The
Center is happy to announce that Jamie and Ernest
Joyner of Tupelo have become the latest members
of the Ventress Order, an organization that administers
gifts to departments of Ole Miss’s College of
Liberal Arts. The Joyners, longtime supporters
of the
Center, join 11 other individuals or organizations
to use their Ventress Order gift to support the
Center.
“The
Ventress Order really appealed to us,” said Jamie
Joyner, who recently joined the Center’s advisory
committee. “It’s great that the University has
a program that allows people to designate gifts
to a particular department.”
The
Joyners, who have lived in Tupelo for more than
40 years and who have ties to north Mississippi
dating back five generations, say they’re proud
of the work Ole Miss and the Center are doing
to promote Mississippi. “The Center has a positive,
strong national presence, and we have a lot of
pride in the positive programs it offers,” Jamie
said.
Besides
supporting the Center, Ernest, a Vanderbilt University
graduate who works for BancorpSouth, and Jamie,
who is a homemaker, have donated their time and
money to a number of cultural, artistic, and philanthropic
endeavors throughout north Mississippi.“We think
the state and the University are moving in the
right direction, and an awful lot of people have
worked hard to see that happen,” Jamie said. “We
just want to be a part of that.”
Named
in honor of James Alexander Ventress, a founding
father of the University, the Ventress Order encourages
recognition of the College of Liberal Arts as
one of the country’s outstanding centers of learning.
College of Liberal Arts graduates, family members,
friends, or organizations may join the order and
designate their gifts to particular departments
or programs within the college. Corporate and
full individual memberships are available by
pledging $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. Gifts
are payable in lump sums or installments not to
exceed 10 years. Affiliate memberships are also
available through a pledge of $1,000, payable
in a lump sum or installments not to exceed four
years.
JENNIFER
SOUTHALL
