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UM Pharmacy alumnus Johnta Warren (left) works with his class on the island of Oahu in 2017, collecting and processing plant and animal samples as part of the university’s Study America program. Train as a pharmacy resident at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. Photo provided
Oxford, Miss. – A new travel fund offering career-impacting experiential learning opportunities for University of Mississippi students has reached the milestone thanks to Ole Miss donors.
The fund, which honors the late Carolyn Ellis Staton, the university’s first female provost, covers travel expenses for Ole Miss students for educational opportunities in their fields of interest.
“The fund was launched in 2017 to honor Dr. Staton’s commitment to meaningful learning experiences outside the traditional classroom setting,” said Laura Antono, UM’s director of college programs.
Staten worked to champion Ole Miss students and create opportunities for them, including facilitating the establishment of the first residential college and Croft International Studies, which required students to study abroad as part of the program.
“Experiential learning is a great way for students to immerse themselves in the classroom and apply their classroom learning in the real world,” Antono said. “Programs like Study USA and the UM Internship Experience are great opportunities, but the added cost of travel makes them challenging or impossible for some students.
“This travel fund will make these programs affordable and accessible to more students.”
Bonneville Ole Miss alumnus Johnta Warren is one of the many students who have benefited from the university’s Study the US travel program that this fund supports.
“My Study US experience was one of the best I’ve ever had,” said Warren, who will graduate from the UM School of Pharmacy in 2021 and is a pharmacy resident at Indiana University Methodist Hospital.
Warren took Biology 380: Hawaii STEM: Microbes, Symbiosis, and Culture, a Wintersession class taught in Honolulu by biology professor Eric Homme as a Study America program. His unit traveled throughout the island of Oahu collecting and processing specimens in hopes of discovering new species and growths.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to do scientific research in Hawaii with my professors,” Warren said.
The fund was established by Antonov; Marvin King, Senior Lecturer for Residential College South; and other Staton friends in honor of the longtime teacher.
“Dr. Staton loved to travel,” King said. “Opportunities such as study abroad, study abroad courses, conferences or internships can materially change the educational experience of our students. It also makes our students more competitive when they graduate.”
The Carolyn Ellis Staton Student Travel Fund is open to donations from businesses and individuals. Gifts can be made by sending a check with the fund’s name on the memo line to The University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave. Donations can be made by sending Oxford MS 38655 or giving online at https://umfoundation.com/statontravelfund. .
For more information about supporting Staton’s Student Travel Fund or the Achievement Division, contact Brett Barefoot, Senior Director of Development, at bmbarefo@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2711.
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