The University of Mississippi

Office of the Chancellor

Letters from the Chancellor

Thank You for Another Successful Academic Year

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear faculty and staff,

As we close out the 2021-22 academic year, I can’t help but marvel at the extraordinary vibrancy of campus life. Faculty, staff, and students alike overcame the constraints of the pandemic and took on this academic year with gusto as evidenced by the energy and significant achievements. You should take great pride in delivering another successful year in the history of our university!

A simple “thank you” is not sufficient for your incredible efforts that form the backbone of our university’s success. Our standard is nothing less than sustained excellence. We can only meet and exceed that standard because of the talent, dedication, and hard work of our people, coupled with the caring and personal approach ingrained in our university DNA. It is how we fulfill our mission and serve our students. I’m deeply grateful for how you inspire our students to pursue their passions, and for your commitment to paving the paths to their bright futures.

Commencement marks the grandest time of our academic year. Commencement, and all that it symbolizes, is the celebration of why we are here – our students. And what remarkable students we have! I’ve been inspired by reading many of their stories in our annual Journey to Commencement series. A common theme permeating the observations of our graduates is their recognition and gratitude for how faculty and staff support and encourage them to build their legacies. You play a leading role in each of these stories. I hope you’ll take a few moments to read them and soak in the inspiration that they radiate. Our students’ successes are fueled by your investments in them — don’t ever forget that their stories would not be possible without you!

As we wrap up this academic year, I hope you will take a moment to revel in all your successes. And, I encourage you to take time to recharge over the summer. Looking ahead, I know you join me in anticipation of all the ways that we will deliver another great academic year in fall 2022.

Happy Commencement, and Hotty Toddy!

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Celebrating Commencement

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

The pinnacle of our academic year is almost upon us – Commencement! We’re eager to celebrate more than 5,000 graduates and their families on May 4-8. I’m deeply grateful to our faculty and staff who will be on hand and help to make Commencement special. I would like to encourage all of our graduates to take a moment to thank the faculty and staff who helped them reach this major milestone in their lives.

We’re excited to welcome our graduates’ families and friends to our beautiful campus and the best college town in America. Many guests will travel long distances to celebrate their loved ones. To ensure that everyone enjoys the celebration, please read this news article about Commencement so you will be well prepared for where to park, where to eat on campus, and how your loved ones who cannot attend in person can watch closed-captioned livestreams of the ceremonies. The university’s Commencement website offers information on all of this and more.

Most of this year’s ceremonies will be hosted in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Parking will be available at and around the SJB Pavilion and the Ford Center. We will operate shuttles to and from these venues, and to Convocation in the Grove. The Commencement website details information on parking, including information about ADA-accessible parking and shuttles.

We’re so proud to welcome alumnus Bradford Cobb (BA 96), a celebrated music industry executive, as our Convocation speaker for Convocation on Saturday, May 7. We look forward to hearing more about his journey from Ole Miss to Los Angeles, managing musicians such as Katy Perry, Tracy Chapman, Steve Perry and the B-52’s.

This year’s graduates are an inspiring class, but don’t just take it from me. You can read about their hard work, character, and potential in the 2022 Journey to Commencement series that profiles more than 20 members of the graduating class.

I know you share my pride in a job well done as we celebrate our graduates and the bright futures before them. We’ll see you at Commencement!

Hotty Toddy!

 

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Celebrating Commencement

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear students,

It’s hard to believe that the end of the academic year is upon us. Your energy, resilience, and thirst for learning made this an incredibly rewarding, fun year on our campus. You inspired me by the ways in which you engaged in the full Ole Miss experience with zeal, ranging from amazing academics and countless activities offered across our campus to enjoying the richness of Oxford.

I’m continually amazed by the talent and dedication that our students bring to their endeavors on the path to greatness. I commend our entire student body for the vibrancy you infuse across campus.

This year has been special for many reasons. Our freshman class was the biggest in several years. We all got a shot of energy as our campus life came back to normal after the restrictions of the pandemic. Collectively, our student body reenergized our campus to make this school year a memorable one. All of your accolades and successes deserve a big “Hotty Toddy!”

As we take part in various Commencement celebrations this week, let me share a note of congratulations to our 5,000-plus outstanding graduates — we know you are going to take the world by storm and make us proud! Now that you have reached this major milestone, it is a great time to thank the faculty and staff who invested in you to help you get here. Let them know how much you appreciate them.

To our returning students, I hope you take time over the summer to tackle something new, go on a grand adventure, or gain invaluable experiences. We can’t wait to welcome you back next fall as you continue to pursue your passions and fulfill your potential. Know that we are here, ready to support and encourage you in everything you do from classes to campus life and everything in between.

Happy summer and, as always, Hotty Toddy!

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Salary and wage increases for FY 2023

Letters from the Chancellor

Dear faculty, and staff,

As we wrap up another successful academic year, please accept my deep thanks and appreciation for all your incredible efforts and contributions to deliver on our mission and serve our students. I’m pleased to share that, for the second consecutive year, the university will provide salary and wage increases for the upcoming fiscal year. It’s a privilege to announce this investment in our people.

We’re able to make this investment in large part due to funds appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature. In addition, the university is committing funds from its permanent institutional budget. Most regular (non-temporary) employees will be eligible for a pay increase. Increases will take effect July 1, 2022.

Additionally, the university will increase its minimum wage to $13.00 per hour and will address compression adjustments as needed. This effort recognizes that our people are vital to how we support and serve our students. We have made progress on this over the last two years and remain committed to investing more in our people.

The budget office will issue specific guidance and instructions to signatory officers for these items. All filled positions covered by soft money, self-generated funds or separately budgeted unit funds should be reviewed for pay increases during this same period.

In addition, I’m pleased to report that we are allocating funds to increase graduate students’ stipends. The college and schools will receive instructions as to how these funds will be distributed later in the budget process.

The University of Mississippi has enjoyed an extraordinary year. We welcomed the first enrollment gains in four years last fall in an ultra-competitive higher education enrollment landscape. While we expect our growth to continue into the next academic year, it is essential that we all understand and embrace how our combined efforts advance our university. Our talented and dedicated faculty and staff go above and beyond on a daily basis — thank you for all you do to support how we serve our students, our state, and our future.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Exciting weekend ahead at Ole Miss! See info about campus operations.

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear students, faculty, and staff,
 
Our beautiful campus is in bloom, our seniors are eagerly anticipating Commencement, and in just a few days we will host what is sure to be one of the most exciting weekends on our campus in recent memory.
 
Anchoring this weekend is the university’s inaugural Mississippi Day on Saturday, April 9, a family-friendly open house to celebrate our state and the university’s contributions to its culture, education, well-being, and economy. In addition to this exciting new event, the university will host an SEC baseball series against Alabama, Junior Preview Day for prospective students, a concert in the Grove, academic honors celebrations, and a special story time with the one and only Dolly Parton. The energy and enthusiasm of our campus is in full swing!
 
As the flagship university of the Hospitality State in America’s best college town, I know you’ll join me in welcoming our community and visitors to this vibrant weekend on campus. To make sure that everyone enjoys their visit, you’ll find helpful information below about campus operations during these events.
 
Thursday, April 7
Phi Kappa Phi Induction Ceremony
3-4 p.m. at the Ford Center
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot* 
*Commuters see information below
 
Taylor Medal Dinner and Photos
4:30-7:00 p.m. at The Inn at Ole Miss
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot*
Shuttles will be available to and from the Inn.
 
Honors and Awards Convocation
7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ford Center
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot* 
 
Park-N-Ride shuttles will run to and from the Jackson Avenue Center parking lot and campus from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 7.
 
Friday, April 8
Track & Field Joe Walker Invitational
All day at the Ole Miss Track
Suggested parking: Pavilion Garage, nearby surface lots or the South Lot by Hwy 6 and Old Taylor Road 
Women’s Tennis vs. Missouri 3 p.m. at the Palmer Salloum Tennis Center  
Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony
3-4 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot*
Shuttles will take guests from the Ford Center lot to the Student Union from 2-3 p.m., and return to the Ford Center lot at 4 p.m.
 
Who’s Who and Hall of Fame Ceremony
5-6 p.m. at the Ford Center
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot* 
 
Baseball vs. Alabama
6:30 p.m. at Swayze Field
Suggested parking: Attendees without a baseball parking pass should park in the South Lot by Hwy 6 and Old Taylor Road. Shuttles will run to and from the South Lot and Swayze Field.
 
Hall of Fame Dinner
6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot*
Shuttles will take guests from the Ford Center lot to the Student Union from 6-6:30 p.m., then return to the Ford Center lot at 8:30 p.m.
 
Park-N-Ride shuttles will run to and from the Jackson Avenue Center parking lot and campus from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday, April 8.
 
* Commuters: Consider these alternatives to the Ford Center Commuter lot: Jeanette Philips (next to track and field), Tad Smith South (rear side of Tad Smith), Upper Kincannon (West side of the Residential Garage), JAC Park-N-Ride and South Lot (Old Taylor Rd. and Hwy 6) with increased OUT bus Gold route frequency. See this map for alternate commuter parking locations.  
Saturday, April 9
Junior Preview Day
8 a.m.
Suggested parking: Pavilion Garage
 
Mississippi Day
10 a.m.-2 p.m. in The Circle
Family-friendly activities and games from more than 70 departments across campus, food trucks, live music and inflatables.
Suggested parking: Tad Smith Coliseum lot and nearby surface lots
 
Baseball vs. Alabama
2 p.m. at Swayze Field
Suggested parking: Attendees without a baseball parking pass should park in the South Lot by Hwy 6 and Old Taylor Road. Shuttles will run to and from the South Lot and Swayze Field.  
 
Soccer vs. Southern Miss 2 p.m. at the Soccer Stadium 
Dolly Parton Storytime (ticketed event)
2:30-4 p.m. at the Ford Center
Suggested parking: Ford Center lot 
 
Concert in the Grove: Riley Green
6 p.m. in the Grove
Suggested parking: Tad Smith Coliseum parking lot and unreserved lots, with ADA parking at Paris Yates Chapel. Shuttles will run between Tad Smith Coliseum and the Kennon Observatory. The Circle and the Grove will be closed to vehicle access.
 
Track & Field Joe Walker Invitational
All day at the Ole Miss Track
Suggested parking: Pavilion Garage, nearby surface lots or the South Lot by Hwy 6 and Old Taylor Road 
 
Email parking@olemiss.edu with questions.
 
 
It’s a fantastic slate of activities, so I hope you’ll join us for an amazing weekend in Oxford as we celebrate our students, faculty, and staff and the university’s contributions to the great state of Mississippi. 
 
Hotty Toddy and Happy Spring!

 

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor

Honoring James Meredith and the 60th Anniversary of Integration

Letters from the Chancellor

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

We’re so pleased to share that the university will honor our distinguished alumnus James Meredith and the 60th anniversary of the integration of the University of Mississippi this fall and throughout the coming academic year.

In December, the Chancellor’s Office and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement convened the anniversary planning committee, which has been working on plans to mark this pivotal milestone for our campus. A series of great events, commemorations and other activities are being planned for the week of Sept. 26, culminating with the anniversary of integration on Saturday, Oct. 1. In addition, other activities and events are in the works for the entire 2022-23 academic year. As the celebration approaches, the university will launch an anniversary website, share regular updates and announce events as plans are finalized.

To maximize opportunities to tie into the anniversary, we want to hear from our campus community about existing, ongoing or upcoming efforts that can be incorporated into the anniversary celebration. This can include academic courses, service projects, events or programs, even individual studies or academic endeavors like theses or other projects. To support the committee, please submit any events, courses, projects or other efforts that the university and the planning committee should consider in collaboration with planning for this fall’s celebration or across the next academic year.

Stay tuned for exciting things planned for this monumental event. And, thank you to all the members of the 60th Anniversary Planning Committee!

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Shawnboda Mead
Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement
 

60th Anniversary Planning Committee
Shawnboda Mead, Committee Chair, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Morgan Atkins, Associated Student Body
Amanda Bradshaw, School of Journalism and New Media
Ethan Booker, Graduate Student Council
Rashanda Booker, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Amy Wells Dolan, School of Education
EJ Edney, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Phillis George, School of Education
Murrell Godfrey, Graduate School and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Derrick Harriell, English and African American Studies
Jeff Jackson, Sociology and Anthropology
Lauren Jones, Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement
Katie McKee, Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Ian Pigg, Student Activities Association
Sarah Pinon, Center for Inclusion & Cross Cultural Engagement
Cade Smith, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Castel Sweet, Center for Community Engagement
Will Takewell, Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union
Afton Thomas, Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Karrye Tynes, Center for Inclusion & Cross Cultural Engagement
Kathleen Wickham, School of Journalism and New Media