Doug MacEachern of Covington, Louisiana, has committed on Apr. 5 to include the University of Mississippi in his estate plans with a major gift aimed at supporting full-time students in the School of Pharmacy.
The planned testamentary gift, estimated at $2.9 million, will provide additional funding for the Jane B. MacEachern Memorial Pharmacy Scholarship Endowment after MacEachern’s lifetime. This support is intended to help future generations of pharmacy students pursue their education without facing financial hardship.
MacEachern and his son, Taylor, established the endowment in 2020 with an initial donation of $300,000 as a tribute to Jane Bradley MacEachern—wife and mother—who graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1981 and later earned her doctorate at the University of Tennessee. Jane MacEachern spent much of her nearly four-decade career designing and implementing oncology drug trials that had a significant impact on cancer patients’ lives.
“One of the primary goals for my estate is to support educational opportunities at the University of Mississippi,” Doug MacEachern said. “I made the planned gift at this time to ensure my goals are achieved in the future.” He added: “I hope the gift will provide the opportunity for students to obtain their dreams of attending Ole Miss and earning a degree from the School of Pharmacy. I would like to make an impact on the lives of the students who are awarded the Jane B. MacEachern Memorial Scholarship.”
The family increased their commitment over time with additional gifts in 2021 and 2022, bringing total contributions to $900,000 so far. Since its inception in 2020, eighteen pharmacy students have received more than $110,000 through this scholarship fund.
Donna Strum, dean of UM’s pharmacy school, said: “Planned gifts have a generational impact, ensuring that current and future students have the support they need to obtain pharmacy degrees without facing financial hardship.” She continued: “I’m so thankful for Doug’s vision for the future of our school and his desire to see our students reach their goals.”
