The University of Mississippi Athletics
Vaught Society Grows With Burns Gift
3/9/2010 | Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. -- The UMAA Foundation's new Vaught Society is experiencing rapid growth and recently took a major jump with the membership of Roland and Sheryl Burns, who committed $1 million to Ole Miss Athletics, as announced Tuesday by UMAA Foundation Executive Director Danny White.
The gift commitment serves as the lead investment to fund a new state-of-the-art team meeting room for the football program that is estimated to cost $1.5 million. The Burns family will be honored with their name on the facility which will be outfitted with the very best technology available to serve Rebel student-athletes and coaches. Additional Vaught Society gift commitments are needed to fully fund this project.
"We are very excited to be able to help with a new team meeting room for Coach (Houston) Nutt," said Burns. "We hope that our support will help Coach Nutt and his staff continue to make a difference in the lives of the young men that he mentors and develops."
"We are so grateful to the Burns family for their generous gift," Nutt said. "So many student-athletes will benefit from their kindness. Roland and Sheryl are truly difference-makers in the Rebel Football program. Our success depends so much on the support of those such as the Burns."
This marks Burns' most significant financial commitment to Ole Miss Athletics, and his gift raises the Vaught Society total over $4 million. The organization, which launched its efforts just two months ago, is making spectacular strides toward its goal of $12.5 million.
"We are incredibly grateful to Roland and Sheryl for their philanthropic leadership within the Vaught Society," said White. "Ole Miss is a special place and this landmark gift serves as a testament to the tremendous pride and affection that so many people share relative to this wonderful institution."
The Burns family has also helped support the Ole Miss School of Accountancy, from which Roland earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1982. He also serves on the school's advisory board.
"We chose to support the Vaught Society and Coach Nutt in recognition of the importance of the school's athletics program, especially football, to the overall success of the University," Burns said. "The football program is the calling card that keeps the alumni connected to the University and draws them back to the campus. A successful football program attracts more alumni to remain connected to the University and to support its education mission."
After receiving his degrees, Burns spent eight years with accounting firm Arthur Andersen in Dallas before joining Comstock Resources, a publically held oil and natural gas company, where he has served as senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.
Since his arrival, Comstock has grown from a market capitalization of $35 million in 1990 to more than $2.3 billion today.
In addition, from what began as an interest in his own children's school, Burns took on the responsibility for helping open what is now Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco, Texas. The school now has approximately 725 students on its 30-acre campus.
