2023 Welty Gala

About The Gala

On Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m., students from the Ina E. Gordy Honors College, alumni and community members are invited to join us for an elegant evening in downtown Columbus. The Welty Gala begins with a Friends reception with this year’s Welty Symposium authors followed by dinner and presentation by inspiring kidnapping survivor and bestselling author Elizabeth Smart.

The Welty Gala is our annual fundraiser for the MUW Scholarship Fund. To ensure the success of this event, MUW is seeking supporters who will participate as Benefactors, Fellows, Patrons, and Friends. We are especially grateful for your support of this event and the opportunity it provides to the community and our Ina E. Gordy Honors College students to further their academic experience beyond the classroom.

About The Speaker

The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time.

Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held prisoner for nine grueling months. Through this traumatic experience, Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, sexual abuse, human trafficking, recovery programs, and national legislation.

Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to conviction. The founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, Elizabeth also has helped promote the National AMBER Alert, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times bestselling book, “My Story.” In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor's guide, entitled, “You're Not Alone: The Journey from Abduction to Empowerment.” This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.

In 2018, Elizabeth wrote a powerful and inspiring book, “Where There’s Hope,” which is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future. Her advocacy reached a massive global audience in January 2026 with the release of the top-ten Netflix documentary, “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.” In the film, Elizabeth offers an unsparing and frank look at her ordeal, providing new context and never-before-seen material to empower other survivors to shed the weight of shame.

Her most recent literary work, “Detours: Hope and Growth After Life's Hardest Turns,” is a memoir-meets-guide empowering readers to navigate life's detours, embrace resilience, and find healing and purpose after adversity. In this book released in December 2025, she explores how trauma can derail one's path in life and shares her struggles with captivity, reintegration, and resilience, offering four key "Rest Stops" for navigating difficult turns.

MUW Scholarship Fund

Scholarship funds help The W strengthen our dynamic learning environment to benefit our entire student body. Scholarship support does so much more than provide tuition assistance; it recognizes and rewards hard work and dedication giving students opportunities to hone career choice and pursue their dreams. Scholarship funds make the difference in whether or not many deserving students are able to attend
The W.

When

October 23, 2026
7:00 p.m.
Trotter Convention Center
402 2nd Avenue North
Columbus, MS 39701

Black Tie Optional

Schedule

5:30 p.m. Private reception with Elizabeth Smart for Benefactors, Fellows, and Patrons
6:00 p.m. Friends reception with Welty Symposium authors in the Trotter Main Lobby
7:00 p.m. Dinner in the Trotter Ballroom
8:15 p.m. Elizabeth Smart presentation
9:15 p.m. Book Signing

Donor Levels

Benefactor

$5,000 ($3,800 tax deductible)
Eight seats at a named table including preferred dinner service
Eight invitations to a private reception with Elizabeth Smart
Four autographed copies of a bestselling book by Elizabeth Smart
Prominent program recognition
On-stage and social media recognition
One half-page advertisement in the Spring 2027 issue of our alumni magazine, Visions
A 20-meal ticket to the MUW Hogarth Dining Center or
A 20-session pass to the MUW Stark Recreation Center

Fellow

$2,500 ($1,700 tax deductible)
Eight seats at a named table
Eight invitations to a private reception with Elizabeth Smart
Four autographed copies of a bestselling book by Elizabeth Smart
Program recognition
One quarter-page advertisement in the Spring 2027 issue of our alumni magazine, Visions

Patron

$500 ($400 tax deductible)
Dinner seating for one
Invitation to a private reception with Elizabeth Smart
An autographed copy of a bestselling book by Elizabeth Smart
Program recognition

Friend

$125 ($65 tax deductible)
Dinner seating for one
Invitation to Friends reception with Welty Symposium authors in the Trotter Main Lobby