As a broadcast journalism student at the University of Mississippi, Ashley Anderson Mattei spent late nights in the newsroom, learning by doing and making real decisions that mirror the demands of professional media leadership.
Those formative experiences shaped not only Mattei’s career but also her confidence as a young journalist, laying a foundation that continues to guide her decades later.
Long before she picked up the microphone in one of the nation’s largest television markets, Mattei worked on her broadcast skills at NewsWatch and Rebel Radio. The hands‑on training, where students make the decisions, gave her an edge that followed her well beyond graduation, she said.
Now, Mattei is ensuring today’s students have access to the same kind of opportunity.
The 1997 Ole Miss journalism and English graduate committed $250,000 to the School of Journalism and New Media, including $50,000 to support the Student Media Center and $200,000 to establish the Ashley Anderson Mattei Student Innovators Endowment in the Mississippi Media Lab.
The Mattei gift was announced today during Ole Miss Giving Day, an online, social media-driven campaign that brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends to support academic and outreach initiatives across the university. The $50,000 portion was a challenge gift to encourage alumni and friends to support the Student Media Center.
“One of the greatest gifts of becoming successful in your life is being able to give back,” Mattei said. “The Student Media Center played such a big role in my life that I truly feel like I can never give enough back.”
Mattei is an evening anchor, reporter and producer at WCCB‑TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she joined the station’s original news team in 1999. Early in her career, she came to understand how uncommon her undergraduate experience had been.
Colleagues were often surprised to learn she had already worked at both a student‑run television station and a commercial student‑run radio station. Those experiences meant she had faced real‑world decisions while still in college. She wasn’t just learning journalism — she was practicing it.
That level of preparation, Mattei believes, is what continues to distinguish Ole Miss graduates.
The idea for her gift took shape during a campus visit last year, when Mattei toured Farley Hall and the Student Media Center in Bishop Hall with her son and niece, both then high school seniors. Returning to those spaces made the impact of her student experience feel both immediate and enduring.
She also spoke with Sloane Reid, associate director of development for the School of Journalism and New Media, and Rhodes Morgan, a development associate, about ways to invest meaningfully in her alma mater.
The result is an endowment that advances innovation and experiential learning in the Mississippi Media Lab, supporting internships, staffing, infrastructure, reporting projects, presentation tools and emerging storytelling platforms.
Andrea Hickerson, dean of the School of Journalism and New Media, said the gift honors the school’s legacy while directly strengthening its future.
“With the dual purpose of supporting the Student Media Center and the Mississippi Media Lab, it honors our journalistic legacy and future,” Hickerson said. “The Mattei gift will enable students to experiment widely with storytelling formats and platforms, growing their portfolios and positioning them well for the workforce.”
Marshall Ramsey, director of the Mississippi Media Lab and director of civic engagement at the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation, said the gift creates space for students to grow through creativity and experimentation.
“I’m so grateful for the Mattei family’s kindness and generosity,” Ramsey said. “They are fueling the launch of the Mississippi Media Lab and helping create a place for students to experiment and grow in this rapidly changing media landscape.”
For Mattei, the gift is deeply personal.
“I am incredibly proud to be an Ole Miss journalism graduate,” she said. “It’s a blessing to give back in any way I can — whether that’s my time, my resources, mentoring or helping students make connections.
“The Ole Miss family is forever.”
To make a gift to the Ashley Anderson Mattei Student Innovators Endowment, send a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; or online here.
To learn more about supporting the School of Journalism and New Media, contact Sloane Reid at sloane@olemiss.edu or 662‑915‑1584.
By Michael Newsom/UM Development