The Phil and Jeanne Oneacre family has committed a $1 million planned gift to Georgia State University to support the Honors College, the Department of Athletics and J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

Phil and Jeanne Oneacre are longtime supporters of Panther athletics. The gift will be used to support athletic scholarships as well as provide scholarships in the Honors College and J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

“Jeanne and I started thinking five or six years ago about what to do with our estate,” Phil Oneacre said. “Our families really did not need money, so the question was, ‘What could we do that would have an impact?’

For my portion, I immediately zeroed in on my undergrad school and Georgia State University, but splitting it up too much could lessen its impact. So, I selected GSU as it has been an important part of my life for 30 years. Endowed scholarships met our desires for a lasting gift to assist students working toward their college degrees.”

Previously, the couple endowed a scholarship for men’s basketball to help build a championship program.

“Phil and Jeanne are an important part of the Panther family because they are dedicated not only to the success of the athletic department, but to students across the Georgia State campus,” Director of Athletics Charles Cobb said. “They are providing opportunities for students and giving them a chance to succeed at the highest level. We are greatly appreciative of their generosity.”

Phil Oneacre has followed the men’s basketball team closely since 2001. He has been a season ticket holder since that successful season, and has gone with his wife to the conference tournament at the end of each season since 2006. The Oneacres have been season ticket holders for football since the inaugural season of 2010.

Oneacre began his association with the university in the mid-1980s when he was a graduate student. He earned his master’s degree from Georgia State in 1987 from the Robinson College of Business, something he has called his “most memorable GSU moment.” After graduation he started his own company, Comprehensive Business Solutions Group.

The support shown by the Oneacres adds to the recent success of the Panther Athletic Club, whose membership has grown more than 40 percent in 2014. Since fall 2013, the Panther Athletic Club has received several major gifts, including a $1 million commitment from Angela and Alan Giles, an anonymous gift of $500,000, a $350,000 pledge from Frank and Judy Strickland, and several supporters’ gifts combining to exceed $100,000 for the Basketball Excellence Fund.