Dear UM students, faculty and staff,
Today, the board of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) pulled from its January meeting agenda the university’s proposal to relocate the monument to the cemetery, a more suitable location on our campus.
As part of this procedural action, the IHL board did not vote on the proposal and asked the university to provide a full report on progress made toward implementing the recommendations of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Contextualization, which included recommendations involving the cemetery. We will provide this report to the board members and work with them to address any concerns that they have.
Our governing body – the IHL board – has exclusive authority to relocate the statue. A report to the board is required before we can re-submit our relocation proposal for future consideration.
We are committed to working with the board to accomplish our goal of relocating the monument. We appreciate all of the work that our campus constituents and others have put forward on this important issue for our university.
Our university leadership will keep you informed and provide further updates as this process continues.
Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor