Greetings!
Thank you for your tireless work and dedication that led to UM receiving Carnegie’s highest research designation of Research 1 (R-1) https://news.olemiss.edu/um-recognized-among-countrys-elite-research-universities/. We join schools like Harvard, MIT, and Johns Hopkins in recognition afforded to only 2.5% of institutions of higher learning in the United States.
Having been on the job as chancellor almost a month, I am truly thankful for both your support and for your passion for Ole Miss. It has been a great start to a new semester. Evidence of excellence is everywhere across our historic campus and your support is an important factor in that excellence. With a dominating Sugar Bowl victory on my first day in office, followed six days later by the opening of the fantastic new Pavilion at Ole Miss, Sharon and I quickly got into the Ole Miss spirit.
Thank you to all our staff for another great start to a new semester! You keep us going 24/7, even when our students are away. Evidence of your good work is everywhere — from the ease and speed of class registration and the consistently high customer service across campus to the condition of our physical plant and the remarkable year-round beauty of our campus. (Isn’t it a wonder how the Grove is green again after the million-plus footprints in the fall?)
I dare say there is likely no person who has achieved a college degree who could not readily identify a professor who played a pivotal role in her or his success. Thus, I am honored to identify myself as your faculty colleague first, then as your chancellor. Having been on the job almost a month, I invite you to visit with me at upcoming Flagship Forums (further explained later in this letter) to give you an overview of my first month, to make a few observations on the state of the university, and to seek your input as we work together to lift this great university to even greater heights.
WELCOME BACK! As two of the newest residents of Rebel Nation, Sharon and I have been excitedly awaiting the start of the second semester so that we could begin to better get to know the nearly 24,000 students who attend this great flagship university. Today marks my 25th day on the job as your chancellor, and I want to share a few things I have learned.
No. 1: The University of Mississippi is blessed with a tremendously talented leadership team. In fact, the strength of that team was one of the factors that made this position so attractive to me. We are also fortunate to have a superior faculty and staff, all of whom have welcomed Sharon and me into the family and are working closely with us to make our transition seamless. I am honored to have been chosen to lead this team, and I will rely heavily on their knowledge and wisdom as we go forward.