Mosby Family Gift Honors Late Patriarch, Supports UM Accountancy Building

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Patterson School of Accountancy has received a $250,000 donation from Lesley and Bill Rush Mosby III of Jackson, honoring the late Bill Rush Mosby Jr. and celebrating their family’s multigenerational legacy in the accounting profession.

In recognition of the gift, a multipurpose space in the school’s new 110,000-square-foot building will be named after Mosby Jr., a Natchez native who dedicated his career to Silas Simmons LLP and served as president of the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants in 1977-78.

The Mosby family has long been tied to the profession. All three of Mosby Jr.’s children became CPAs, and today multiple children, grandchildren, and in-laws continue the tradition, working in accounting and wealth management across Mississippi. “It all started with my dad, and I thought it would be a nice gesture since he was proud of all the CPAs in the family,” said donor Rush Mosby, who graduated from Ole Miss in 1982 and now serves as managing director of wealth management at UBS Financial Services.

Mark Wilder, dean of the Patterson School of Accountancy, praised the contribution. “Bill Rush Mosby Jr. was a distinguished leader in the profession – and the Mosby name is synonymous with excellence in the Mississippi CPA community,” Wilder said. “We are grateful to Rush and the Mosby family for their generous gift to support a prominent space in our new building.”

The Patterson School of Accountancy, ranked among the nation’s top 10 programs, is building a new facility that will include classrooms, study spaces, and offices to support its growing reputation as a leader in accounting education.