Rush to headline March Breakfast with the Bulldogs

Vice President for Development and Alumni at Mississippi State University John P. Rush will be the guest speaker for the March 21 edition of Breakfast with the Bulldogs.

Rush currently serves as the president and CEO of the MSU Foundation and formally guides the majority of the university's fundraising activities. The MSU Foundation solicits, receives, invests and disburses private gifts that benefit the university as a whole, according to the organization.

Rush said the goal in the Division of Development and Alumni is to channel the efforts, interests and capabilities of our more than 142,000 living alumni and friends around the world to better Mississippi State University.

“Our two interlocking units, the MSU Foundation and the MSU Alumni Association, are set up to complement and enhance the workings of the other,” he said. We continue to build on the university's success through Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University Campaign. The goal of this multi-year fundraising endeavor is over $1 billion and will secure funds for the university's strategic plan.”

Rush began his career with Mississippi State University in 1994 as an admissions counselor, which is a recruitment representative to prospective students, parents and alumni. He then transitioned into fundraising in 1997 as assistant director of development, and later became development director for MSU'S James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.

In 2005, he became the major gifts director of the MSU Foundation, where he led efforts to obtain non-public funds, including constituency-based major fundraising, planned giving, and corporate and foundation support. He was named VP for Development and Alumni in 2007.

Rush is a graduate of MSU with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Public Policy and Administration, will discuss the many outstanding MSU projects that are on-going and in the planning stages.

All MSU alumni and friends are invited to Breakfast with the Bulldogs, which is held Thursday, March 21 at the Starkville Café.

Breakfast is Dutch treat and starts at 7:30 am. For more information about the event or to find out how to become active with the local Alumni Chapter, contact Carol Moss Read at carolmoss@bellsouth.net or call (662)-312-0637.