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| Mike and Mary McDonnell with Chancellor Robert Khayat Photo by Robert K. Jordan |
Mike and Mary “Bickie” McDonnell consider the classics to be the focal point of a well-rounded liberal arts education. Virginia Carey Smith loved the university and wanted to support students. Together they will provide about $670,000 for the Department of Classics.
The Mike and Mary McDonnell Endowment in Classics was funded with a $500,000 pledge to honor Chancellor Robert Khayat’s leadership.
“This gift is precipitated entirely by our admiration of Chancellor Khayat,” Mike McDonnell said. “We thought his job ought to be celebrated.”
The McDonnells feel strongly about the classics, which touch on many liberal arts subjects. That, combined with their confidence in the university’s leadership and direction, inspired the gift.
“We are proud of what Ole Miss is doing,” Mary McDonnell said. “We want to see this growth continue.”
“For many years, Mike and Mary McDonnell have been good friends of the university,” Khayat said. “Their gift supporting classics is a reflection of their extraordinary awareness of eternal values and their generosity. We are profoundly grateful.”
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| Virginia Carey Smith |
Virginia Carey Smith (BA 36) had a deep love for UM, and she wanted to help others attend the university to fulfill of their own educational dreams. A $170,000 gift from her estate, which will be added to the McDonnell endowment, will do just that.
“If you can give to someone else and pass along what was given to you, you should,” said Whitman Smith, great-nephew of Virginia Smith and director of orientation and parent programs at UM. He said such acts of generosity are a tradition in his family that can be traced back to Virginia’s college days. She was the youngest of three children, all of whom went to UM and each of whom helped his or her younger sibling afford school.
“In fact, she viewed it as her duty to give back to Ole Miss and to her family, which she did during her life and has done as a result of her death,” said Whitman Smith. “Above all, she loved people, and she loved Ole Miss.”
“Both of these gifts will provide, among other things, new opportunities for students to study classics,” said Glenn Hopkins, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “The Department of Classics and the College of Liberal Arts are stronger because of these gifts, and we are extremely grateful to the McDonnells and the Smith estate for their generous support.”