Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—With a solid set of values and a degree from Mississippi State University, Bulldog graduates have the foundation they need to make a difference in their lives and those of others.

That inspirational message is one of many MSU President Mark E. Keenum shared recently during a special ceremony honoring current students and soon-to-be graduates of the university’s Promise Program.

“If you take your outstanding education and you live your life grounded on a set of good values like integrity, hard work and respect for others, you will be successful and you will make us very, very proud,” Keenum said.

The MSU Promise Program was established in 2006 to help students in economically challenging situations meet the cost of tuition and fees after financial aid.

Under the direction of Promise Program Coordinator Alison Stamps, students gain valuable study skills through participation in a mandatory semester-long “college success” course.

In addition to academic counseling, tutoring and course-progress monitoring, the Promise Program provides personal development workshops and other opportunities to ensure students’ continued success throughout their MSU experience.

During the ceremony, Promise students who made the President’s and Deans’ lists were recognized. Graduating seniors also received an engraved cowbell and photo with Keenum.

“The world is changing so rapidly, and we need good Bulldogs like you out there leading the way for others,” Keenum said. “Having a highly valued degree from this very prestigious research university is something that will be with you for your entire life; no one can ever take that away from you.”

Jona A. Barron, a senior finance/risk management and insurance major from Greenville, is among the students who are living proof of Keenum’s sentiments. She said the Promise Program has been a financial blessing and life-changing experience that has prepared her to be successful in college and beyond. Following graduation, Barron will participate in a loan management trainee program in Starkville.

“The Promise Program has allowed me to meet many other students, and we are still friends to this day,” she said. “The program has taught me to always, always go to class and to take anything that is given to me seriously. I grew up in a small town in the Delta, where going to college is more of a dream, but the Promise Program donors made that very possible.”

The MSU Promise Program is supported by more than 30 donors who either annually contribute gifts for the program or establish endowments to fund awards in perpetuity. Gifts of any amount can help make an education possible for many more students who are selected for this scholarship program at Mississippi State.

Austin J. Vaughn of Hernando, a senior food science, nutrition and health promotion major concentrating in food and nutrition, said courses offered through the Promise Program helped him become more confident in writing papers, conducting research and studying on a college level.

After graduating from MSU, he plans to apply his personal training certification in a professional setting and aspires to one day own a gym.

“I also will be working on becoming EMT certified and developing my personal fitness to prepare for the fire training academy to become a firefighter,” Vaughn added.

Cindy N. Ly, a senior software engineering major from Biloxi, is a transfer student from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus. She said Stamps and others on campus helped her transition from a community college setting to a university learning environment.

“Alison is so friendly and helps make sure we’re on top of everything in our classes. It’s nice to know we can rely on her if we have questions or need help with anything,” Ly said.

For more information on the MSU Promise Program, visit http://www.tlc.msstate.edu/programs/pssp and http://www.sfa.msstate.edu/promise or contact Stamps at 662-325-1384 or AStamps@colled.msstate.edu.

To support the Promise Program, contact Jack McCarty, executive director of development for the MSU Foundation, at 662-325-7000 or jmccarty@foundation.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.