The University of Mississippi

Office of the Chancellor

Letters from the Chancellor

Message to Campus Community on Student Death

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To members of the university community,

What had been a beautiful fall Saturday in Oxford ended with a horrendous event that took the life of one of our students. Walker Fielder, a junior from Madison, Mississippi, was killed and another student, Blanche Williamson, a sophomore from Raleigh, North Carolina, was seriously injured after they were struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run just off the Square. It is a painful and distressing development for our campus community, and it is understandable that emotions are high with many unanswered questions about what happened.

Please join me in offering heartfelt condolences to Walker’s family, friends, classmates, and others. Walker was a leader in the Sigma Chi fraternity, and a widely liked member of our campus community. While there are no words that can alleviate the deep sorrow that his friends and family are experiencing, please keep them close in your thoughts and prayers during this time of immense grief.

In addition, please pray that Blanche continues to heal and recovers fully. She needs our support, love, and care.

I am grateful to the Oxford Police Department for its swift response. They are working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate this case vigorously, and two suspects who are not affiliated with our university are now in custody. Our community can help investigators by avoiding public speculation about what happened or why, and share relevant information if you have it. If you have any information that can help, please contact the Oxford Police Department at 662-232-2400, ​the University Police ​Department at 662-915-7234, or CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8799. Since this matter is an ongoing investigation, OPD will share updates with the public as they are able.

We are a tight-knit and welcoming campus and community, which is what makes this act so jarring for us. I urge anyone in need of support to reach out to those around them, or to seek assistance from one of the following university support services:

 

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

University Honors James Meredith and Commemorates 60th Anniversary of Integration

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

60 Years of Integration, Building Upon the Legacy, The University of Mississippi

 

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

In the life of a flagship institution stretching across three centuries, significant and pivotal moments occur throughout its history. These moments call for remembrance, reflection, and celebration. James Meredith’s enrollment in and integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962 is one of those moments, and we are proud to honor it with the coming Week of Commemoration to mark the 60th anniversary.Read More

Charges filed in Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear members of the university community,

This evening, Oxford and University police announced murder charges have been filed against a suspect in the disappearance of university student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, who has been missing since July 8.

As investigators continue to search for Jay, we continue to keep Jay’s family and friends in our thoughts and prayers during this time of immense grief.

In light of this latest development, I encourage you to lean on and support one another. If you need help, please take advantage of any of the following campus resources and support services:

 
Sincerely,

 

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor

Message from Chancellor Boyce as the Search for Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee Continues

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To members of the university community,
 
This is a distressing and difficult time for our university as the search continues for missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee. The uncertainty that Jay’s parents, family, and friends are facing right now is unimaginable. I thank our campus and our community for keeping Jay and the Lee family close in their thoughts and prayers.
 
University officials are in contact with Mr. and Mrs. Lee to provide support and comfort. I’ve appreciated working on several initiatives that Jay is leading as a student, and I know his parents are proud of his role as a highly engaged member of our campus community.
 
To Jay’s friends and classmates, I encourage you to draw strength from coming together as a community and supporting one another. Please consider joining members of our community for the “Hope Rally for Jay Lee” organized by our Department of Social Work on Wednesday, July 20, at 7 p.m. at the flagpole in The Circle. 
 
I’m grateful to the investigators working this case, and I urge everyone to continue supporting them. They are following up on all leads. Please know that every lead matters to investigators. If you have any information that can help, you can contact the Oxford Police Department at 662-232-2400, University Police at 662-915-7234, or CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8477.
 
Drs. Charlotte Pegues and Shawnboda Mead shared a list of services and resources in a recent message for those who need support at this time. We offer those services to help you as a member of our community.
 
As the investigation continues, our university will continue to support the Lee family and the investigators in any way that we can. Our collective hope and prayer is for Jay’s safe return.   
 
Sincerely,

 

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor

Congrats 2022 Baseball National Champs!

Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Hotty Toddy!
 
Ole Miss is the 2022 NCAA Men’s College World Series champion! What a remarkable run through the postseason by this team to win in convincing fashion. Congratulations to our student-athletes, Head Coach Mike Bianco and his assistant coaches, Ole Miss Baseball operations, and all of Ole Miss Athletics.
 
At the University of Mississippi, we have a long history of building legacies. We’re dedicated to helping our people build their legacies to lead lives of purpose, happiness, and success. This national title reflects the legacy built over more than two decades by Coach Bianco and all of the outstanding players who built our baseball program into a perennial contender. Their success grew from the legacies created by our baseball greats from an earlier era, such as Jake Gibbs and Don Kessinger. Most importantly, the success of this program is part of a bigger picture of a thriving university that aims for nothing less than excellence across our entire enterprise.
 
Under the leadership of Keith Carter, our Athletics program is on a roll. In the last 15 months, we’ve now won our first NCAA men’s and women’s team titles after Ole Miss women’s golf captured the 2021 NCAA Championship. That was followed by the Ole Miss cheer team winning the Universal Cheerleaders/Dance Association College Nationals for the second time in the last five years.
 
These incredible performances by our students are about more than trophies and championships. They demand excellence: the drive to be the best; the discipline to do what it takes; the belief in yourself, your teammates, and the process; and, the fortitude to stay the course even when every obstacle is in your path. At the same time, those traits are enabling our student-athletes to perform better in the classroom than ever before.
 
The road to this national title showcased our passionate university family. The energy and excitement of Rebel Nation was on full display in a sea of red, navy, and powder blue that took over Omaha. You heeded the call and turned out in force in Omaha, Oxford, and everywhere in between to cheer and support our team. My wife Emily, daughters Brittany and Madeline, and I were honored to share in this magical moment with the Ole Miss family.
 
This national championship provides an opportunity for the rest of the world to see what we all know so well — the University of Mississippi leads in powerful ways, strives for excellence in all that we do, and creates lifelong connections. Every aspect of our university is experiencing tremendous momentum right now, and our national profile gained in stature through the College World Series. From the team to the fans, we shined!
 
I hope you will join our student-athletes and coaches, athletics and campus administrators, and other invited guests and honorees at the parade and celebration at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field on Wednesday, June 29.
 
Hotty Toddy, and congrats to our National Champs!

 

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor