One of Gehrung Associates' primary goals for Mississippi State University is to generate coverage for the institution's State Pride fundraising initiative, which is geared towards raising cash that can be used for student scholarships and faculty bonuses. The story caught the attention of an editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, who was interested in a million-dollar matching partnership the University created with its athletic department as part of the initiative. This partnership would ultimately be the basis of a Chronicle feature story.