Donors Choose What Student Programs to Support During MC’s Online Day of Giving Event Nov. 28

A clinical training lab where School of Education students can receive enhanced, developmentally appropriate, hands-on training to prepare for careers in counseling, play therapy, and early childhood education.

A new scrim and state-of-the-art projector that will provide professional-level scenery for student theatrical productions in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall in the Aven Fine Arts Building.

An expanded mentorship program in the Center for Faith, Service, and Ethics to help School of Business students discover how to purposefully respond to the Great Commission in their respective careers.

Research stipends to allow biological sciences students in the School of Science and Mathematics to remain on campus during the summer and contribute to groundbreaking health sciences research.

Technology-forward hospital beds that replicate those found in Jackson’s three primary medical institutions to help train School of Nursing students in the school’s simulation lab.

Brand-new outdoor furniture to replace outdated furnishings on the third floor of Jennings Hall, so students in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have a comfortable place to gather, collaborate, and study.

For the first time, alumni and friends of Mississippi College who participate in the Christian University’s online Day of Giving campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 28, will have the option to support any of six projects hand-picked by the respective schools’ deans and faculty as areas of need at MC. Donors may also choose to give to the institution’s general MC Fund, which supports general operations and scholarships for students.

Katrina Pace, executive director of the Mississippi College Foundation, said the various options provide MC alumni, students, parents, and friends an opportunity to support the projects they care about the most and see tangible results from their contributions.

“MC’s Day of Giving is an opportunity for everyone to come together and support these different initiatives,” Pace said. “These options allow donors to have a voice in what we are doing at Mississippi College.

“When others in the community see how many folks believe in our mission and how much support these initiatives are receiving, it encourages them to participate, too. That speaks highly of our University.”

On Jan. 24, the MC Foundation piloted a “A Day of Giving on Founders Day” event in combination with the University’s annual Founders Day celebration. MC alumni and friends logged onto a webpage and made a gift to support the Office of Student Engagement. Donors had the opportunity to select a social club or tribe to “sponsor” with their gift. The clubs and tribes were credited with participation points for each designated donation that counted toward the student organizations’ cumulative “Club or Tribe of the Year” total.

In contrast, this Day of Giving coincides with the National Day of Giving, also known as “Giving Tuesday” or “Global Day of Giving,” a worldwide movement observed in most countries that follows three major shopping days: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Pace said MC’s Day of Giving will become an annual event on that Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

“This is the first time Mississippi College has offered this opportunity on the National Day of Giving,” she said. “We decided to take it up a notch by focusing on needs in different schools. These are tangible projects that people familiar with the programs can relate to.

“Our deans and alumni have identified these as priority projects for their students. Financial support is always important, and these projects will be more meaningful for donors.”

For example, Cindy Melton, dean of the School of Education, said a new clinical training lab could open the door for new programs of study in her school.

“Through contributions to this project and others at the University, donors are helping equip the next generation and make a direct impact on those in our state,” Melton said. “This proposal would align with the mission and ministry of our University, provide additional training and experience for our graduates to serve children and families in our state in need of age-appropriate counseling and play therapy. It would attract more applicants to the program, better equip those training in these fields, and meet the training interests and needs of behavioral health professionals across Mississippi.

“Day of Giving is a special time to donate to a specific cause and focus on a beneficial project that will directly support the mission of the School of Education. Each donation helps our faculty and students as they prepare to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in their chosen profession. This is a wonderful opportunity for alumni, community members, and others to give back and help make a difference.”

Ben Williams, chair of the Department of Music, said the acquisition of a cutting-edge projector would give students in the School of Christian Studies and the Arts an opportunity to explore more theatrical roles and become involved in familiar productions like Broadway shows.

“As we seem to educate the next generation of artists, they need experience interacting with the arts as they are today,” Williams said. “This experience sometimes requires equipment and technology upgrades to our facilities so the spaces students learn in match the world around them.

“MC provides strong educational opportunities in the arts, grounded in our shared Christian faith and world-class faculty, and we want to see students having everything they need to succeed and become leaders in our communities, now and in the future.”

The selected programs are already receiving support. The owners and founders of Sound and Communication, both MC alums, are providing ancillary equipment and design and installation assistance for the projector. And the Medical Dental Alumni Association has pledged to match Day of Giving gifts earmarked for the School of Science and Mathematics summer research stipends.

Pace said participating in MC’s Day of Giving will help the University pursue its mission of being an educational institution devoted to academic excellence and committed to the cause of Christ.

“Everything that occurs on this campus is done for that purpose,” she said. “We’re able to educate our students more easily when these projects are fully funded.”

MC’s Day of Giving is an online event, and Venmo or PayPal payments will be accepted.