Dan (left) and Mandy Barber hope to help the Patterson School of Accountancy continue to grow and prepare students for the business world with their gift to the school's building fund. The two met while working at Ernst & Young and own a second home in Oxford. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation
Barbers pay tribute to accounting, Ole Miss, family with building fund donation
Dan Barber, of Franklin, Tennessee, who earned a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi Patterson School of Accountancy, is giving back to the place that makes him feel close to his roots and family.
Barber and his wife, Mandy, gave $125,000 to the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund and will be honored with a named space when the 100,000-square-foot facility is constructed at the corner of Grove Loop and University Avenue.
“I had heard about the new building project and wanted to somehow support it,” said Barber, managing director and CFO of Covenant Capital Group in Nashville, Tennessee. “Thinking about the role that accounting, Ole Miss and Oxford have played in my life and the lives of many in my family, it just seemed right to honor that and have something that will be there for future generations.”
An Oxford native, Barber grew up in Meridian, raised by parents who went to Ole Miss, as did much of his extended family.
“Both sides of my family have been in north Mississippi for generations,” he said. “Growing up, I spent countless days in Batesville and Oxford visiting my grandparents. Ole Miss and this area have always been a part of life for my family and me.”
Barber pursued his undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University because he wanted to go to a larger city for college. But when it came time to select a graduate school, he felt Ole Miss was the perfect choice.
“I knew I would be returning to Dallas (Texas) after graduate school to start with Ernst & Young, so I was able to go home for my master’s degree, be near family, experience SEC sports and enjoy Oxford while getting an excellent education,” the donor said.
Barber found the school to offer applicable preparation.
“In my experience, the Ole Miss professors were very good at providing real-life adaptations to the concepts we learned and helped us learn how to think,” said Barber, mentioning the great influence of faculty members J. Shaw and Dale Flesher. “They helped me establish a foundation on which I could build a career in business, not just in public accounting.
“My dad took classes from Dr. Tonya Flesher when he was at Ole Miss. He always told me about how kind she was to allow him some extra time on a project as it was due the day after my baptism.
“It was a full-circle moment to be sitting in Dr. Flesher’s class 23 years later.”
Mark Wilder, the school’s dean, expressed gratitude to the Barbers for supporting the new building, projected to cost $125 million.
“We believe this new facility – to be located on prime university real estate overlooking the iconic Grove – will be a difference-maker for us in attracting outstanding students, faculty, and staff to the Patterson School,” Wilder said. “We are proud to have Dan as an alumnus of the Patterson School. He is enjoying an outstanding career and is a wonderful role model for our students.”
Barber began his career in public accounting as a senior auditor with Ernst & Young, where he met his wife, a University of Texas accountancy graduate. He said the UM accountancy school prepared him to thrive in the business world.
“Ernst & Young was a great first job, but after a few years I was ready to move into industry,” he said. “My Ole Miss preparation helped as I was able to transition into private equity and learn new businesses.
“I am the CFO for a real estate private equity firm. I started in an accounting role and knew very little about real estate at the time. My understanding of numbers and the ability to adapt to real-world scenarios have allowed me to advance in my career.”
When asked about the impact he hopes his gift will have, Barber said, “Much like my dad inspired me, I hope my kids will see it as a message that a strong understanding of numbers behind a business can give you a good base for any path you take.”
Barber leads the accounting, financial reporting and compliance efforts for Covenant Capital, where he has worked since 2012. He also works on fundraising efforts with major institutional investors all over the world.
By Tina H. Hahn
