Giving

The English department is very thankful for the generous gifts of alumni and other supporters over the years.  A visit to our Awards and Scholarships page will show you that many families choose to memorialize loved ones by endowing a scholarship in their names.  These gifts become part of the life of the department and its students, and a living history of those alumni, faculty, and community members who had a special connection to the department.

The earliest of these is Howell H. Gwin scholarship, established in 1982 and endowed in 1989, in honor of Professor Gwin, a distinguished memory of the English faculty for twenty-five years. Our of our newest endowed fund is the Price Caldwell Visiting Writers Series in memory of Dr. Thomas P. “Price” Caldwell, who passed away in 2015. Dr. Caldwell founded the creative writing program at Mississippi State, and between 1972 and 2000 taught courses in contemporary poetry, introduction to literature, form and theory of poetry, form and theory of fiction, the practice of poetry and the practice of fiction, writing for engineers, and descriptive English grammar. This endowment allows the English department to bring acclaimed visiting fiction writers and poets to campus to read from and discuss their work and engage with students both informally and in the classroom

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of such a gift, please contact our department head, Dan Punday. Please keep in mind, however, that most of the donations that the department receives don’t come from single, large gifts but instead through small, yearly donations.  These donations go to improve the quality of life in the department for our students—from funding food at a reception to small prizes for contest winners.

If you would like information about giving to Mississippi State University, you can find it here.