Campaign tops $64 million in October

National general chairman Jim Ashford reported on campaign progress at Homecoming activities on campus in October.

The Campaign for Mississippi State: To Serve Mississippi . . . and Beyond, seeks $20 million for scholarships and financial aid, $17 million for faculty development, $18 million for educational program enhancement, $3 million for library enhancement, $10 million for buildings, and $10 million for the university's endowment for the future. The campaign officially began on July 1, 1992, and continues through mid-1997.

Solicitations so far have focused on larger gifts, and 12 commitments of $1 million or more had been formalized by the time of the Oct. 15 update. The national phase of the campaign, which seeks participation at all giving levels, was conducted this past fall. A faculty and staff phase is planned for this spring.

"We've been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response of Mississippi State alumni and friends," said Ashford, a 1955 accounting graduate and retired president of J.I. Case Inc. "People from throughout the state and across the country have stepped up to become a part of this effort to strengthen the university as it heads into the next century."