Ole Miss Giving Day

A Giving Day gift of $250,000 brings the Patterson School of Accountancy one step closer to constructing a new, 110,000 square-foot building overlooking the Grove in the center of campus.

Doug Self, a 1985 accountancy graduate, said he wants to contribute to the PSOA because his experiences at the University of Mississippi 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. I’m especially interested in making sure there’s no ceiling for what the school can become.”

Self is the founder and president of JDouglas, a luxury home furnishings to-the-trade showroom and sales agency based in Atlanta servicing interior designers and boutique retailers across the country. Even as an accountancy student, Self planned for a life of entrepreneurship, not working for a top accounting firm, he said. 

“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.”

Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor of University Development at Ole Miss, said the PSOA’s new building will provide a home that matches the program’s reputation for national excellence. 

“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!”