Doug Self (second from left) spends time with Ole Miss students at JDouglas, his luxury home furnishings showroom and sale agency in Atlanta. Self has made a $250,000 gift to Giving Day to support the Patterson School of Accountancy’s new building. Submitted photo
OXFORD, Miss. – A Giving Day pledge of $250,000 brings the University of Mississippi‘s Patterson School of Accountancy one step closer to construction of its planned 110,000-square-foot building overlooking the Grove in heart of campus.
Doug Self, a 1985 UM accountancy graduate, made the gift as part of Giving Day, a social media-heavy fundraising event that began Tuesday and concludes at 5:48 p.m. today. Hundreds of gifts have already been made as part of the annual fundraiser.
The first Giving Day at UM, in 2019, secured almost $550,000, and the event has grown since.
Self said he recognized a call to contribute to the accountancy school because his experiences at Ole Miss provided him with opportunities to achieve.
“I feel a sense of responsibility to contribute in any way that I can to create opportunities for others,” Self said. “Since my time there, the School of Accountancy has become more and more renowned and respected nationwide. The progress has been incredible.
Doug Self
“I’m especially interested in making sure there’s no ceiling for what the school can become.”
Self is founder and president of JDouglas, a luxury home furnishings to-the-trade showroom and sales agency based in Atlanta that services interior designers and boutique retailers across the country. Even as an accountancy student, he planned for a life of entrepreneurship, not working for an accounting firm.
“I went to Ole Miss to study accounting in order to build a successful business,” Self said. “In my career, never a day goes by that I don’t tap into something I learned at the School of Accountancy or working my way through school in Oxford.”
The new building will provide a home that matches the program’s reputation for national excellence, said Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor of university development.
“Our School of Accountancy is ranked No. 8 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC, and support from friends and alumni helped build that reputation,” Parks said. “Doug’s gift will have an impact on our entire campus that will continue decades into the future.”
Self encourages everyone to get involved in Giving Day to help strengthen Ole Miss.
“It doesn’t matter how much you can give; it’s getting involved that matters,” Self said. “We can do so much more together!”
Supporters can visit http://www.umfoundation.com/GivingDay to make a tax-deductible gift. To check the status of Giving Day, visit https://givingday.olemiss.edu.