Dr. Tony Sultani has given $10,000 to create the Sultani Endowment Scholarship Fund for a DSU College of Business junior or senior.Delta State University is just what the doctor ordered, according to Tony Sultani, an oncologist based in Clarksdale, Miss.
“My son, George, graduated from DSU in 2017 and the professors really made a difference in his life,” said Dr. Sultani—who gave $10,000 as a result to create the Sultani Endowment Scholarship Fund.
George Sultani, a corporal with the Clarksdale Police Department, seconded his father’s opinion. “At DSU, I developed critical-thinking skills that have proven vital in my career as a law enforcement officer,” he said. A political science major at Delta State, he called his education “a great experience.”
Dr. Sultani, who also has three daughters, and his wife of 20 years additionally established their scholarship fund “because I am a businessman,” said the physician, who runs offices in Clarksdale, Greenville, and Cleveland with a business partner. “I like people to enjoy, and always encourage people—especially those in the Delta—to learn about, business opportunities.”
The Sultani scholarship will be awarded to a full-time College of Business junior or senior who maintains a cumulative GPA of at least 2.90, is enrolled for at least two consecutive years at Delta State, and demonstrates financial need.
Dr. Sultani has been practicing medicine for 24 years, 22 of those in the Mississippi Delta. The “friendly, humble people” in the region motivated the 1984 graduate of the University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine to practice here. He enjoys “taking care of the good people of the Delta, saving them from travelling to get the care they need,” Dr. Sultani said. “People need service and I feel this is a great place not only to live, but also to serve.”
He continued: “I came from a poor background”—the village of Ain Dabesh, near the small city of Safita in northwestern Syria. “So I know how it feels when means are limited and you are a student who has no time to work,” he observed. “I hope the scholarship helps someone who is really aspiring to finish a degree in business, someone who otherwise wouldn’t have the means to do it.”
“Dr. Sultani’s support of our students runs deep,” said Dr. Nerma Moore, director of development. “He has supported several academic initiatives over the years, and this recent legacy gift will make a profound impact on current and future DSU business majors. We are truly grateful for his continuing support.”
People ask doctors for advice all the time. Dr. Sultani’s recommendation? “Believe in yourself and stay humble.”
