![\"Singer-songwriter](\"http:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/guitarplaying.png\")
<\/a>Singer-songwriter Rivers Rutherford and fellow artists entertain at a reception honoring Legacy Award sponsors and Rose Society members.<\/p><\/div>\n
Best in Show<\/h2>\n
Karen Moore (BS 82) of Nashville, Tenn., president of Project Redesign and OMWC chair, says there is much to celebrate on the occasion of this anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to the incredible investments from alumni, friends and council members, OMWC scholarships and programming are absolutely transforming students\u2019 lives \u2013 and we intend for our work to impact many, many more individuals. To further illuminate our mission, we created the Legacy Award, which has become a coveted honor. It highlights servant leaders among us and focuses attention on our scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becky West (BA 78) of Memphis, president of WestRogers Strategic Communications and a founding OMWC member, chaired the 2015 Legacy Award events, which included a mid-April reception and dinner at Brandt Memory House for Legacy Award dinner sponsors and Rose Society members, with entertainment by Nashville singer-songwriter Rivers Rutherford (BA 89) and fellow artists. The dinner was hosted the evening before the memorable awards event at Carrier House, when Overby, always the journalist, interviewed Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75) about his challenges with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning that ultimately led to the end of his tenure at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n
<\/a>2015 Legacy Award honoree Charles Overby (left) and Chancellor Dan Jones<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cAs I looked across this sold-out crowd, I felt the positive impact the Ole Miss Women\u2019s Council is having on the university,\u201d West says. \u201cThe \u2018interview\u2019 between Charles Overby and Dan Jones is something I will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of letting his own accomplishments \u2013 which compose a compelling list, including a 1983 Pulitzer Prize for The Clarion-Ledger\u2019s coverage of educational reform in Mississippi \u2013 headline the evening, Overby focused on Chancellor Jones\u2019 contributions, with the crowd of around 420 exploding with supportive applause for Jones.<\/p>\n
Growing Season<\/h2>\n
Jones also asked questions of Overby, requesting that he define \u201cmentoring\u201d as it is so integral to the OMWC\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me it means somebody who takes an interest in you and who is willing to back you, to support you and push you,\u201d Overby said. \u201cI\u2019ve always had an advocate. My biggest advocate in life was (USA Today founder) Al Neuharth … he pushed me. He would often tell me, \u2018You did that job better than you know how, Charles.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>OMWC scholars Jack Fitzpatrick (left), BreAnna Faust and Brea Rich with Bonnie Brown, a mentoring counselor at Ole Miss<\/p><\/div>\n
The presenting sponsor for the event was C Spire, with event proceeds directed to programming for scholars. Build- ing resources is critical, West says, because as Ole Miss\u2019 enroll- ment continues to soar, so do students\u2019 needs for scholarships and mentorship.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the awards dinner, I thought of the vision, mission and core values of the university coupled with the mission of the Women\u2019s Council. Phrases such as \u2018lead and excel by engaging minds, transforming lives and serving others,\u2019 \u2018chal- lenges and inspires a diverse community\u2019 and \u2018philosophy of servant leadership\u2019 quickly flooded my mind. However, it was the faces of our scholars that really captured my focus.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Chancellor Dan Jones (left), OMWC board member Katie Hester, first lady Lydia Jones and OMWC chair Karen Moore<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThe Women\u2019s Council uniquely guides our scholars into their future careers and helps them develop life skills through leadership-mentorship programs. Funding an Ole Miss Women\u2019s Council Scholarship is one of the best investments a person can make,\u201d West says.<\/p>\n
The scholarships, which have grown to be some of the larg- est and most prestigious on campus at about $32,000 each, are awarded to both young women and men based on academics, leadership and a desire to give back to society after in-depth interviews. After graduating and becoming established in their careers, scholars are encouraged to give back to the program.<\/p>\n
Donors who fund scholarships can name them for themselves or for influential people in their lives. Each new scholar- ship is celebrated in a ceremony in the council\u2019s Rose Garden,\u00a0located outside the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The Rose Society is an annual giving program added in 2010 for individuals who feel passionate about supporting mentorship, leadership training and cultural-enrichment activities. All Rose Society membership dues go directly to programming, which includes two opportunities for each scholar to travel during his or her college career.<\/p>\n
Sowing the Seeds<\/h2>\n
Debra Whitley of Natchez, an integrated marketing com- munications major, is grateful for such investments.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing an Ole Miss Women\u2019s Council scholar has been both a rewarding and humbling experience. I have been intro- duced to so many people, places and things that I normally would not have encountered,\u201d the senior says. \u201cIt is because of the council\u2019s generosity that I am able to attend the University of Mississippi.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore importantly, I have witnessed and been inspired by the fact that the Ole Miss Women\u2019s Council keeps philan- thropy at the heart of everything that it does. In the last three years that I have been a scholar, I have been encouraged to adopt a philanthropic spirit. I have volunteered with a variety of community service projects, including sorting through recyclable items after Ole Miss football game days and making snacks for an after-school program. One other cause that is close to my heart is diabetes research. My grandfather, who lived with diabetes most of his life, passed away\u00a0my sophomore year. Consequently, I hope to honor\u00a0his memory and continue my philanthropic spirit\u00a0by working with diabetes research efforts after graduation,\u201d Whitley says.<\/p>\n
Serving a two-year term as OMWC chair, Karen Moore first learned about the organization after her husband, Bruce (BBA 82), created a scholarship in her honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce surprised me for Christmas with an OMWC schol- arship \u2013 absolutely the best gift ever,\u201d she says. \u201cI was asked to join the council and met the most wonderful, professional, fun-loving group of women who deeply love Ole Miss and students. Their enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring. Since joining in 2007, I have worked on many committees and events side by side with women who can make things happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the most memorable moments with our scholars have been at graduation dinners,\u201d Moore continues. \u201cStudents talk about how our programs have impacted their day-to-day college experiences. One said, \u2018Without the Ole Miss Women\u2019s Council mentoring program, I seriously doubt if I would have made it through my four years. Miss Bonnie (Brown, a mentor- ship counselor) guided and helped me through all of my hard times and difficult choices.\u2019 Those are our \u2018aha\u2019 moments, when we see that these young people have utilized the resources we provide, and those experiences helped catapult them to success. The scholars are our legacy and must carry the torch for future generations. It is our hope that our scholars will be leaders who give back to the world, as they are being taught.\u201d<\/p>\n
Companion Planting<\/h2>\n
Gloria Kellum, vice chancellor emerita for University Rela- tions and a founding OMWC member, says one of the most important OMWC accomplishments has been developing a structure to encourage and facilitate alumni and friends genuinely reaching out to students and becoming involved in strengthening educational experiences outside the classroom.<\/p>\n