Manning gives back through $1 million donation

Mississippi high school students needing financial aid for college recently received a boost from New York Giants quarterback and Ole Miss alumnus Eli Manning.

Manning and his wife Abby recently donated $1 million to the Ole Miss Opportunity needbased scholarship program.

“Abby and I were drawn to this program of helping people who might not be able to attend college otherwise,” Manning said, according to a university press release.

Ole Miss Opportunity was created earlier this year by the university; it allows prospective students with an adjusted gross family income at or below $30,000 to attend the University of Mississippi.

According to the press release, “the program fills the funding gap between all federal, state, institutional and private scholarship and grants awarded to a student.”

Freshmen entering the university in Fall 2010 will be the first class to receive aid from the program.

More than 100 students have been selected, financial aid director Laura Diven-Brown said.

Students can continue to receive aid from Ole Miss Opportunity for up to four years. Around 400 students would eventually be enrolled in Ole Miss through the help of this program.

Campus Sustainability Coordinator Jim Morrison said in these “tough economic times it is important to emphasize accessibility and affordability.”

Diven-Brown also recognized these factors in the program, explaining that every student who met application requirements and deadlines received financial assistance from Ole Miss Opportunity, and that this aid applied to tuition, as well as housing and meals.

“We have heard from so many families who are just so grateful (for the assistance of Ole Miss Opportunity),” she said.

To be considered for the scholarship a student must be a Mississippi resident, U.S. citizen, an entering freshman at the start of the Fall 2010 semester, seeking a degree and enrolled full time at Ole Miss, according to the Ole Miss financial aid website.

In addition to an adjusted gross income at or below $30,000, a student must also have at least a 2.5 GPA and qualify for a federal Pell Grant as determined by the 2010-2011 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA).

Larry Ridgeway, vice chancellor for student affairs, said he hoped the “generosity of the Mannings would get (the program) off to a good start.”