With headquarters in Ridgeland, Mississippi, HORNE LLP, a national professional services firm with a CPA cornerstone, has a long history of supporting the University of Mississippi Patterson School of Accountancy and the state of Mississippi.
By delivering a top-tier education to its students, the Patterson School of Accountancy graduates exceptionally qualified accountants with a broad range of skills. The quality of these professionals are why HORNE recruits at the Ole Miss accountancy school every year.
“These students represent future leaders in our firm and provide us the ability to continue to help our clients accelerate in a dynamic business environment,” said Joey D. Havens, a managing partner at the firm and 1980 graduate of the UM School of Business Administration.
“Great professors at the Patterson School of Accounting attract great students and develop great professionals,” Havens said. “Here at HORNE, we presently have 55 of these great Ole Miss alumni and we want more!”
HORNE recently committed $540,000 to the Patterson School of Accountancy to establish the HORNE LLP Accountancy Professorship Endowment.
This new endowment provides the Patterson School of Accountancy and its dean, Mark Wilder, with the resources needed to support the school’s professors. These additional resources could include salary supplements, additional funds for research and other means of support, said Terry Traylor, HORNE’s director of finance and a 1987 graduate of the Patterson School.
“As I understand it, among the Patterson School of Accountancy’s greatest needs are faculty support and scholarship support,” Traylor said. “Our contributions to the endowment will enable Dr. Wilder to fill those needs.”
HORNE’S financial support allows the Patterson School to build on its legacy of achievement, Wilder said.
“We are grateful for this tremendous investment by our Ole Miss accountancy alumni with HORNE,” the dean said. “Their generous gift will play a critical role in helping us attract and retain the very best professors nationally.
“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with HORNE over a long period of time, and we appreciate so much their commitment to providing resources for our faculty. Their support will strengthen the Patterson School and enable our students to receive the best accounting education possible.
“We are honored to have Dr. Dave Nichols as the HORNE Professor at Ole Miss. He has a long-standing commitment to outstanding teaching, helping students pass the CPA exam and preparing them for the profession.”
HORNE’s latest gift enhances the firm’s previous support of the Patterson School of Accountancy.
The firm established the HORNE LLP Accountancy Excellence Endowment with a gift of $100,000 in 2008. It gave another $150,000 to the school in 2012 to create the Horne LLP Accountancy Lectureship Endowment.
These many years of supporting the Patterson School reflect the appreciation and passion HORNE’s Ole Miss alumni have for their alma mater.
“As a firm, we hold the core value of gratitude as one of our top values,” Havens said. “We are grateful for the relationship we have with the UM Patterson School of Accountancy, and we believe in giving back to our communities and profession.”
Traylor added that the financial skills and knowledge he obtained at Ole Miss gave him the resources he needed to succeed in the world of professional accounting.
“The education I received from the Patterson School of Accountancy gave me a very good foundation to allow me to serve in the public accounting field in a variety of roles for almost 35 years,” he said.
“I was challenged by Mr. (Gene) Peery and Dr. (Jimmy) Davis to make a difference in whatever I did with my career. I think that I have done that and have served HORNE for the last 26 years of my career.”
Havens said the Patterson School sets a high standard of excellence in accounting education.
“The professors are top-of-the-class, and the curriculum has evolved to meet market demands,” he said. “There’s a true focus and encouragement for students to sit for the CPA exam. The preparation for the CPA exam success is excellent. We are not surprised that the school holds Top 10 rankings every year.”
Support for Ole Miss runs deep throughout HORNE. In addition to the firm’s current team members, retired partners are also encouraged to make gifts because of HORNE’s offer to match their contributions to the university.
And while HORNE’s giving has been generous and consistent for many years, the firm plans to continue its support of the University of Mississippi indefinitely.
“HORNE LLP made a commitment back in 2008 to fund our initial endowment after many of us at the firm fulfilled our Accountancy Order commitments,” Traylor said.
“We have continued to fund the endowment after our initial obligation was completed and this just allows us to take our commitment to the next level so that eventually we can have a HORNE Chair in Accountancy.”
The HORNE LLP Accountancy Professorship Endowment is open to support from organizations and individuals. Gifts can be made by sending a check to the University of Mississippi Foundation, with the fund’s name noted on the memo line, to 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655 or by giving online at https://give.olemiss.edu.
For more information about supporting the Patterson School of Accountancy, contact Jason McCormick, director of development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757.
By Jonathan Scott/UM Development