An anonymous pledge from a family to the University of Mississippi puts $1 million into the Chancellor’s Trust today as part of Giving Day.

The anonymous gift was part of Giving Day, a social media-heavy fundraising event that began Tuesday and lasted for one day, eight hours and 48 minutes in honor of UM’s founding in 1848.

The first Giving Day at UM, in 2019, secured almost $550,000, and the event has grown since.

“We are making this gift to the Chancellor’s Trust because we know Chancellor Boyce will use it to support areas on the Ole Miss campus that need it the most,” the generous anonymous donors said.

The donors met with Chancellor Glenn Boyce in the fall of 2021 to discuss UM’s funding priorities.

Established in 1975, the Chancellor’s Trust is an unrestricted fund used at the chancellor’s discretion to address the university’s most urgent needs. The chancellor may use the fund to provide additional scholarships, improve facilities, jump-start building projects, expand student programs or respond to changing demands at the university.

“Gifts to the Chancellor’s Trust allow an immediate investment wherever the chancellor sees an opportunity,” said Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor of development.

Thus far during the annual fundraiser, this is the largest single Giving Day contribution.