Alumna Supports Ole Miss Faculty and Graduate Students

Smith's planned gift honors several generations of her family who are Ole Miss graduates while establishing two endowments: the Frances Permenter Smith Faculty Support Endowment and the Permenter Family Legacy Graduate Support Endowment. The endowments are the first to serve these purposes without being restricted to specific departments or groups, allowing the dean to use them for the most pressing needs.

Additionally, portions of the gift are designated to fund awards to programs her family members have enjoyed or deem important, including the Pride of the South marching band, Ole Miss baseball and women's athletics programs.

"When it came time to update my will, it seemed logical to include a gift to the College of Liberal Arts," said Smith, who earned a degree in sociology in 1974. "My degree is from there as are many of my family members; with cousins, we've got 26 Ole Miss Rebels and four generations.

"Through my involvement on the College of Liberal Arts advisory board and as co-chair of its Now and Ever Campaign Committee, I learned how critical these gifts are for the development and future of Ole Miss. Plus, it establishes a legacy memorial to honor the Ole Miss Rebel family members who so far have enrolled here, thrived as a result of attending and who deeply and dearly love Ole Miss."

The faculty support endowment is intended to cover costs associated with, but not limited to, faculty research and creative activities within the college. 

While serving on the board, Smith found the faculty to be "so creative and dedicated" as she learned about their programs, goals and successes with students, she said.

"For faculty to be able to enhance their teaching and the student experience, they need to conduct research and studies during the summer," she said. "This should not be a financial hardship for them.

"I'm hoping the faculty support endowment sends a message to our educators that we see their value, appreciate what they give to our students and support their goals and research."

Smith also hopes to help UM recruit and retain more talented graduate students, which helps maintain the university's R1 Doctoral University designation.

"The college set an aggressive goal to increase those numbers, and I'm so proud of their success in that area the past few years," she said.

"I want Ole Miss grad students to be the best of the best. Hopefully this gift, which provides stipends for graduate students, will enable the college to continue recruiting them to our campus and to strengthen our programs."

Lee Cohen, UM liberal arts dean, expressed gratitude for Smith's support.

"Frances has long been one of the College of Liberal Arts' most steadfast champions, and this extraordinary gift reflects both her vision and her heart," he said. "She truly understands how transformative philanthropy can be for our faculty and graduate students, and her commitment has never wavered."

In 2024, Smith established a scholarship endowment to provide financial support to students in liberal arts who sought research opportunities in the U.S. and internationally, including the university's Study USA or Study Abroad programs.

In memory of their parents, Smith and her three sisters also endowed a needs-based scholarship for liberal arts students in 2013.

"We all believe giving back is important," Smith said at the time. "Where better than education?"

For her estate planning, Smith sought advice from UM Foundation specialists.

"The planned giving team is just excellent," she said. "They have so much information on various options for giving and were very patient, making sure I understood it all. I felt really comfortable that they wanted the best decision for both me and Ole Miss."

Smith grew up in Greenville and Gulfport and followed her sisters to Ole Miss. Her interest in public affairs was sparked by her three years in the Associated Student Body Senate, where she was voted Senator of the Year her senior year. 

After graduation, she secured her first job as an Ole Miss admissions counselor. Early in her career, she also worked in two statewide election campaigns.

Smith was a public affairs executive in a variety of public and private settings and spent 31 years in the telecommunications industry, serving as director of external affairs for Comcast before retiring in 2013. She handled media relations, foundation grants, community events and franchise negotiations in Mississippi, Louisiana and south Alabama.

Before joining Comcast, she had a varied career, from public information positions at the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and the Pearl River Basin Development District to press aide in the lieutenant governor's office. She was also a marketing representative for Xerox Corp. and worked as vice president of public affairs and communications for Time Warner Cable in Jackson.

She served as president of the Hinds County Economic Development District, Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Mississippi Cable Telecommunications Association and Friends of the Jackson Zoo and on the boards of numerous organizations. Inducted into the College of Liberal Arts Hall of Fame in 2023, she volunteers with the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

The Frances Permenter Smith Scholarship Endowment is open to support from businesses and individuals. Gifts can be made by sending a check, with the fund's name noted on the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655. Or click here to make a gift online.

For more information about supporting the College of Liberal Arts, contact Caroline Hourin, director of development, at cehourin@olemiss.edu or 662-915-6385. For information about including the university in estate planning, click here or contact Marc Littlecott at marcplan@olemiss.edu or 662-915-6625.

Top: Oxford resident Frances Smith (left) visits with Anna Langley, vice president of the UM Foundation, and Lee Cohen, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, at Memory House. A 1974 alumna of the university, Smith has established an estate gift to fund two endowments for the College of Liberal Arts, as well as smaller awards for other Ole Miss programs. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation