Scholarship money distributed by Mississippi State University comes from a variety of sources and is given out to students following different sets of criteria.
Katie Iglay, scholarship coordinator with the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, said the amount of money given out in scholarships varies from year to year as the criteria for awarding them changes.
“With enrollment on the rise, we’re offering more scholarships,” she said.
The majority of MSU scholarships comes from state-appropriated money, but private donations help fund a large portion, Iglay said.
Phil Bonfanti, director of admissions and scholarships, said no one person controls all scholarships. His office controls most of the general scholarships that are publicly funded.
Bonfanti said freshmen receive the bulk of scholarships, so the administration must decide each year if MSU wants to grow or decrease. A committee determines the guidelines each year for how much money should be spent on scholarships.
“Scholarships are used in three ways: to reward students, as an investment for schools and as a recruitment tool for schools,” he said.
The size of a freshman class and its quality can work to reduce or increase the number of scholarships given out. The committee that sets the guidelines each year studies factors such as ACT scores, in-state and out-of-state adjustments and GPA averages to determine the number of scholarships given, Bonfanti said.
“We want our dollars used effectively to get the best students at MSU … It’s a real effort to shape the student body,” he said.
“We know students are important … a lot of an education is about the students sitting next to you,” Bonfanti said.
He said a budget crunch within MSU can make a difference with scholarships, especially if the school is in growth mode. More scholarships could be given out to increase tuition.
He said during tough economic times, MSU realizes it is the best time to help families and understands that spending money essentially makes money for the school. The process is a fine balance.
While MSU has multiple funding sources such as public money, research dollars, private funds and tuition income, it is always looking to reduce its dependence on state-funded scholarships, Bonfanti said.
There is approximately 10 times as much public money in the general scholarship fund as there are private donations, he said.
“Private money comes with strings attached … (it has) different mandates,” Bonfanti said.
The MSU Foundation has helped reduce the amount of state-funded scholarships greatly, he said.
John Rush, vice president for development and alumni at MSU Foundation, said each donor decides how his or her donation is allocated.
“More money comes in from donors for academics than it does for athletics,” Rush, who also serves as CEO of the Foundation, said.
During fiscal year 2011, almost $6.2 million of private donor money was designated for scholarships, despite the current economy, he said.
“Contributions have actually increased over the past three years during the recent economic turmoil,” Rush said.
He said the Foundation has a special initiative called StatePride that is designed to garner private funds for faculty awards and scholarships for students in order to attract the very best students and faculty members to MSU. The goal is to raise $100 million over the course of four years and the initiative is currently in its third year.  
 Private donations are also invested and MSU ranked second overall in the Southeastern Conference in terms of investment returns. While the Foundation attempts to be socially conscious in the investments that are actively managed, there is no “watchdog group or system” in place to absolutely avoid non-socially responsible investments, Rush said.