous grants from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation.
In 1995, the gift annuity program was established offering donors another avenue for making major gifts. The first participant in this giving program was beloved alumna and instructor Mary Ellen Weathersby Pope.
The dedication of the Catherine Wilkerson Bryan Green was held in 1997 to celebrate this newly named campus space established with a generous estate gift.
The Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series Endowment was established in 1998 by Bill Threadgill and his family to support a wide range of programs that promote family and cultural influences, advance the artistic and intellectual environment of the university, and strengthen the cultural bond between the university and the public.
In 1999, the “Circle of Honor” scholarship campaign was completed, surpassing the goal of raising more than $1 million in scholarship endowments. This campaign was the largest fundraising effort to date.
Claudia Limbert served as president of the university from 2002 to 2010, and the Foundation’s assets grew from $19 million to $32 million under her leadership.
In 2003, support from Nissan North America saw the naming of Nissan Auditorium in Parkinson Hall, and four parcels of property adjacent to the campus were donated to expand the university’s footprint in the area.
An innovative nursing partnership was established in 2004 with Baptist Memorial Hospital, North Mississippi Medical Center, and Oktibbeha County Hospital to fund additional nursing faculty positions to help meet the healthcare needs of our area.
Also in 2004, the MUW Foundation invested in creating a state-of-the-art calling center with computerized calling terminals manned with students selected as Telefund Ambassadors. In a few short months, this investment paid for itself and provided a new avenue to reach alumni.
The Kossen Faculty Excellence Award Endowment was established in 2005 to recognize an outstanding faculty member chosen by the university each year during graduation.
In 2006, Ina Gordy made a significant gift to establish the Ina E. Gordy Honors College to support MUW’s best and brightest.
Jim Borsig served as president of the university from 2012 to 2018. Building on the previous decade’s successes, MUW Foundation assets increased to more than $50 million during this period.
The opening of fully renovated Poindexter Hall in 2012 provided numerous opportunities for private support of the music program housed in this historic building, and the announcement of a gift naming the Connie Sills Kossen Auditorium was made.
2013 saw the beginning of a $1 million-plus partnership with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Mississippi for a multi-year comprehensive wellness program, “Passport to Wellness,” that supported campus-wide efforts and community health outreach.
Preparations took place over the next few years for the largest campaign in the university’s history. In 2017, the MUW Foundation board of directors voted to move forward with the “Be the Light” campaign and a recommended goal of $15 million over five years. The campaign focused on four priority areas: endowed scholarships; facilities, technologies and programs; endowments, including faculty endowments; and athletics.
In 2018, Nora Miller was named president of the university, the first graduate to lead the institution. During the transition, work on the campaign continued and was met with great success.
Based on the momentum from donors, the university announced in 2021 that the campaign had exceeded its $15 million goal with $17 million raised. The goal was increased from $15 million to $25 million, and the campaign was extended three more years.
In 2023, the university announced that it exceeded its historic $25 million “Be the Light” campaign goal. The ambitious campaign led to new scholarships, cutting-edge learning environments, and much more.
Significant gifts to the “Be the Light” campaign included the Bill and Jo-Ann Vandergriff Simulation Learning Lab, a simulation hospital for nursing students; the Martha Jo Mims Digitization and Conservation Laboratory housed in the University Archives; the Nancy Knight Gilpin Music Lab and new Steinway baby grand piano in Poindexter Hall; and the Nancy Yates Fellows Program providing students with opportunities for community engagement, research, and internships.
Also in 2023, the university’s largest college was named the Bill and Jo-Ann Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences in recognition of the Vandergriffs’ support of nursing at the university and the largest legacy gift in the institution’s history.
Not an institution to rest on its laurels, in 2023 the university announced a new $13 million campaign, “A Home for the Future,” for the complete renovation of historic Shattuck Hall.
Shattuck Hall will become a new gathering place for alumni and friends of the university to connect and reconnect and will feature a boardroom for MUW Foundation and MUW Alumni Association meetings; a large gathering area overlooking the lawn; an event space with dinner seating for 200; spaces for faculty and staff to meet; overnight accommodations for alumni and friends including 10 rooms, three suites, and one executive suite; parking for alumni and guests; and staff offices and workspaces.
Our important work continues. At the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the MUW Foundation's endowment was valued at more than $69 million. With thousands of gifts from alumni and friends over the past 60 years, the MUW Foundation is proud to play an important role in the university’s success, past, present, and future.
Together, gifts to the MUW Foundation combine to make a tremendous impact on what students can accomplish at the university. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, the next 60 years promise to be even brighter.