Completing a bachelor’s degree at Millsaps College will be easier for students who transfer in from community colleges in Mississippi, thanks to a $100,000 gift from the Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF). The funds, given to honor the legacy of Jack Woodward and Herman Hines, will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund to provide financial aid for transfer students. As part of the agreement, Millsaps will raise $50,000 to bring the total endowed scholarship fund to $150,000.
Based in Jackson, Mississippi the Woodward Hines Education Foundation’s mission is “to help more Mississippians obtain postsecondary credentials, college certificates and degrees that lead to meaningful employment.” The Foundation also administers the Get2College program, which provides free college counseling to anyone in the state.
“In the same way that our founders created opportunities for Mississippi students, WHEF is honored to continue that legacy through the establishment of a scholarship for transfer students at Millsaps College,” said WHEF President and CEO Jim McHale. “Our goal is to help more Mississippi students earn a degree or credential that will enhance their quality of life and move them closer to their dreams and we believe that this scholarship will do that.”
While Millsaps has a number of endowed scholarship funds, there are none currently set aside specifically for students transferring from Mississippi community colleges. Scholarships made possible by this grant will also build on an agreement signed in 2017 between Millsaps and each of the state’s 15 community and junior colleges that enhances opportunities for transferring students.
“Today’s students enter college expecting more than a college degree,” said Dr. Robert W. Pearigen, president of Millsaps. “They want a sense of assurance that they can obtain good job and graduate with a minimal amount of debt, if any. This generous support from the Woodward Hines Education Foundation will play a critical role in providing that assurance for many Mississippi students.”
The grant to Millsaps also strengthens historic ties by honoring the legacies of Jack Woodward and Herman Hines, who were instrumental in creating the nonprofit Mississippi Higher Education Assistance Corporation and later the nonprofit Education Services Foundation, which is now known as the Woodward Hines Education Foundation.
Woodward graduated from Millsaps in 1951, and returned to the college in 1961 as director of religious life. One year later, he added the title of director of financial aid, a role he filled at the college for the next 37 years until his retirement in 1999. Known to many as “the granddaddy of financial aid,” Woodward dedicated himself to helping students finance their college education.
A long-time Jackson businessman and CEO of Deposit Guaranty National Bank, Hines was a member of the Millsaps Board of Trustees from 1974 until his death in 2010. He was named a life trustee in 2001. Once quoted as saying, “Millsaps College is one of the abiding loves of my life,” Hines shared his love through countless gifts of time, talent and resources.
For information on how to contribute to the Woodward Hines Endowed Scholarship at Millsaps, contact Hope Carter, vice president of institutional advancement, at [email protected].