Don't forget to cheer on the Tigers tomorrow night as they take on North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, the University's first bowl game in 32 years. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CST.

Wanted: Nominees for Distinguished Alumni Awards
Hardin Gift Earmarked to Enrich Academics
HOPE Scholarship Info Session Slated for Jan. 8
Happy Holidays from The U of M

Wanted: Nominees for Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Alumni Association is seeking nominations for its 2004 Distinguished Alumni Awards. These awards honor alumni and friends who have brought honor and distinction to the U of M. The categories are Distinguished Alumni, Distinguished Friend and Outstanding Young Alumni.

A complete list of past recipients is available online at http://www.memphis.edu/daa.html. This year's awards will be presented at a gala April 24, 2004, at The Peabody Hotel.

Nomination applications may be obtained from Tammy Hedges at thedges@memphis.edu. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 9, 2004.

A $500,000 gift from philanthropists Helen and Jabie Hardin will enhance the University of Memphis' ability to recruit and retain top-quality faculty. Made in honor of the University's provost, Dr. Ralph Faudree, the award will be used to expand professorships and establish distinguished faculty research awards.

Professorships recognize outstanding individual faculty contributions in teaching, scholarship, service and community outreach. The Hardin gift will establish an award for faculty involved in engaged scholarship. As part of an urban research university, U of M faculty are encouraged to participate in research programs that contribute to solving problems in the community. Faudree leads the faculty in its mission to make the U of M one of America's great metropolitan research universities.

The Hardins are longtime supporters of the University. They have endowed two chairs of excellence: the Jabie Sanford Hardin III Chair of Excellence in Combinatoric Mathematics, in honor of their son, and the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Managerial Journalism.

The Hardins are founders of Hardin's-Sysco Food Services Inc. The company, originally Hardin's Co., merged with Sysco in 1972.

"We've been fortunate in our business and in our investments," said Helen. "We wanted to do some good, and we enjoy being able to see where our support is going. We have great admiration for Ralph Faudree. He's done a wonderful job. We wanted to help the University again and do it through Ralph."

The University of Memphis will host a public meeting to discuss the scholarships, who is eligible and how to apply. If you are or someone in your family is a high school senior or college freshman, you will want to attend.

The meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rose Theatre at the University of Memphis. Come find out how the HOPE Lottery Scholarships may benefit you and your family.

On behalf of the Alumni Association and the entire University of Memphis family, best wishes for the holiday season and a very prosperous and joyous New Year.

As 2003 comes to a close, please keep your alma mater in mind and consider making a gift to support one our many academic programs. Contributions of any size can and do make a difference to the University of Memphis.

If you have already made a contribution, please accept the University's sincere appreciation. For those of you who have not, please consider doing so. U of M students deserve every chance to excel, and with your assistance, they will.