MPA Education Foundation

The Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation (MPAEF) was organized in 1984 to promote the advancement of journalism education, study, research and development through financial assistance, internships, fellowships, lectureships, visiting editorships and professorships, donations of time, materials and equipment, and through other forms and methods of assistance and aid.

The funds used in the financial assistance programs are obtained through contributions, donations, gifts, bequests, grants, pledges, devises and similar grants from individuals, corporations, trusts, foundations, partnerships, estates, and any other organization or group in order to develop an endowment fund for the Foundation. Fund raising projects, such as the annual Silent Auction, the annual Celebrity Roast, Memorial contributions and Corporate Funding, also help to fund Foundation programs.

 A Board of Directors comprised of 4 officers and 9 members governs MPAEF.

Grants For Services

State institutions of higher learning apply for grants up to $15,000 for resources to enhance their journalism programs in return for services and workshops offered to students and working journalists. Colleges and universities may apply each spring for this program. Email the Foundation for more information.

Scholarship Program

Three scholarships, funded in part by CellularSouth, are made available each year to students majoring in journalism; $500 per semester, up to $4,000, if continued until B.S. degree is completed. Applications are accepted each spring for available slots. Contact Beth Boone, Foundation coordinator.

Summer Internships

To provide students with a hands-on experience in newspaper journalism, a stipend of $100 per week is provided to approved interns to help offset housing or use toward tuition, in addition to receiving at least minimum wage from the MS newspaper. Contact your local newspaper for email Foundation coordinator Beth Boone for additional information.

O. C. McDavid Journalism Conference

Funding provided by the family of O.C. McDavid in his memory, the conference is held each spring to engage college students in an all-day conference emphasizing journalism, coverage of lifestyles, and the arts.

Student Better Newspaper Contest Awards

Held each spring, student papers compete by submitting entries from their work during the past year.  Awards are presented at the O.C. McDavid Journalism Conference.

Workshops

Workshops on a variety of topics and in different regions of the state are provided in the spring and fall.  Topics range from seminars for beginning reporters to digital photography or Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat and design classes. 

Endowments & Memorials

Given for journalism education

Overby Boot Camp

For high school journalism teachers and student newspaper advisers, this week-long program is held each summer on the campus of the University of Mississippi at Oxford. Coordinated by the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, the Boot Camp provides tuition fees and covers certain additional expenses for qualified individuals. Contact MSPA executive director Beth Fitts for additional information on the program.

Silent Auction

Held in conjunction with MPA’s annual summer convention, this event offers donated items for auction by written bid.  Monies raised are used for the journalism internships, scholarships and grants for services.

Celebrity Roast

Usually held in conjunction with MPA’s Mid-Winter Conference, an evening of laughter and entertainment as an individual is  "roasted" by their peers, family and friends.  Past honorees for this annual fund raiser include Sen. Trent Lott, Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson, columnists Sid Salter and Bill Minor, Retired Congressman Sonny Montgomery, Gov. Haley Barbour and many others.