MOBILE - The University of South Alabama today announced a gift of $1.3 million from Mobile businessman and longtime USA benefactor Abraham Mitchell and the Community Foundation of South Alabama.

Mitchell donated $1 million to the USA Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation, which matched the gift with $333,333 provided by the Kresge Foundation. The gift will be used to enhance USA’s Abraham Mitchell Scholars Program in the USA Mitchell College of Business, the University’s largest single privately funded scholarship program.

“The Abraham Mitchell Scholars Program represents the very best in a public-private partnership,” said University President Gordon Moulton. “Abe Mitchell’s dedication to the betterment of our community, and his longtime support of the University of South Alabama at the very highest level, is unmatched and is an inspiration.

“Likewise, the Community Foundation of South Alabama is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all South Alabamians. They recognize that a quality college education is the key to improving that quality of life.”

Mitchell has previously endowed chaired positions at USA in radiology, internal medicine, and the USA Cancer Institute in the USA College of Medicine.

Together with his brother, Mayer, a longtime member of USA’s Board of Trustees, the Mitchells have given more than $11 million to the University, making the Mitchell family one of the state’s leading families in philanthropic support of higher education.

“It is very satisfying that we are developing a future core of business leaders for Mobile and the surrounding area,” Mitchell said. “Mobile has always developed a lot of talented high school students and we’re committed to keeping them close to home at USA.”

Since its creation in 1999, more than $314,000 in scholarship money has been given to 26 Abraham Mitchell Scholars, all of whom are from Alabama and most from the Mobile area. The students were chosen on the basis of their superior academic records and all are majors in USA’s Mitchell College of Business.

“The Community Foundation of South Alabama is deeply grateful for Abraham Mitchell’s generous support of education,” said Larry Batchelor, chair of the Community Foundation’s Kresge Coordinating Council. “Gifts to endowments such as the USA Endowment Fund are gifts that keep on giving, for the good and forever.”

The dean of USA’s Mitchell College of Business, Dr. Carl Moore, said the Abraham Mitchell Scholars Program promises to foster the success of Alabama’s future business leaders. “It allows us to become more competitive on a regional and national level, and raises our expectations for the future.”

One of the hallmarks of the program is that each scholar is assigned a faculty mentor who will direct the student through the research and scholarly experience, which will culminate in an honors research thesis with the goal of producing a peer-reviewed publication or creative work.

Students who maintain the academic requirements can remain in the program for up to four years, the time required to complete an undergraduate degree. For information on the Abraham Mitchell Scholars Program in the USA Mitchell College of Business, please call the USA Office of Enrollment Services at (251) 460-6494.