{"id":92134,"date":"2019-09-24T13:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T18:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=92134"},"modified":"2019-09-24T13:01:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T18:01:00","slug":"late-sen-cochrans-legacy-expanded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/late-sen-cochrans-legacy-expanded\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Sen. Cochran’s Legacy Expanded"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

The life of the late U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who earned undergraduate and law degrees at UM, is being honored with the Cochran Endowment in the School of Law. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 The University of Mississippi<\/a> \u2013 as well as the state and nation \u2013 lost one of its strongest voices of support with the passing of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran on May 30.<\/p>\n

Thanks to alumni and friends dedicated to expanding his legacy, an endowment has been established for scholarships, educational opportunities and preserving his congressional archives.<\/p>\n

The UM School of Law<\/a> hosted a tribute event recently to honor the service of the 10th-longest-serving senator in American history and build resources in several areas. The Cochran Endowment provides law scholarships, an international law fellowship, a military promise program, preservation of his collection in the University Libraries’ Modern Political Archives and resources to the law dean’s strategic initiatives.<\/p>\n

“We are so grateful to all individuals and organizations who contributed to these endowments,” said Susan Duncan, UM law dean. “Sen. Thad Cochran has impacted the lives of all Mississippians, and we are honored to continue his legacy.<\/p>\n

“The generous contributions from alumni and friends to honor Sen. Cochran will change the lives of so many students who wish to pursue legal careers and help current and future generations understand American history.”<\/p>\n

The endowments support areas of great importance to the longtime public servant who earned both undergraduate and law degrees from Ole Miss, Duncan said.<\/p>\n

Cochran studied international law at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, which greatly influenced his life. Before his political career, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and was an educator of military law and public policy.<\/p>\n

Scholarships from the Cochran Endowment assist community-oriented Mississippi residents with a dedication to service earn law degrees at Ole Miss. The Thad Cochran International Law Fellowship recognizes the importance of international education by providing Mississippi students at the law school with opportunities to study abroad, gaining new perspectives and cultural exposure.<\/p>\n

The Thad Cochran Military Promise Program portion of the endowment provides law scholarships for students seeking careers in the military. It also provides scholarships for veterans seeking legal education.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Cochran donated more than 3,500 linear feet of physical records and 5 terabytes of electronic record from the last 45 years of his career. This political archive collection will serve as a resource for researchers who can explore correspondence, reports, photographs and recordings of significant political events in recent history.<\/p>\n

Many thanks go to donors who honored Cochran with gifts of all sizes. Those who made major gifts include:<\/p>\n