For alumnae Nancy Stumberg of San Antonio, Texas, and Kathryn Black of Collierville, Tenn., donating their time and money to UM isn’t “philanthropy.” It’s more like giving something to a beloved family member.
“Everything I learned—my values, my morals—either came from my parents or from Ole Miss. It’s like home,” said Stumberg (BA 75, JD 77).
“I’m just thankful to give what I can to the university, because I love it so much,” said Black (BA 62).
Stumberg and Black are typical of the growing number of women changing UM’s “philanthropic landscape,” said Ellen Rolfes, director of Ole Miss First and architect of the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy. Both programs provide scholarships and mentoring for students.
Stumberg and Black are also instrumental in helping the College of Liberal Arts achieve its goals, said Dean Glenn Hopkins.
“Nancy’s commitment to education has resulted in much needed resources for the College through her participation in the Ventress Order, the College’s recognition society for private giving,” Hopkins said.
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Kathryn Black |
“Kathryn, who soon becomes chair of the Ventress Order, has been extremely generous with her resources and her time,” he said. “She’s also been important in the success of the summer fellowship program.”
The fellowships help recruit and retain College faculty. Among them is the College’s first resident poet, Beth Ann Fennelly (see story, Page 8).
In honor of her parents, Black has arranged a bequest in her will to provide a $100,000 endowment for the Kathryn H. and David J. Brewer Scholarship for Liberal Arts through the Women’s Council. She also established a $25,000 Ellen Rolfes Ole Miss First Scholarship, given to Kellie McDonald, a freshman liberal arts student from Germantown, Tenn.
Black believes all alumni should give to their alma mater whatever they are comfortable giving. “That’s what I do—give as I can, what I can—because I want to help,” she said.
Stumberg’s contributions include a law school scholarship named for her parents, Dorothy and Noble Harrelson; a gift funding the Indoor Practice Facility’s video room; and $15,000 for an endowment honoring her late mentor, UM Dean of Women and Isom Center for Women Director Joanne Varner Hawks. The endowment funds enhancements at the Isom Center, which promotes research and scholarship about women.
Stumberg also provided a $25,000 Ole Miss First donation by recruiting four San Antonio couples to join her in giving $1,000 a year for five years. The scholarship they created will soon enable a student from San Antonio to attend UM.
“It’s a privilege to do what I can to ensure someone else has the same experience I had at Ole Miss,” said Stumberg.
“Nancy Stumberg and Kathryn Black are true role models for all women—and men—who practice philanthropy and who invest in higher education,” said Chancellor Robert Khayat. “We are grateful to them for their faith in us.”