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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The University of South Florida announced Monday that it had received a $1 million donation from Tampa Bay resident Johnnie Giffin to provide scholarships to students at its St. Petersburg campus.
Giffin established the new USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy scholarships in 2023 with a $26,000 gift to the USF Foundation. Now, more students will benefit from the scholarships.
The WLP Fay S. Baynard Class of 1988 Memorial Scholarship is geared toward full- or part-time undergraduate students in all majors and colleges on the St. Petersburg campus, and is renewable for up to eight semesters. Preference will be given to single parents or guardians of a minor who are employed at least part-time.
“Many of our students are pursuing their education while balancing other life responsibilities, and we work to ensure they have access to the resources and support they need to be successful during their time at the University of South Florida,” USF President Rhea Law said in a release. “Scholarships such as this one are powerful tools that help our students change the trajectories of their lives, and we are deeply grateful to Johnnie for her generosity.”
The scholarship honors Giffin’s late mother, Fay Baynard, who died in 2017. Rising from poverty in rural Mississippi, Baynard went on to create a very successful career as a St. Petersburg Realtor, earn a degree in 1988 from USF well into her work life, become a champion sailor and immerse herself in numerous local charities, according to USF.
“I think as a person you should always try to give back, and I’m doing this for USF and for my mom, and hopefully to help give students in need an opportunity to make their way in the world,” Giffin said, according to USF’s release.
The donation comes one week before USF’s Giving Week, an annual event that brings alumni and friends together to raise funds for a wide variety of programs, including student scholarships.