To show their continued support and give back to their alma mater, Lori and Robert “Butch” White of Aberdeen have established a scholarship for deserving students at the University of Mississippi.
The couple recently seeded the White Family Ole Miss First Scholarship with a $25,000 pledge.
The Whites specified the scholarship be awarded to a full-time student, with first preference given to a student from Mississippi who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. The scholarship, established under the Ole Miss First program, is contingent on the recipient’s maintaining at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average.
“We wanted to do what we could to help students from Mississippi have the opportunity to go to Ole Miss,” said Lori White.” We think it’s important to have local students stay in the state and succeed.”
Both Robert and Lori attended Ole Miss, with Lori earning her accountancy degree in 1984. Lori’s mother, Mitzie Brown Lindsey, also attended Ole Miss and graduated in 1959 with a degree in education.
Following in their family’s footsteps, the White’s twins, Wes and Lindsey, will come to Ole Miss this fall as freshmen. Both are recent graduates of Oak Hill Academy in West Point.
“They couldn’t be more excited,” Lori said. “Even though it’s summer, I think they would be on campus already if they could.”
Chancellor Robert Khayat began the Ole Miss First initiative as a bold new way to address the university’s most critical need – scholarships. In the Ole Miss First flexible giving model, donors give $25,000 to assist one student for four years and are encouraged to mentor the scholarship recipient throughout his or her tenure at Ole Miss.
Debbie Vaughn, executive director of University Development, said that the mentoring component of the Ole Miss First Scholarships makes them unique.
"Ole Miss is proud of its role in helping students realize their leadership potential," Vaughn said. "We are grateful to the White family for their generosity and commitment to Ole Miss First, through which the University of Mississippi endeavors to provide scholarships for every deserving student."