Hagans Support USM School of Social Work with $1.1 Million Planned Gift

Fri, 01/29/2021 - 07:48am | By: Megan Burkes

During Dr. Lynn Hagan’s time as a student at The University of Southern Mississippi in the ’90s, Ms. Oseola McCarty’s unexpected act of charity made global news. McCarty’s generosity continues to inspire Lynn’s philanthropic vision. Recently, she and her husband, Don, documented two bequests through a charitable remainder unitrust totaling $1.1 million. The Hagans’ planned gifts will benefit two existing funds they established more than a decade ago through the USM Foundation – the Lynn Purnell Hagan Social Work Support Endowment and the Lynn Purnell Hagan Social Work Scholarship Endowment.

“Dr. Hagan exemplifies how graduates of our School of Social Work are serving their communities around the globe using the knowledge and skills instilled in them at USM,” said Dr. Trent Gould, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. “We are grateful for the Hagans’ benevolence to our college, which will continue Lynn’s impact on the lives of others. These gifts will remove financial barriers that can slow down and sometimes stop students altogether from completing their degrees. By providing unrestricted support for the School, their contributions will also enhance the meaningful community engagement programs our faculty, staff and students administer.”

Now the School of Social Work’s largest benefactors, their path to USM was fortuitous. During a camping trip at Paul B. Johnson State Park, located just south of Hattiesburg, Don and Lynn followed a billboard to Southern Miss. The beauty of the campus, along with graduate program offerings in human performance and recreation (now kinesiology) and social work, sold the Texans on the Hub City. Lynn finished master’s degrees in 1994 and 1996, respectively.

After graduation, she launched a successful career as a licensed clinical social worker, providing mental health services across the United States and around the world. Lynn currently teaches the next generation of social workers as an associate faculty member at the University of Phoenix.

Having received assistantships and grants to help offset the cost of graduate school, Lynn knows the importance of these types of assistance. “In addition to a career development grant from the American Association of University Women, my out-of-state tuition was waived and I received a small stipend,” she said. “It wasn’t a lot of money, but it helped me stay afloat while earning my degrees. I could not have gone back to school without this assistance, so Don and I want to give that opportunity to others.”

“Dr. Hagan is incredibly generous, selfless and visionary. With the size and scope of her recent gifts being greater than any other the School of Social Work has ever received, we are filled with gratitude and appreciation,” said Dr. Jerome Kolbo, director of the School of Social Work. “Adding to their earlier gifts, the Hagans’ contributions will afford significantly more students the opportunity to realize their potential of becoming professional social workers and alter the trajectory and sustainability of our School’s academic and community service programs intended to fully actualize human potential and opportunities for change.”

Mostly retired now, the Hagans stay busy with consulting, volunteer work and social engagements. While involved with the Association of Former Students at their undergraduate alma mater, Texas A&M University, Lynn also helped create the Southern Miss Alumni Association Hub in Brazos Valley, Texas.

“We are exceptionally thankful for the Hagans’ gifts and continued support of Southern Miss,” said Stace Mercier, executive director of the USM Foundation. “Understanding firsthand the impact financial support can have, their giving exemplifies a commitment to and confidence in Golden Eagles for generations to come.”

Founded in 1959, the USM Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to serving the University community by overseeing fundraising efforts to raise private support for scholarships and other academic needs at Southern Miss.

For more information on supporting The University of Southern Mississippi, call the USM Foundation at 601.266.5210 or visit usmfoundation.com. To learn more about the USM School of Social Work, visit usm.edu/socialwork.