Southwest Honors Donors at Luncheon, Highlights $1M Raised in 2025

Donors, partners, faculty, and staff listen to student testimonials about
how the Foundation’s efforts have contributed to their education during
the annual Foundation Donors Luncheon.

Donor generosity took center stage at Southwest’s 2025 Donor Scholarship Luncheon Dec. 1 at the Bert Bornblum Library on the Macon Cove Campus where students Kristal Bruce, John Nixon III, and William Davis II shared how scholarships lifted financial burdens and gave them the focus to succeed. 

The annual luncheon honors community donors whose contributions directly support student success and often serve as a lifeline for those facing financial challenges. It is both a celebration of gratitude and a call to action for continued investment in students’ futures. The Southwest Foundation raised more than $1 million this year to support student scholarships.

President Dr. Tracy D. Hall opened the program by thanking donors for their commitment to Southwest’s mission. “We can’t do that mission without your support, and so we definitely appreciate you,” Hall said. “Every scholarship we fund, every emergency grant we make possible, every workforce partnership you help us build, it all sends one clear message. Our students matter. Our success matters.”

Hall emphasized that donor support is critical to Southwest’s bold transformation initiative, Pathways to Prosperity: Reform 3.0, a five-year plan designed to ensure students graduate, transfer successfully, and advance into high-wage employment. 

“This work centers on aligning our academic offerings with Memphis’ most in-demand industries,” Hall said. “If a credential is not strong enough to lead to wages that sustain families, then we haven’t done our job. What we want to do is make a difference—and we are audacious enough to say we will help alleviate generational poverty in Memphis. Generous donations help us do that. It helps us address the issues our students face, so they can see the future for themselves. You are a vital part of this transformation. Prosperity, growth, business, education, and philanthropy unite to create opportunity. When supporters like you say yes, you invest in potential.”

Student voices brought that message to life. Nursing student Kristal Bruce, a scholarship recipient, shared how donor support lifted a heavy burden. “Your generosity has not only provided financial relief, but it has also given me the stability and peace of mind I needed to succeed academically,” Bruce said. “Your support is going to fully shape my future as I work toward becoming a nurse.”

Scholarship recipients Will Davis II, John Nixon III, and
Kristal Bruce shared how the funding provided by
donors has helped them this year.

Fellow nursing student John Nixon III echoed that sentiment, describing the challenge of balancing school, parenting and financial strain. “You guys do not understand just the enormity of the gratitude and appreciation, not only myself, but other students that you may not get a chance to speak or hear from,” Nixon said. “The scholarship and the Foundation and the support of this school itself have allowed me to stay focused.”

Interim Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement Susanne Gibson emphasized the urgency of continued donor support, outlining the Foundation’s top three areas of focus: film and media scholarships, workforce training for underserved youth, and emergency aid for students in crisis.

 “Students come into our office overwhelmed, sometimes in tears, because life has treated them an unexpected obstacle,” Gibson said. “And then, because of you, we get to say, we can help. Your support turns fear into relief, and doubt into determination.”

Interim Associate Vice President of Institutional
Advancement Susanne Gibson (l) and President
Dr. Tracy D. Hall (r) accept a generous gift of $10,000
from Foundation Board President Darrell Thomas,
CEO of Thomas Consultants, Inc.

She noted that new investments will fuel Memphis’s growing film and entertainment sector, expand workforce pathways for youth ages 16 to 30, and provide direct relief for students facing sudden financial challenges. “These priorities are bold, they are urgent, and they are achievable. Because we are not doing this work alone. We are doing this work with you,” Gibson said.

Foundation Board President Darrell Thomas, CEO of Thomas Consultant, Inc., emphasized the importance of leadership and setting a good example. 

“I try to lead by example and follow the example of those before me,” Thomas said. “What we do is meaningful, and I want to thank all the board members and chairmen who paved the way. One of the most valuable classes I ever took here was communications—it gave me confidence, and now I want to give back so these young folks can succeed.”

Thomas made a $10,000 gift to the Foundation as an early holiday present, encouraging others to invest in students’ futures. 

For more information about the Foundation, contact Gibson at 901-333-4577 or sgibson12@southwest.tn.edu.