A $100,000 gift to the University of Mississippi will name two faculty offices in the new Patterson School of Accountancy.
A graduate of the school, Sam Hix of Houston, Texas, made a $50,000 gift in honor of his professors and in recognition of family members who attended Ole Miss. The gift is being matched by the donor’s employer, Deloitte — one of the Big Four global professional services networks, providing audit, consulting, tax and related services to businesses worldwide.
“I wanted to make the gift really just to show my appreciation for what the university and Ole Miss accounting did for me,” said Hix, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Patterson School in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
“I’m grateful for Dr. (Jimmy) Davis, Dr. (Dave) Nichols and Dr. (Mark) Wilder. There were others, but I appreciate those three in particular,” said Hix, adding that Davis helped him acquire his first job; Nichols taught him the principles he’s used throughout his career; and Wilder has been a gracious friend and trusted adviser. A faculty office will be named in their honor.
Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, Hix grew up in Louisiana and moved to Gulfport, Mississippi, before attending Ole Miss, influenced by his grandfather — a Rebel fan — and friends who had chosen UM for their college home. One faculty office in the new building will memorialize his grandfather and the other will honor Sam Hix’s family.
“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do when I enrolled at Ole Miss,” he recalled. “I knew I wanted to be in business of some sort. Dr. Davis was my Sigma Nu adviser at the time, and he had a strong way of convincing you, if you were undecided, what the proper path was for you. So, I took accounting classes, and they were fairly easy to get through.”
The rest is history.
After college, Hix began his professional career with the accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, in Houston, Texas. When the firm closed in 2002, its tax practice was acquired by Deloitte where Hix has now worked for 23 years.
“When I started with Deloitte, I began recruiting heavily at Ole Miss. We brought a lot of kids into Houston tax over the last 15 or 20 years. So, it’s been a real nice pipeline for our practice,” the donor said. “The kids that come from Ole Miss do very well. I’m appreciative of that also.”
Wilder, who’s now dean of the Patterson School of Accountancy, expressed appreciation for his former student’s gift.
“Sam is enjoying a phenomenal career with Deloitte Tax in Houston, and I am very proud of him and the many successes he is enjoying,” Wilder said. “He is a wonderful ambassador for the Patterson School and a good friend. I’m humbled and honored that he has chosen to recognize me, Dr. Davis and Dr. Nichols in this way.”
Davis shared similar sentiments.
“When I met Sam years ago, I knew he had great potential,” the former professor of accountancy said. “It’s gratifying to have seen him grow and mature into a leader in the profession. I’m proud to call him a brother and friend, and I’m greatly honored by his gift.”
Nichols, associate professor of accountancy and Horne, LLP Lecturer, is equally honored by Hix’s gift.
“To think that I made such an impression on one of my students is truly humbling, and it’s honoring to know that the work I do and really the mission we all have here at the Patterson School results in such outstanding success for our graduates like Sam,” Nichols said.
In recent years, the Patterson School of Accountancy has risen to be the No. 8 program in the nation for accounting. Located on the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop, the new 110,000-square-foot building, Jones Hall, will house study spaces, administrative and faculty office suites, and new tiered auditoriums, among other features.
“Having a first-class facility and providing these resources for our professors gives students a leg up in the accounting profession,” Hix said. “Ole Miss does a great job of building a foundation that sets students on the path to have whatever career they want, whether it be in public accounting, industry or otherwise. So, I’m hoping that if I can contribute to that in some small way and it helps current and future students have the same opportunities I had, then so be it.”
Hix and his wife, Nicole, made a previous gift to support the Deloitte Foundation Chair of Accountancy. They have three children: Carver, a freshman at George Washington University, and twins Gray and Georgia, both 10th graders.
For more information about supporting the new home of the Patterson School of Accountancy, contact Jason McCormick, executive director for development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757. To make a gift, visit https://give.olemiss.edu.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation