University of Mississippi alumni Johnny McRight of Greenville, Mississippi, and Renvy Pittman of Los Angeles, California, established an endowment to honor an Ole Miss Development officer admired for helping launch the Grove Scholars program and many other financial-assistance initiatives for the university.
McRight and Pittman, both members of the UM Foundation board of directors, each made a significant gift to the university to create the Nikki Neely Davis Grove Scholars Endowment. Since, numerous other donors have contributed to the endowment.
“What began as a professional relationship with Nikki has grown into something both personal and deeply meaningful,” said Pittman. “Her dedication to Grove Scholars — and to me — has never wavered.
“Nikki’s enthusiasm, energy, intelligence and empathy have been invaluable,” she continued. “It’s in recognition of her extraordinary service that I wanted to join Johnny in establishing this endowment, ensuring that her impact on the Grove Scholars program will continue in perpetuity.”
Grove Scholars empowers first-generation and low-income students to thrive, graduate from Ole Miss and make a lasting impact on their communities and the state of Mississippi.
Eligible applicants must be incoming Mississippi native freshmen pursuing STEM, health sciences or accountancy degrees and meet the requirements for the Ole Miss Opportunity Scholarship.
“Nikki’s ability to inspire alums to support Ole Miss has been so successful that we feel she should be recognized,” said McRight, who is also Davis’ uncle. “What better way to pass that message on, than to honor Nikki’s legacy of influence, by supporting future Ole Miss students with scholarships that come from such loyalty.”
Davis, who resigned last month as assistant vice chancellor for Development to start a consulting position, was surprised during her farewell party on Nov. 13 when she was awarded a certificate listing her named endowment.
“I want to thank Renvy and the McRights not only for honoring me in this thoughtful way but also for putting their trust and belief in me. I don’t take that responsibility lightly and will forever be grateful to them and many others who believed in me,” Davis said. “I also want to thank the other donors and my colleagues who contributed. I was honestly floored by this surprise. Completely shocked! It’s a moment and experience I’ll never forget.
“Grove Scholars would not exist without Renvy Pittman’s vision, dedication, hard work and support,” she continued. “Renvy is one of a kind and so many positive things have happened on our campus and across the U.S. because of her philanthropy.”
Davis shared similar sentiments about McRight and his wife, Renee, who have supported areas and initiatives across the Oxford campus and at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), providing critical support to Athletics, Applied Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts and the newly launched Comprehensive Cancer Research Institute.
“They believe in the work our university is doing across the state and commit their time and resources to helping others,” she said. “No two people have bigger hearts.”
After 15 years of extraordinary service to Ole Miss, Davis is now senior executive and principal gifts coach at Palmetto Philanthropy, a fundraising consulting firm. She will continue to live in Oxford with her husband, Stuart, and daughter, Lucy.
“From university leadership and campus-wide colleagues to the donors I have worked with, I leave the university a better person for having known and worked with each of them,” Davis said. “The University of Mississippi and our donors change lives for the better, and I’m no exception. I will most certainly pay it forward as I enter this next chapter in my career.”
During her tenure, Davis secured $67.8 million to strengthen the university with multiple transformational gifts. She was named the inaugural assistant vice chancellor in 2023, having served as an executive director since 2017.
“It’s been my great pleasure to work with Nikki since she started with our Development team. Her success is a direct result of the devotion she feels and exemplifies for Ole Miss and our students,” said Wendell Weakley, president and CEO of the UM Foundation. “Her belief in who we are and what we can be has inspired countless donors to step forward and commit their time and treasure to our university. Her positive impact will benefit Ole Miss for generations.”
Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor for Development, shared similar sentiments: “We are grateful for the great passion, commitment and energy Nikki brought to Development. Her legacy will endure for years from her push for excellence and the difference she made. Our team is more strategic, better trained and more collaborative because of Nikki’s leadership, and we already miss her.”
Davis, who holds a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degrees in journalism from Ole Miss, joined the Development Office in 2011 and earned promotions based on her performance and vision. She was previously with Emory University as associate director of foundation and corporate relations.
“I want to thank Ole Miss and my colleagues for believing in me, mentoring me and collaborating with me over the last 15 years. None of my accomplishments would be possible without their hard work and collaboration,” Davis said. “I also want to thank all the Ole Miss donors and alumni I’ve been blessed to know and work with. I will always be grateful for the small part I played in helping facilitate their generosity and philanthropic goals.”
The Nikki Neely Davis Grove Scholars Endowment is open to receive gifts from individuals and organizations. To contribute, send a check with the fund noted to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655 or click here. For more information, contact Charlotte Parks at cpparks@olemiss.edu or 662-915-3120.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation