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Letters from the Chancellor

Fall 2021 Message from Chancellor Boyce

August 23, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear faculty and staff,

Let me start by sharing my overwhelming gratitude and admiration for everything our faculty and staff have selflessly contributed to navigate the numerous challenges we have weathered while, at the same time, fulfilling our vital mission and upholding our commitment to excellence in how we serve our students. I’m continually struck by the tremendous level of achievement and dedication that permeates our campus culture. In fact, as I visit with audiences near and far, I emphatically boast how I would put the performance, efforts and commitment of our faculty and staff up against any other university in the country — it is clear that our entire campus community fully embraces our integral role to shape aspiring and purposeful learners into creative and critical thinkers who will be the thoughtful, considerate leaders of tomorrow. And, as we continue to live, learn, and work through one of the toughest times in our history, I can’t thank and recognize our faculty and staff enough for the remarkable and incredible efforts we have accomplished and all we continue to do across every corner of our campus.

With the start of a new academic year, I know there is much anticipation that comes with it. This year, we’re thankful for the return of the full vibrancy of our campus, and we’re ready to deliver a great year of life-changing academics, experiences, and opportunities. At the same time, I know there is a range of emotions from excitement to apprehension in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. I want to share where we stand and provide information that will contribute to a successful and productive semester.

While we are in a very different place now with the prolific availability of effective vaccines and proven protocols, we must find ways to continue to co-exist with the virus now more than 18 months into the pandemic. To that end, we’re taking precautions to respond to the situation at hand and mitigate the spread of the virus in order to keep our semester and our students on track. This includes starting the semester with a temporary mask mandate. I strongly encourage you to review our fall Campus Plan and related FAQs.

Vaccination is our most direct path out of this. I strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated. Thank you to all who have already done this for yourself, your loved ones, and your community. The good news is that you can get vaccinated on campus quickly and easily. We’re hosting on-campus vaccine clinics, or you can visit Pharmacy Health Services on a walk-up basis.

I’m excited to see all the ways our students, faculty and staff will succeed this year and contribute to the incredible resiliency and vibrancy of our community. As we press forward together, I want to reiterate my deep appreciation for all your exceptional work to offer the best on-campus living, learning and working environment possible and for doing what it takes to be caring, kind, and compassionate to one another. Together, let’s make this year the most successful and accomplished year yet for our university.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Summer Message from Chancellor Glenn Boyce

July 2, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

July 2, 2021

Summer Greetings! Hope you’re staying cool and enjoying some summer fun. Although we don’t usually publish summer issues of the @ The Flagship newsletter, I want to take a moment as we head into the Fourth of July weekend to share a few recent developments. Even in the summer, our forward momentum does not stop! And by the way, the undergraduate admissions application for fall 2022 is now open — encourage students near and far to apply for admission so they can begin to build their legacies at Ole Miss!


SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE

Line drawing of military metalsFor For the fourth year in a row, we increased our Military Friendly rating, achieving a Gold rating (second-highest level awarded to colleges and universities). And just a few weeks ago, we were ranked #21 in the nation by Military Times resource guide in its “Best for Vets: Colleges 2021 Rankings” — this ranking places us second in the SEC. Also, congrats to Andrew Newby for his selection as a George W. Bush Institute Scholar for the Bush Presidential Center’s Veteran Leadership Program. His selection for this prestigious fellowship is quite an honor and will help take the remarkable efforts of our Veteran and Military Services team to a new level.


MORE STUDENT SUCCESSES

Line drawing of a dollar sign wearing a graduation capFor the second time in three years, seven accomplished students at Ole Miss are recipients of the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship from the National Security Education Program. Boren Scholars engage in an immersive experience focusing on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. national security. We rank third nationally in 2021 Boren Scholarship recipients, behind only the University of Chicago and UT-Austin.


NEXT-GEN HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

Line drawing of hand holding medical plus signWe’re excited to celebrate 862 new graduates from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. These students, who earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Medical Center’s six schools, represent a new generation of health care providers, researchers, and leaders in their communities. The future is bright for a healthier Mississippi!


INCREASING OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS

STEM icon with person and math and science symbolsWe have launched several new initiatives recently. The Path4 initiative is a partnership with Northeast Mississippi Community College to give area students a streamlined journey through their college education. Also, a new dual-degree program with Rust College enables successful students to graduate with a mathematics degree from Rust and an engineering degree from Ole Miss. This outstanding partnership with Rust is an important initiative for our state and region to produce more STEM majors. I’m excited to see how these programs will provide students more opportunities while preparing them to thrive professionally.


TOKYO BOUND

The Olympic Rings
USOPC trademark

We all have reason to be incredibly proud of these five Rebel athletes for punching their tickets to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo later this summer including:

  • Sam Kendricks – Men’s Pole Vault (second Olympic Games)
  • Brittney Reese – Women’s Long Jump (fourth Olympic Games)
  • Raven Saunders – Women’s Shot Put (second Olympic Games)
  • Rafaelle Souza – Brazilian Women’s Soccer team (second Olympic Games)
  • Ali Weisz – 10m Air Rifle / Mixed Team Air Rifle (first Olympic Games)        

TOP FACULTY

Line drawing of faculty teachingLikun Zhang, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and researcher at the National Center for Physical Acoustics, won the R. Bruce Lindsay Award from the Acoustical Society of America. The annual award is presented to the society member who contributed substantially, through published papers, to the advancement of theoretical or applied acoustics, or both. Congrats, Dr. Zhang!


GENEROUS SUPPORT

Line drawing of hand holding a dollar sign.Thanks to generous private support and higher investment returns, our endowment has grown to more than $825 million— the largest endowment for any Mississippi public university! We recently celebrated the new naming of our state-of-the-art basketball and event arena as the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in recognition of their $10 million gift. Thanks to Sandy and John for your generosity and love of Ole Miss!


NURTURING FUTURE LEADERS

Digital drawing of boys gatheredWe were thrilled to host the 2021 American Legion Boys State this summer with approximately 400 young men from across the state. The university is proud of its long-standing partnership with American Legion Boys State because Ole Miss is dedicated to providing extraordinary learning opportunities like Boys State that develop future leaders in Mississippi.


SUMMER READING

Line drawing of figure reading a bookLooking for some summer reading? How about a selection from our very own Professor of English, Aimee Nezhukumatathil? As Yahoo! Life recently shared: “Aimee Nezhukumatathil is impressive. She’s a New York Times best-selling author, an award-winning poet, a successful essay and nonfiction writer, and a professor of English at the University of Mississippi. Barnes & Noble awarded her most recent book, World of Wonders, the 2020 book of the year. Her perceptive outlook on nature and growth throughout life pushes this remarkable illustrated essay collection to the top of our list.” World of Wonders is also our 2021 Common Reading Experience for our incoming freshmen, and Dr. Nezhukumatathil will deliver the address at our Freshman Convocation in late August.


I hope you’re able to take time this summer to recharge and make some lasting memories with family and friends. We can’t wait to see everyone back on campus in person in the fall — in classrooms, in the Grove and the Vaught, and all over campus. The energy, enthusiasm and vitality that defines our campus experience will be back and better than ever!

Happy Fourth of July! And, Hotty Toddy!

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Letter of Appreciation from Chancellor Boyce

June 2, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

Dear staff,
 
As we celebrate Staff Appreciation Week, I want to share how deeply grateful I am for every member of our outstanding staff. Each and every day, I’m impressed and inspired by the hard work, dedication, and talents that you contribute to our overall efforts of building a better world through higher education. It is truly you, the people of Ole Miss, that make it such an extraordinary place!
 
The tenacity, resolve and generosity of our staff have never been more evident than over the past 15 months of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. Our staff put on full display what it means to go above and beyond in service to our university and did so with enthusiastic energy and boundless positivity. Your selfless efforts are to be commended, and we are forever grateful for your significant contributions.
 
I’d like to congratulate all of our 2021 Outstanding Staff Member Award winners. What tremendous and well-deserved honors — they are the gold standard to which we all aspire!
  • EEO 1, Executive: Blair McElroy, senior international officer and director of study abroad
  • EEO 3, Professional Non-Faculty: Penny Rice, manager of instructional technologies and the faculty technology data center
  • EEO 4, Secretarial/Clerical: Monika Rudd, ID Center coordinator
  • EEO 5, Technical/Paraprofessional: Hope Herren, computer support specialist II
  • EEO 6, Skilled Crafts: Charles “Bo” Thompson, carpenter II
  • EEO 7, Service & Maintenance: Rod Wilson, custodial supervisor
  • Outstanding Staff Member Overall: Shannon Richardson, assistant director of Campus Recreation
  • Dan W. Jones Outstanding Team Service Award: Department of Student Housing (John Yaun, Jeannie Hopper, Don Rogers, Chris Thornton, Tracey Vaughn, Danielle Meyer, Claire Lowe, Emily Styles, Abigail Justice, Deborah Dunn)
 
Let me also congratulate staff members who were recognized this year for their years of service, especially the 60-plus staff members who have an impressive 20 or more years of service! Be sure to check out the complete list and share heartfelt congratulations with your colleagues and friends who are celebrating a milestone! I’d also like to applaud the incredible work and leadership of the University of Mississippi Staff Council.
 
Thanks again to all of our staff for all you do — you are vitally important members of the Ole Miss family. Day in and day out, you play an instrumental role in our success and in upholding our stellar living, learning, and working environment. Your efforts, contributions and service are noticed! Please know how much you are appreciated, and enjoy the rest of the activities including Friday’s Staff Appreciation lunch.
 
Kindly,
 

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

A Memorial Day Message from Chancellor Glenn Boyce

May 31, 2021 e-Newsletter, Letters from the Chancellor

On Memorial Day, I pause to honor our nation’s heroes, especially the women and men who have gone to war and never returned. These deeply courageous Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms and our country. We are grateful and inspired by their bravery, selflessness, and love of country. 

As we mark this significant holiday with our families and loved ones, please take time to reflect on the importance and purpose of this annual day of remembrance. I hope you will take part in the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. Emily and I are thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and understand that what we have is a direct result of their sacrifice.

The spirit of Memorial Day enables us to continue the important work of caring for the members of our Ole Miss Family who served and continue to champion the cause of freedom today. We are indebted to them for their willingness to risk their lives everyday they put on the cloth of this great nation. Because of the bravery of those important individuals who have given their lives for our country, we can welcome today’s service members home. 

Have a safe and memorable Memorial Day and take time to reflect on the blessings we share in calling Ole Miss and the United States home.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce

 

Chancellor

Full Return to Working on Campus by June 7, 2021; Guidance for returning to work in on-campus spaces

April 28, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor

Dear faculty and staff,
 
As we complete another academic year, I want to share my tremendous gratitude for everything our faculty and staff have contributed to navigating the challenges of the past 15 months while continuing to meet our mission and serve our students. I also want to specifically thank all of those in our campus community who played a role in our COVID-19 planning and response efforts. We’re grateful to those who made the necessary adjustments and adaptations to ensure that our mission continued to move forward.
 
We have announced a return to full operations in Fall 2021. The university will operate at full capacity as a traditional, residential campus with the usual campus presence and occupancy within office and workspaces for Fall 2021. We recognize that many in our workforce have been working on campus since July 2020, and doing so safely by following our campus protocols.
 
Given the prolific availability of vaccines, we have reached the point to prepare for full-capacity operations on campus as they were in Fall 2019. If departments are ready to return, they can return to campus at this time. By June 7, 2021, all personnel on contract or employed for the summer are expected to return to working on campus if they have not done so already. Any exception to returning to campus workplaces by June 7, 2021, requires prior approval of the department head.
 
Reasonable accommodation requests may be approved for qualified employees with disabilities, and requests will be managed through Equal Opportunity & Regulatory Compliance. Telework or alternative work arrangements that were in place before the pandemic will be allowed to continue. People who are needed on campus to deliver Orientation programs and support students, services, and activities for summer school need to return as directed by their supervisor.
 
We know there is interest among employees whose positions may lend themselves to working remotely to understand the university’s approach to telework. The Work Strategies Task Force is working with Human Resources to update telework guidelines, and plans to release those later this summer.
 
Parameters and protocols, as directed by the Protocols and Parameters Task Force and approved by the Chancellor, remain in place, including a mask requirement indoors in public spaces and when in the presence of others. Mask use outdoors is optional, but encouraged by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) if you are not vaccinated. We will continue to monitor the presence of the virus in our community and follow guidance from the CDC, Mississippi State Department of Health, our health care professionals, and appropriate professional organizations as we make decisions moving forward.
 
From now until June 7, employees will have ample time to get vaccinated and make necessary plans for returning to their on-campus workplace. Additional details about returning, including information about additional protocols, parking decals for those who did not purchase decals this year, and any other guidance regarding work parameters will be communicated by the appropriate departments or units. Human Resources will host drop-in hours and a town hall for supervisors in May, so watch for dates and details on those programs very soon.
 
Those who have not yet been vaccinated can get information about vaccines on the university’s COVID-19 website. Those who are not in Mississippi can learn about vaccine availability and locations on the VaccineFinder website.
 
I am energized about the prospect of returning our full workforce to the campus, and I look forward to bringing our community back together in support of our mission.
 
Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

Salary and wage increases for FY2022

April 23, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor

Dear faculty and staff,
 
Over the last 14 months, I have watched our faculty and staff excel to new heights and perform heroically in the face of adversity brought on by the global pandemic. In the wake of that exceedingly demanding period, I’m pleased to share that the university will provide salary and wage increases for the upcoming fiscal year 2022. We’re honored to make this investment in you, your families and your lives.

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