Giving Back

Longtime Mississippi journalist, congressional staff member and governmental affairs consultant Wayne William Weidie of Venice, Florida, will be remembered at his alma mater with a perpetual endowment for a student work program to encourage a career in politics.

The Wayne W. Weidie Internship Program in Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences was established by friends and family of the 1962 political science graduate after his death in 2019 to honor his life, work and commitment to the university.

Over a career steeped in a passion for politics, one of the accomplishments Weidie was most proud of was his instrumental involvement in the establishment of the MSU Stennis-Montgomery Association, which continues to serve as a pipeline for students to enter careers in public service. The non-partisan organization named after Senator John C. Stennis and Congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, both late MSU alumni, allows students of all backgrounds and academic disciplines to become active on the political scene. Each year, the most dedicated members of the organization visit Washington, D.C., to meet and network with Bulldog alumni and other prominent political figures.

The endowment for the Wayne W. Weidie Internship Program will help offset costs associated with students selected to participate in internships in the Mississippi capital city of Jackson and in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. The university’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration anticipates awarding the inaugural internship for 2021.

“My father was very committed to the state of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. He believed it was important to provide opportunities for students at the university and while he very seldom spoke of the role he had in the creation of the SMA, I later learned of the significant contribution he made to the program,” said son Stuart Weidie of Asheville, North Carolina. “Our family is pleased that a scholarship in my father’s name will serve as a fitting tribute to his legacy and, more importantly, create opportunities for accomplished students. He would be very pleased that future Mississippians will continue to affect state and national politics.”

One contributor for the internship endowment is MSU alumna Cindy Stevens, a member of the Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development Advisory Board of which Weidie was involved for many years.

A 1983 political science graduate and former Deloitte LLP managing principal of government relations, Stevens recalled that when Weidie first arrived in Washington to work for Congressman Gene Taylor, he wanted to start an MSU internship program as a learning experience for students interested in policy and politics. He believed the program would grow MSU’s impact not only on Capitol Hill but also more broadly in Washington, within federal agencies and in the private sector.

“Wayne truly believed that you could do anything with a college degree, particularly, an MSU degree,” Stevens said. “I contributed to continue the internship program that was started by him and has helped to support students coming to Washington to have the opportunity for a career in public policy or whatever field they may choose. His legacy is his dedication to education, students and MSU.”

Fellow Stennis Institute of Government Community Advisory Board member and contributor, Lee Weiskopf, recalls his SMA student experience that led him to contribute toward the endowment.

“One of the best decisions I made as an MSU student was to be involved with SMA,” said Weiskopf, a two-time MSU graduate and special assistant for governmental affairs at MSU. “Not only did I connect with fellow students who had an interest in politics and policy, but the experience also opened doors to alumni and supporters of MSU working in the political and policy sectors in both federal and state governments. There was no shortage of opportunities for me to interact and make connections that could be parlayed into internships and jobs.”

He continued, “Wayne was one of the instrumental figures in my life and knowing how much he loved MSU and seeing students in public service roles in Washington, Jackson and beyond, I was more than honored to help be a part of establishing the Weidie Internship Program, which will cement Wayne’s legacy in advancing MSU’s students.”

A large portion of Weidie’s career was spent in politics and journalism. He entered the newspaper business in Mississippi when he and a group of partners purchased the Ocean Springs Record. He served as editor and publisher of the Ocean Springs Record and Gautier Independent from 1970-90 before being named chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor. After serving as chief of staff from 1990-2004, he worked as a governmental affairs consultant until his retirement in 2014. His professional and personal papers from his journalism and congressional careers are housed at the MSU Libraries in the Congressional and Political Research Center.

Alumni and friends can help grow the Wayne W. Weidie Internship Program endowment through the MSU Foundation at www.msufoundation.com or by contacting Mary Beth Baldwin, associate director of annual giving, at 662.325.6770. More on the Stennis-Montgomery Association can be found at sig.msstate.edu. n

Exciting news! The MSU Alumni Association has entered a partnership with Commerce Bank® to offer alumni and supporters the official MSU Visa Signature® Card

“Our Bulldog Family always asks how they can support MSU, and this program is another great opportunity to do so,” said Jeff Davis, MSU Alumni Association executive director. “We are especially excited about the MSU Visa Signature® Card program, as alumni and friends can loyally participate in the program and support MSU at no cost to them.”

The partnership with Commerce Bank enables the Alumni Association to specifically offer the MSU Visa Signature® Card to the Bulldog family. It will give cardholders the opportunity to show their pride by carrying the MSU-branded card, while supporting MSU, benefiting the Alumni Association and earning Cash Back1 rewards with each purchase.

For more information on the MSU Visa Signature® Card, visit commercbank.com/MSUAA.

1. A Cash Back redemption is applied as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance, but you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. Values for non-cash back redemption items, such as merchandise, gift cards and travel may vary. See commercebank.com/rewardsterms for full details.

The MSU Alumni Association and the Bulldog Club recently partnered with Ironwood to offer the MSU IMPACT program that can benefit Bulldogs and friends who own their own businesses.

Whether a retail store front, e-commerce business, wholesaler, or a regional or community bank, the IMPACT by Ironwood program can be of benefit. Ironwood is known as an industry leader in merchant solutions.

The way IMPACT works is simple. Every time a participating business accepts a credit or debit card payment, IMPACT gives a portion of its processing revenue to support MSU. By simply running a debit or credit card payment through IMPACT, alumni and friends are supporting MSU without costs to the business.

For more information on the MSU Impact Program by Ironwood visit impactmsstate.com.

Riley Center Grand Opera House (Photo by Megan Bean) PHIL HARDIN EDUCATION SERIES ON HORIZON FOR MSU Riley Center By Amy Cagle

As a valuable resource for the community and communities across Mississippi and West MSU Riley Center. The series is the yearly and the state, the Mississippi State Riley Alabama. One of the Southeast’s premier programming of theatrical performances Center for Education and Performing performing arts and conference facilities, the for over 5,000 pre-K through 12th grade Arts continues high-quality educational center features a beautifully restored Victorian students. The audience includes students programming with new support from the Phil theater and offers state-of-the-art performance, from private, public, and home schools. Each Hardin Foundation. conference and education spaces. show is selected by a committee of educators,

A generous $75,000 grant from the Thanks to the new grant, the MSU Riley faculty and community partners to ensure Meridian-based foundation will make possible Center is able to present its traditional annual curriculum connections and that schools the center’s latest offerings in the form of programming for pre-K through 12th grade are receiving programs that will help meet the Phil Hardin Education Series to impact audiences as the Phil Hardin Education their educational goals and state standards. teachers and school children in Mississippi for Series. Each performance of the series has an Shows vary from large-scale dinosaur puppet the next three years. accompanying curriculum or teacher’s guide shows, fun interpretations of early childhood

“Although the Hardin Foundation has to connect the experience of the historic literature, musicals and classical Shakespeare. been a partner with the MSU Riley Center theater to the Mississippi Career and College Along with the Phil Hardin Education from the very beginning, we are very excited Readiness Standards. Series, the MSU Riley Center presents about this new grant as it ensures our “At a time like this, these resources are additional programming through the Any ability to present high-quality educational increasingly important to our state and Phil Given Child Initiative. programming in a more sustainable way,” Hardin Foundation support provides for The MSU Riley Center partners on said Daniel R. Barnard, the center’s executive materials produced for both the series and the Any Given Child Initiative with MSUdirector. “Once COVID-19 has passed, we our additional educational and outreach Meridian and the Meridian Public School will more properly acknowledge the Phil programs,” said Tiffany McGehee, the MSU District. Any Given Child, administered Hardin Foundation’s ongoing support by Riley Center’s outreach director. “From school by the Kennedy Center and implemented formally renaming our educational series in performances for students in grades Pre-K-12 through many dedicated partners, continues its honor.” to Kennedy Center workshops for teachers, to impact learners across the district, and

Since the opening of the MSU Riley the arts education programs at the Riley even state, with arts integration, professional Center in 2006, endowment-level support Center deliver top quality.” development and arts experiences for from the Phil Hardin Foundation has ensured The Phil Hardin Education Series is one students in pre-K through 8th grade. the center’s success as a catalyst for positive of three integral components of educational “We are pleased that Any Given change and enrichment in schools, homes programming offered annually at the Child Meridian received the Mississippi

ABOVE: Students involved with the Any Given Child Initiative through activities in the arts. (Photos by Reggie Thomas) LOWER RIGHT: The Odyssey by the Aquila Theatre being performed for high school students at the Riley Center. (Photo by Tiffany McGehee)

Governor’s Award of Distinction from the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education for our partnership in March,” McGehee said. “In the 2019-20 school year alone, our partnership reached 3,713 students, 285 teachers, and 11 schools with artistic experiences which included field trips, teaching artists, arts projects and professional development in arts integration.”

The final component of educational programming at the MSU Riley Center is the Footlight Project, a partnership with Care Lodge Domestic Violence Shelter Inc. that provides drama workshops to improve the quality of life for survivors of domestic violence. By using educational theater techniques, the MSU Riley Center is able to facilitate activities that help build self-esteem, offer some levity, improve interpersonal relationships and build public speaking skills. These workshops help survivors of abuse succeed as they continue in their new lives, while also developing a new artistic skill.

“We are very proud of the annual trifold programming we are able to bring as an outreach tool to the state and our area, and we hope to continue this with partners like the Phil Hardin Foundation,” McGehee said.

The Phil Hardin Foundation has long valued exposure to the arts as essential to the development of the whole child and seeks to combat the wide gaps in the level of that exposure among children in the area through education and philanthropy.

“The MSU Riley Center Education Series is all about helping to close the gap by providing live theater to all the schoolchildren in our community, and we have been impressed with the quality of past programming,” said Lloyd Gray, executive director of the Phil Hardin Foundation. “When the Riley Center approached us about helping to fund this series, it seemed like a great match of the center’s needs with the Hardin Foundation’s interest in arts education and integration of the arts into the broader academic experience. We’re excited about this new partnership.”

For more on the MSU Riley Center programming, visit msurileycenter.com and for more on supporting the center, contact McGehee at tmcgehee@riley.msstate.edu or give online at msufoundation.com. n