Largest fund-raising effort concludes

"The Campaign for Mississippi State" ended its five-year run June 30 with more than $143 million in gifts, pledges and deferred gifts contributed to the university.

The largest major gifts drive in Mississippi history was boosted by a record-setting fund-raising year on the Starkville campus. Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, alumni and friends pledged or contributed more than $42.6 million to Mississippi State, topping the previous high of $39.2 million for private donations in a fiscal year.

In the record total were two anonymous gifts totaling $9 million, and $5 million from the transfer of the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune to the university.

Mississippi State's first comprehensive major gifts effort, which began July 1, 1992, was officially announced to the public in April 1993, with $42 million in commitments already in hand. The original goal of $78 million was achieved in September 1994, and a second goal of $110 million was topped in 1996 .

"Even though a lot of people thought we had our sights set too high when we announced our original goal of $78 million, we were optimistic knowing the resolve of our alumni and friends," said President Donald W. Zacharias. "The $143 million contributed to the campaign nearly doubled our original goal and surpassed even our greatest expectations.

"The success of this campaign has brought great change to our campus, and we will continue to reap the benefits for many years to come. But we must not lose the momentum it has brought to us, and we must continue to move forward."

Of the $143 million in commitments to the campaign, $85 million, or 59 percent, is in the form of outright gifts and payments on pledges. Another $42 million, or 30 percent, is in the form of deferred gifts that will be realized in the future. About $16 million is in pledges payable over a five-year period from the date of the commitment.

"Some $25 million was contributed for scholarships and another $22 million for bricks-and-mortar projects," said Dr. Billy Ward, vice president for institutional advancement.

Buildings made possible by campaign gifts, along with state and other support, include a $19 million student recreation center, an athletic administration building, an $18.6 million chemical engineering building, and a child development/family studies center, as well as renovation of the university's historic cafeteria building, among others.

Other gifts have renovated and modernized laboratories, established electronic classrooms and enhanced library holdings, and, together with an enviable return on investments, expanded the university's endowment from less than $50 million to more than $120 million, Ward said.

Some 45,000 Mississippi State alumni and friends made contributions. More than $2 million in support was contributed by faculty, staff and administrators on campus.

James K. Ashford of Naples, Fla., retired chief executive officer of Case Corp., was the national general campaign chair. The Starkville native is a 1958 accounting graduate of Mississippi State.

On Sept. 27, prior to kickoff of the Mississippi State-South Carolina football game at Scott Field, the university will unveil and light an eternal flame monument being erected in front of Allen Hall. The flame, which was a visual symbol of "The Campaign for Mississippi State," will be a tribute to those who have supported the university throughout its history.

In addition, a part of the halftime show during the Sept. 13 Mississippi State-Louisiana State football game on campus will be dedicated to the successful completion of "The Campaign for Mississippi State."