The Vasilyev siblings have established the
\nfirst endowment for the UM Department of Nutrition and Hospitality
\nManagement. Pictured are (from left) Wendell Weakley, president of
\nUM Foundation; Velmer Burton, dean of School of Applied Sciences;
\nKathy Knight, interim chair of nutrition and hospitality
\nmanagement; Bob Vasilyev; Rita Vasilyev; Scott Vasilyev and his
\nwife, Candace; Renee Sholtis and her husband, Jonny; and Joey
\nVasilyev. UM photo by Kevin Bain.<\/p><\/div> OXFORD,
\nMiss. \u2013 Like most parents, Bob and Rita Vasilyev are rarely
\nsurprised by the actions of their three adult children. ;
\nSo the Oxford couple was not stunned when the trio committed
\n$130,000 to the University of Mississippi’s Department of Nutrition
\nand Hospitality Management, establishing the department’s first
\nendowment in their family’s name. ; Instead, Bob Vasilyev,
\npresident of Vasco Properties Inc., nodded in agreement as Scott
\nVasilyev (BSFCS ’01), their second-oldest, discussed why he
\nsupports academics at Ole Miss. Rita Vasilyev (BMEd ’71),
\nco-publisher of the Oxford Eagle, smiled encouragingly when Renee
\nSholtis (BA ’97), her oldest and slightly shyer child, joined the
\nconversation. And the couple shared a laugh when Joey Vasilyev
\n(BSFCS ’03), the jokester of the family, discussed the beginnings
\nof the family’s food service business.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“I won’t say I’m not proud of them, because I am,” Rita
\nVasilyev said. “And, I won’t say I’m surprised they thought to
\nestablish this endowment, because I’m not. They’ve always been very
\ngenerous children, especially to the Lafayette-Oxford-University
\ncommunity.” ; Bob Vasilyev agreed and added, “They saw a
\nneed and acted on their desire to help future students in the
\nhospitality management field. Both Scott and Joey are graduates of
\nthe program. I am so proud of their generosity and dedication to
\nthe University of Mississippi.” ; The Vasilyev siblings
\ncreated the Vasilyev Family Scholarship Endowment with a $25,000
\ngift and an additional $5,000 to award the scholarship right away.
\nThe family also has committed to adding $10,000 \u2013 $5,000 for the
\nendowment and $5,000 for immediate awards \u2013 every year for up to 10
\nyears. ; The scholarship is intended for junior and senior
\nnutrition and hospitality management majors, with preference given
\nto students from Lafayette, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Panola and Tate
\ncounties, where the family operates its six Taco Bell restaurants.
\n ; Although the scholarship endowment is a first for the
\nDepartment of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, the gift is not
\na first for the family. In fact, the Vasilyevs are widely respected
\nfor their philanthropic endeavors, including being lifelong
\nsupporters of Ole Miss athletics. ; “I would love to say
\nthey got their generous hearts from me, but they got that from
\ntheir mom, who got it from her mom and dad,” Bob Vasilyev said
\n ; Rita Vasilyev is the daughter of the late J.C. and Nina
\nGoolsby, co-owners of The Oxford Eagle. Nina Goolsby was editor of
\nthe 6,000-circulation daily from 1961 to 2006. ; Joey
\nVasilyev, director of marketing for Vasco Properties Inc., credits
\nthe entire family for making them who they are today. ;
\n“Our grandparents were longtime supporters of this community and
\nthey taught our mom early on how important it is to give back,” he
\nsaid. “But our dad is equally culpable. He’s a strong leader who
\nbelieves in investing for immediate impact.” ; From 1968
\nto 1972, Bob Vasilyev served in the U.S. Air Force. He later worked
\nas assistant publisher at The Oxford Eagle for 15 years before
\nleaving to found Vasco Properties in 1987. ; “Investing in
\nthe education of a student has an immediate impact on that
\nindividual, but also it’s a long-term investment,” said Scott
\nVasilyev, director of human resources at Vasco Properties. “Some
\nday that student will be in the position to give back to Ole Miss
\nand the cycle continues.” ; Scott Vasilyev and his wife,
\nCandace, a UM pharmacy graduate (BSPh ’01, PharmD ’03), live in
\nOxford with their children, Vivian and Alexander. ; Velmer
\nBurton, dean of the School of Applied Sciences, said the Vasilyev
\nFamily Scholarship Endowment is “indeed a wise investment with
\nimmediate impact.” ; “This type of support directly
\nimpacts the lives of upperclassmen that have proven to be serious
\nabout the field of nutrition and hospitality management,” Burton
\nsaid. “The generosity of the Vasilyev siblings will make a lifetime
\ndifference in the lives of these students and improve the quality
\nof life for all.” ; The Vasilyev brothers said they opted
\nto establish an endowment for hospitality management because the
\nfield is one of the nation’s fastest growing as well as one of the
\nfastest growing academic programs at Ole Miss, with more than 400
\nstudents pursing degrees. ; “Hospitality management is a
\nconsumer-driven field, and Ole Miss has a great group of dedicated,
\nstudent-oriented faculty preparing students to become professionals
\nin this exciting field,” Scott Vasilyev said. ; Joey
\nVasilyev said the Ole Miss program also provides a “competitive
\nedge.” ; “The faculty is top-notch, and I left with more
\nthan just knowledge,” he said. “I left with real-world experience
\nin food preparation, service management, marketing and much more.”
\n ; Sholtis, an English and journalism graduate, wholly
\nsupports her brothers’ decision to establish the endowment.
\n ; “Ole Miss obviously prepared Joey and Scott for the
\nchallenges of the food service field,” she said. “That’s the reason
\nthey wanted to give back to the program. They received a great
\neducation and excellent experience, and they simply want to give
\nback to students in the department that nurtured and prepared them
\nfor success.” ; Sholtis lives in Fairhope, Ala., with her
\nhusband, Jonny, a UM law school graduate (JD ’97), and their two
\nchildren, Sophie and Oliver. ; Gifts like these allow the
\ndepartment to continue providing outstanding opportunities for
\nstudents, said Kathy Knight, interim chair of nutrition and
\nhospitality management. ; “I was flattered and so grateful
\nwhen I heard that two of our graduates were establishing an
\nendowment,” Knight said. “It’s also exciting that the scholarship
\nis for juniors and seniors because there are very few scholarships
\nfor this group of serious students.” ; For the two proud
\nparents, the newly established endowment is a legacy that can live
\non for many years into the future. ; “It’s a way to always
\ntie me to my university and my hometown, and that’s worth it for
\nme,” Rita Vasilyev said. Individuals and organizations interested
\nin contributing to the Vasilyev Endowment can send checks to the
\nUniversity of Mississippi Foundation, P.O. Box 249, University,
\nMiss. 38677 with the endowment noted in the memo line. Gifts also
\ncan be made by contacting Gloria Kellum, development consultant to
\nthe School of Applied Sciences, at 662-915-1081 or
\ngkellum@olemiss.edu, or by visiting