Alum Frances Rice Wins #IAM1550 Campaign Challenge

When Frances Presley Rice, MBA ‘76, learned of GGU’s End of Fiscal Year campaign, Be #1550, she knew she wanted to give back to her alma mater. 

“A degree from GGU, in my view, provides graduates with a golden key to success,” reflected Frances. 

As it turned out, Frances would be donor 1,550 and the proud recipient of a unique GGU T-shirt. 

The aim of the Be #1550 campaign was to have 1,550 alumni and friends give to the Fund for GGU by June 30, 2023 to help provide a GGU education to more students. At the start of the campaign, 1,455 donors had contributed to GGU in 2023 and we hoped to receive gifts from 95 new donors to reach 1,550 contributors in 2023. Donor 1,550 serves as a symbol for all that GGU represents: Access, Opportunity, Transformation, Innovation, Career Advancement, and Leadership. 

A proud GGU alumna, Frances has experienced first-hand the benefits of a GGU education. 

“I decided to acquire an MBA to enhance my military career and competitiveness in the business world after I retired from the army,” recalls Frances. “I became aware of GGU’s stellar reputation for having experienced business executives as MBA instructors.” 

Frances served in a variety of positions during her active-duty military career, including commander of a WAC company, adjutant of a basic combat training brigade, a prosecuting attorney, and chief of the administrative law division of a major military headquarters. When she retired, she was the highest-ranking woman in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and had been honored with numerous awards including the Legion of Merit medal.

Following her military career, she worked for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, serving first as a member of that company’s think tank, and then as a government contract advisor. She also co-wrote the book “Black History 1619-2019: An Illustrated and Documented African-American History,” which inspired the award-winning documentary Black Seeds: The History of Africans in America. 

“I received my MBA from GGU in 1976, which has proved invaluable for my professional advancement, particularly during the 20 years I served on active duty in the Army, retiring in 1984 as a lieutenant colonel, and subsequently working for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation on space exploration issues. My support of GGU over the years has been unwavering.” 

Thanks to donors like Frances, GGU’s Be #1550 campaign was a big success! A total of 1,586 donors contributed to GGU, surpassing our goal for the campaign. GGU raised $32,831 or $2,345 per day from 131 supporters during the two-week campaign which raised our total contributors for FY ‘23 to 1,586. 

GGU is able to provide innovative and practical educational programs that make such a difference in the lives of people like Frances because of the generosity of alumni and friends. Every gift we receive strengthens our ability to provide an affordable and accessible GGU education to future generations of students. We are grateful for the support!