Bobby and Judy Shackouls - “Honoring a Commitment”
Bobby and Judy Shackouls
By creating an endowment, Bobby and Judy Shackouls of Houston, Texas, have made a significant impact on the overall honors experience at Mississippi State University.
Shackouls, a Greenville native and an MSU chemical engineering graduate, says the gift for the creation of an honors college is an investment in one of Mississippi's most important resources - the young men and women who are its future.
"The gift is just another small step in providing the resources to let the rest of the world know what MSU alumni already know - Mississippi State is among the finest institutions in America and a great place to get a college education," Shackouls said.
Over the past year, the honors program has been undergoing a transformation into a full-fledged honors college complete with a state-of-the-art residential and classroom facility for its scholars. The honors program, the oldest in the state, has joined the ranks of seven other Southeastern Conference universities with honors college distinction.
More than 1,000 students are on the receiving end of the generous gift, many of them residents of the new Griffis Hall facility. The students are among the first to take advantage of the university's innovative living and learning environment for honors students.
The endowment may be used to provide undergraduate research fellowships for undergraduate students. Travel opportunities through study abroad scholarships and bringing distinguished speakers to campus also may enhance the honors experience. Other plans call for individualized academic advising for honors students in addition to the advising they receive from their academic departments.
Significant gifts, like the one the Shackouls made, allow faculty members to impact MSU students in immeasurable ways.
For more information about contributing to the honors experience at Mississippi State may contact Bo Hemphill, executive director of development, at 662.325.3686 or e-mail bhemphill@foundation.msstate.edu.
