A record 276 applications have poured in from students across the nation and from other countries for 70 freshman slots in the University of Mississippi’s Croft Institute for International Studies, signaling the prominence the program has gained as it nears its 20th anniversary.
The Joseph C. Bancroft Charitable & Educational Fund of McComb has already invested more than $44 million into the program.
The support from the Bancroft Fund — established as a nonprofit organization by the estate of Croft Metals founder Joseph C. Bancroft — will span the next five years, with the university matching the gift dollar to dollar. The Bancroft Fund agreement also stipulates the prospect of another $5 million in support being granted at the end of that period.
“We are pleased that the Bancroft Fund has the ability to provide this financial support to the university, and we continue to be impressed with the amazing achievements of Croft students,” said Tom Abdalla, chairman of the Croft Institute’s board of trustees. “Provost Morris Stocks’ interactions and work with our trustees ultimately led to this new commitment.
“To witness the manner in which the university has grown over the last few years has been really incredible, and we believe the Croft Institute for International Studies has played a pivotal role in attracting students and strengthening the university’s academic reputation.”
Looking to this fall’s incoming freshmen, the Croft Institute will enroll its largest group to date, with students’ average overall ACT increasing to 31.2. Forty-five percent will be Mississippians.
Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said it’s crucial to prepare graduates to understand the relationships between politics, economics and culture at the international level.
“We have an important mission at the University of Mississippi to advance international understanding and appreciation as a key component of our learning environment,” Vitter said. “We are deeply grateful for the Bancroft Fund’s continued commitment to expanding exceptional educational opportunities that ultimately have a powerful impact on our state and nation.”
Croft enrollment is limited to ensure classes are small, fostering discussion and analysis, and the program helps keep some of the best and brightest students in Mississippi.
Alex Martin, a junior from Madison, said she was attracted to the program’s “academic excellence and firm commitment to language acquisition and significant study abroad experiences.”
“The Croft Institute helped me go to Morocco for a semester to study Arabic and French, one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Martin said.
This spring, 14 Croft students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and seven were selected to join Phi Kappa Phi. Six Croft students were awarded Taylor Medals, the university’s highest academic award recognizing those with at least a 3.90 grade-point average.
The Croft Institute has developed a joint program with the university’s Patterson School of Accountancy, enabling students to graduate in five years with two degrees: international studies and accountancy. The accountancy school’s programs are ranked in the nation’s top 10.
“Focusing on international studies was the furthest thing from my imagination when I first talked with university leadership 19 years ago about the Bancroft Fund supporting a new program,” said Gerald M. Abdalla of McComb, CEO and president of Croft LLC and a Bancroft Fund director who was instrumental in establishing the institute.
“The university made a case for international studies, and we decided to support that idea. We only have to look at the strength of the faculty and the credentials of the alumni and students to know that we made the right decision.”
