Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft was the guest speaker for the seventh annual William Carey University scholarship dinner held Sept. 12 at Southern Oaks House and Gardens. In addition to Ashcroft’s speech, the dinner included music performed by the Carey Chorale, a student testimonial by Branden Lindsay, and scholarship presentations. With 370 people in attendance, the dinner raised $155,000 to be awarded as scholarships for Carey students. In addition to the scholarship donations, John Hairston of Hancock Bank and Joe Canizaro, developer of the Tradition community, each contributed $125,000 to the WCU School of Pharmacy at the Tradition campus in Biloxi.
“The event sold out back in the summer with no publicity,” said Dr. Angela Houston, associate vice president for university enhancement. “Everyone was very excited to see and hear former Attorney General John Ashcroft, and, more importantly, everyone is remaining loyal to William Carey University; we have come back Carey Strong!”
Scholarship Presentations
Carey raised $949,924 for scholarships during the past year. More than 90 percent of Carey’s students receive scholarships or financial assistance, and more than $9 million was awarded in 2016-17. The recipients of the 2017 endowed scholarships are:
- Kyra Mickens, a senior speech communication major from Hattiesburg, received the Roger Wicker Endowed Scholarship.
- Janell Goff, a senior business administration major from Moss Point, received the Phil Bryant Endowed Scholarship.
- Jonathan Watt, a sophomore elementary education major from Semmes, Alabama, received the Robert Khayat Endowed Scholarship.
- Sofia Morales, a senior nursing major from Carriere, received the Charles Pickering Endowed Scholarship.
- Anna Sanford, a senior biology major from Picayune, received the William Winter Endowed Scholarship.
- Melody Davidson, a senior elementary education major from Saucier, received the Trent Lott Endowed Scholarship.
John Ashcroft
John Ashcroft served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General and led the Department of Justice through the transformational period following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He reorganized the department to focus on its number one priority: preventing terrorism. Prior to serving as attorney general, Ashcroft served as a U.S. Senator from 1995-2001 and governor of Missouri from 1985-1993.
He is the founder and chairman of The Ashcroft Group and the Ashcroft Law Firm, which focuses on issues dealing with integrity and consulting services, and provides compliance advice, legal counseling, and consulting services to world-leading clients, including Fortune 500 companies, multi-national corporations, and corporate executives are examples of a few of his clients. He is married to Janet E. Ashcroft and has three children and one grandchild.
In keeping with the tradition of creating a scholarship in honor of the guest speaker, an endowed scholarship will be established in Ashcroft’s name. On Sept. 13, Ashcroft spoke to students at the chapel service on the WCU campus.