6 minute read
Building the New
Photo by Beth Wynn
By Emily Daniels
This year has certainly brought about many changes, and the College of Business is no exception. In May 2020, we welcomed a new lead fundraiser. Stephen Lack will oversee alumni and development activities of the College and the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy, helping us continue to build a reputation of success.
Lack comes to us from the University’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, where he served as Assistant Director of Development. A longtime State fan, Lack grew up in Kingsport, TN. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies in 2010. He later earned a Master of Arts in migration and refugee studies from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2013.
“While I was in high school, my dad – who was an engineer – was working in Iraq, so we were traveling back and forth to the Middle East a lot,” says Lack. “My decision to attend Southern Miss was largely based on the fact that their international studies program had a concentration in Middle Eastern studies and a minor in Arabic.”
Lack initially wanted to work as an engineer in the Middle East like his father, but he soon became more interested in refugee studies so he could one day work in refugee camps inside conflict zones. Shortly after graduation from USM, Lack flew to Egypt to continue his education in Cairo for the next four years.
“As part of my master’s degree, I interned and was promoted as a refugee camp manager in Yemen for a while, because I spoke Arabic and could write a report in English,” he recalls. “That was right around the time the revolution started – the Arab Spring – and the only class still taught on the campus was our program. I vividly remember one time when the building beside us was burning down because the people on top of it were throwing Molotov cocktails off at the authorities, who were throwing them back! We would have to run across the square to get to class. It could be scary at times, but I think of it as a unique opportunity because what you were studying in class was happening right outside the window.”
After completing his master’s degree, Lack returned to the United States. He planned on going back to the Middle East – and even had a job lined up in Turkey – but because of the civil war and protests, Americans were restricted from traveling there.
“Honestly, it was a good thing, because I met my wife Anna Catherine soon after I returned,” he says. “She was living in Huntsville, AL, and I was in Starkville. After we were married in 2015, I was working in New Orleans and she was finishing her clinical fellowship in speech pathology in Houston. So, our first month of marriage was apart, but our whole relationship up to that point was long distance. It just made it that much better when we were together.”
While in Louisiana, Lack served as Business Resource Coordinator for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, and he designed and developed the Refugee and Immigration Workforce Development Program for the organization.
“The program had been dormant since [Hurricane] Katrina, and once I got it up and running again, it got to the point where everyone had gotten hired and there was nothing left to do,” he says. “So, I made a list of what I really liked about my job, which was mainly the development part, and I started looking around for opportunities that would fit that description.”
Lack had a couple of friends who worked in development at different universities, and he reached out to them to learn more about what their jobs entailed. After doing a little more research, he decided that university fundraising and development was something that he would really enjoy. But there was one problem – he had no experience.
“I went to my boss and said, ‘This is the career path that I want to take, and I would like to do it at Mississippi State, but I need some experience,’” states Lack. “He was really understanding and helped me look for development opportunities. That’s when the director of development where I worked created a position for me. My assignment was to help raise money for the Head Start program. What was supposed to be a two-year project with a goal of $2 million was funded in just six months.”
Soon after they reached their goal, a development position opened at Mississippi State, and he reached out to executive director of development at the MSU Foundation. Things were falling into place.
“We loved New Orleans, but we were ready to get to Mississippi State!” he exclaims. “It was 2018, and we were expecting our first child. We had decided that one day we wanted to raise our kids here in Starkville. I’ve always had Starkville and MSU ties. My grandparents are from here, my mom grew up here and she met my dad at State. And one of my distant relatives, John Crumpton Hardy, served as University President from 1900 to 1912.”
While a grad student in Egypt, Stephen received a visit from his family. Here, he and his granddad – the late Joe Tom Mosley, an MSU alumnus – visit a Cairo market.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Lack
After accepting the job offer, Lack, his wife and their six-month old son Hodson had only two weeks to pack up and move before he began his new role as Assistant Director of Development for the Bagley College of Engineering.
“After a year in the position, we welcomed our daughter, Shellie Lou,” he notes. “And the year that followed, an amazing opportunity came open in the College of Business as Director of Development. With a few years of experience under my belt, I felt like I was ready to take the next step.” When asked what he loves most about his position, he is quick to reply. “Several things come to mind, but I would definitely say the relationships,” he shares. “I get to meet some great people and essentially serve as their investment advisor, not just a fundraiser. I love learning about them and why they’re giving and what their passions are. And then I get to make that happen.”
The College of Business is one of MSU’s largest academic units, and fundraising is pivotal to support quality education and maintain a competitive edge among the top schools in the nation. Gifts provide funding for scholarships, innovative programs and building enhancements, as well as attracting and retaining prestigious faculty.
Lack says that there are many ways to support the University with which future donors may not be familiar.
Life in the Middle East could be a bumpy ride at times.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Lack
“For example, a lot of people in Mississippi have generational land, but maybe their children live far away and cannot manage it,” he comments. “You can leave it to Mississippi State’s Bulldog Forest, and we’ll manage it in perpetuity with your family’s name on it, and the money made from the timber would go to the scholarship, professorship or program of your choice.”
Another opportunity to support MSU is through a charitable gift annuity, which is a gift that can provide a secure source of fixed payments for life.
“Basically, you transfer cash or property to the University, and in exchange we promise to pay fixed payments to you for your lifetime, while also supporting something that you are passionate about,” explains Lack. “You will also receive a charitable income tax deduction for the gift portion of the annuity.”
He goes on to add, “It’s really exciting when you come up with a custom-crafted scholarship that is unique to that person, and it really resonates with him or her. You’re presenting that person with the opportunities, and when it works perfectly, it’s exciting. You’re changing lives on both ends, and that’s a pretty cool place to be.”
For more ways to support Mississippi State University or the College of Business, contact Director of Development Stephen Lack by phone at (423) 292-9932 or via email at slack@foundation.msstate.edu.
