MSU Horticulture Club grows new Excellence Endowment

Author: Vanessa Beeson

Pictured from left are Will Staggers, MSU Foundation director of development; Madelyn Gresham, a spring 2024 graduate from Naperville, Illinois, who served as 2023-24 MSU Horticulture Club president; Wesley Rainey, a spring 2024 graduate from Hattiesburg who served as the 2023-24 club greenhouse manager; and Richard Harkess, club faculty adviser, in the Dorman Hall greenhouse.  (Photo by Dominique Belcher)

As summer nears full bloom across Mississippi State University's campus, a new opportunity has emerged for students passionate about flowering plants.

The MSU Horticulture Club recently announced the establishment of an endowed fund supporting undergraduate horticulture activities and scholarships, a testament to the club's commitment to nurturing academic excellence and fostering the next generation of horticulturalists.

The MSU Horticulture Club Excellence Endowment represents a significant milestone in the club's journey, made possible through the hard work of past and present club members. With an initial pledge of $25,000, the endowment is poised to provide vital financial support to undergraduate students pursuing horticulture studies in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

Dating back to its inception as the Mississippi A&M Horticultural Society in 1921, the MSU Horticulture Club is a beacon for students eager to explore the world of plants and cultivation. Over the decades, it evolved into a dynamic community where students come together to share their love for horticulture, engage in hands-on learning experiences and make a lasting impact on their surroundings.

Spring 2024 graduates Wesley Rainey of Hattiesburg, a horticulture and food science, nutrition and health promotion double major, and Madelyn Gresham of Naperville, Illinois, a horticulture major and 2023-24 club president, worked with faculty advisor Richard Harkess and the MSU Foundation to establish the endowment. Both Rainey and Gresham previously served the club as greenhouse managers.

"Participating in the setup of this endowment was a big deal for me. I credit a lot of my academic accomplishments to MSU Horticulture Club. The experience I gained in my time as greenhouse manager and president has opened a lot of doors for me, and I wanted to ensure that students get the same opportunities for years to come," Gresham said. "I'm excited that this year's members will leave such a lasting impression on the club and university. I hope this endowment will allow future students to take advantage of all the MSU horticulture program has to offer."

For more information on the MSU Horticulture Club and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences' horticulture major, visit www.horticulture.org.msstate.edu and www.pss.msstate.edu/students/floriculture.php. If you are interested in supporting the endowment, contact Harkess at richard.harkess@msstate.edu or 662-325-4456, or Will Staggers at wstaggers@foundation.msstate.edu or 662-769-8822.

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Date: 2024-06-05