James Stewart’s recent $250,000 gift to the University of Mississippi is being honored by the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation (OMAF) with a lasting family tribute.
The Houston, Texas, and Jupiter, Florida, resident’s name adorns a gate at the south end zone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, representing in perpetuity the family’s desire to strengthen athletics facilities and help recruit student-athletes to campus.
“Like most Rebel fans right now, I’m very impressed with the work Coach (Lane) Kiffin is doing to build a powerhouse football program at Ole Miss. So I hope this gift will contribute to the university’s vision to equip our student-athletes, coaches and support staff with anything necessary to continue to excel at the highest levels in collegiate athletics,” said Stewart, who earned a UM degree in electrical engineering in 1984.
William Fisher, director of development, expressed gratitude for Stewart’s gift.
“We are so grateful to James for participating in our gate naming initiative, which plays an integral role in supporting CHAMPIONS.NOW., our campaign to bolster athletics at Ole Miss,” Fisher said. “This type of support shows his commitment to helping us make a transformative difference in the lives of our student-athletes.”
CHAMPIONS.NOW. is an ongoing fundraising campaign designed to support the expansion and renovation of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center; the Ole Miss golf, softball and soccer complexes; and Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
In 2022, Stewart made a $100,000 gift to the university to establish the James C. Stewart Biomedical Engineering Program Support Fund. The fund is expected to enable a state-of-the-art Department of Biomedical Engineering, the first and only department of its kind in the state to create jobs and expand business opportunities in Mississippi and beyond.
Stewart is the chairman and CEO of Covenant Testing Technologies and serves as a director of the land drilling and technology company, Patterson-UTI.
He previously served as a member of Keane Group and, subsequently, NexTier’s board of directors from March 2011 to September 2023. He joined Keane (predecessor to NexTier) in March 2011 as chairman and CEO and served as executive chairman from August 2018 to October 2019.
Stewart began his career with Schlumberger Limited, where he held senior leadership positions across the globe for over 21 years.
To make a gift to CHAMPIONS.NOW., click here or contact William Fisher at fisher@givetoathletics.com or 662-915-7159. CHAMPIONS.NOW. is part of Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation