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It is our great pleasure to announce that we will celebrate the Institute’s 25th Anniversary on Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Oxford at the Croft Institute.

The Croft Institute started to take shape in 1996 in conversations between Mr. Gerald M. Abdalla, Sr., CEO and President of Croft LLC and chairman of the Joseph C. Bancroft Charitable and Educational Fund, and Dr. Robert Khayat, the 15th Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. The first students enrolled in the international studies major in the fall of 1998, after the Croft Institute and the University had agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to regulate the Institute’s operations on January 1st, 1998.

Over the last 25 years, 683 Crofties have graduated with the Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in International Studies from the University of Mississippi. Altogether, they

  • Studied abroad in 51 countries at 194 unique study abroad sites;
  • Learned 16 different languages;
  • Earned 82 Taylor Medals;
  • Wrote senior theses under the guidance of 113 faculty members;
  • Pursued 32 Doctorate Degrees, 13 M.D.s, 124 J.D.s, 41 M.B.A.s, and 258 Masters Degrees;
  • And have received an estimated $7,960,000 in Croft Scholar Funding

The Croft Institute 25th Anniversary Ceremony will take place on Friday, March 24th, at 2:30 p.m. in the Joseph C. Bancroft Conference Room, followed by Alumni Breakout Sessions for our current students. A reception will follow at 6:00 p.m. at the University of Mississippi Museum.  On Saturday, we will host a tailgate on the Croft Institute Porch at 11:30 before our 2022 College World Series Champions take on the Florida Gators at Swayze Field at 1:30 p.m. 

In the weeks leading up to the 25th Anniversary weekend, our faculty will host a series of thematic panels covering critical world issues, including Authoritarianism, Global Health and the Environment, and World Migration. These panels will occur on February 7th, February 28th, and March 21st. All panels will meet in the Joseph C. Bancroft Conference Room at 5:00 p.m. 

25th Anniversary Weekend Schedule

Friday

Croft Institute 25th Anniversary Ceremony

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Joseph C. Bancroft Conference Room

Alumni Chats

4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Croft Rooms 202, 203, 204 & 305

Reception

6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the University of Mississippi Museum

Crom

8:30 p.m. at the Powerhouse (current students only)

Saturday

Tailgate

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Croft Institute Porch

U.M. Baseball vs. Florida

1:30 p.m. at Swayze Field (Alumni can email croft at olemiss.edu to reserve GA tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis)

Alumni can RSVP by emailing croft at olemiss.edu!