Author Archive

Two UM Faculty Win Inaugural National Science Foundation Fellowships

Posted on: September 20th, 2017 by erabadie

Ryan Garrick and Saša Kocić among 30 nationwide selected for competitive research program

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 BY EDWIN SMITH

Ryan Garrick, UM assistant professor of biology, examines insects as part of his research on the effects of environmental change. Photo by Robert Jordan/UM Communications

Two University of Mississippi professors have been honored for innovative research in their respective fields by being selected for fellowships in a competitive new National Science Foundation program.

Ryan Garrick, assistant professor of biology, and Saša Kocić, assistant professor of mathematics, have been chosen for funding under NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4 program is designed to help junior investigators in EPSCoR-eligible states develop career-spanning collaborations through extended visits to other premiere research institutions around the nation.

Garrick will conduct his fellowship at Ohio State University, while Kocić will visit the University of California at Irvine.

Of 136 proposals considered by NSF in this competition, only 30 awards were made across 27 universities, for a funding rate of 22 percent. UM was among only three institutions receiving two fellowship awards in the competition.

Both recipients said they were pleasantly surprised by their selection.

“After many attempts to secure federal funding to support research and career development, during a time that appears to be a particularly difficult period for faculty doing basic research, finally having some success was a relief,” Garrick said.

“This award is certainly very special to me,” Kocić said. “Many people at University of Mississippi and beyond have helped me in that process. I am extremely grateful to all of them and glad that all that effort was not in vain.”

Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter congratulated Garrick and Kocić for their achievements.

“We are so pleased to see the success of our researchers in this highly competitive program,” Vitter said. “Their tremendous achievements help drive discovery and creativity on our campus and enhance our undergraduate and graduate education.

“I congratulate Drs. Garrick and Kocić for how their innovation, collaboration and research bolster UM’s role as a Carnegie R1 highest research activity institution.”

The awards reflect the promise shown by both researchers’ work, said Josh Gladden, interim vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs.

“That the university received not just one, but two awards in this crowded competition is especially gratifying and shows that the National Science Foundation sees the same great potential that we do in the research careers of both Dr. Garrick and Dr. Kocić,” Gladden said.

“NSF EPSCoR funding has helped to launch the careers of many successful researchers at Ole Miss and across the state, with more than $80 million in research infrastructure investments in Mississippi over the last 25 years.”

Each institution was allowed to submit only three applications. Garrick and Kocić each discussed the scope and goals of his particular research project.

Saša Kocić, UM assistant professor of mathematics, is continuing his study of dynamic systems and mathematical physics, which promises to help scientists better understand such diverse phenomena as heart function and stock market fluctuations. Photo by Thomas Graining/UM Communications

“Biodiversity, or the variety of species in an ecosystem, is declining in many areas of the world due to environmental change,” said Garrick, principal investigator on a project examining “Enhancement of technical and analytical skills for the application of genomics to research in molecular ecology and comparative phylogeography.”

With $110,413 over the next two years, he will collaborate with colleagues at Ohio State to understand how the numbers and genetic variability of four invertebrate species found in southern Appalachian forests change as their environment changes.

“This fellowship will enable research using genetic techniques to study how organisms have responded to past and present environmental change,” he said. “It will also generate new opportunities for sustained collaboration with the host institution.

“Findings will advance understanding of whether whole communities have the ability to respond to environmental change together, or as individual species. This information will aid in conservation and management of U.S. forest fauna.”

Kocić is the principal investigator on a project focusing on “Sharp arithmetic transitions and universality in one-frequency quasiperiodic systems.”

With his $161,681 two-year grant, he and a graduate student will initiate a new collaboration between the university and UC-Irvine, in particular with Svetlana Jitomirskaya, one of the top experts in dynamical systems and mathematical physics. The project will develop and apply state-of-the-art tools for studying dynamical systems, which will allow mathematicians to obtain new results by looking at systems at different spatial and time scales, revealing shared properties.

“Dynamical systems is a large area of mathematics that concerns the evolution of different systems and phenomena, ranging from the motion of celestial bodies to heart function to fluctuations in the stock market,” Kocić said. “The project is centered around a powerful tool called renormalization that acts as a ‘microscope’ and allows one to look at systems at different spatial and time scales, revealing properties of the systems that are universal, that is, shared by a large class of systems.”

There is a broad range of phenomena where these tools have led to an explanation. The transition between the liquid and gas phases – boiling and evaporation – is one familiar example.

A particular focus of this project will be on sharp transitions and universality in two types of systems: relatively simple systems that underlie more complicated systems, and systems arising from quantum physics, Kocić said.

“This project will lead to advancement of both areas, strengthen the research program in dynamical systems and mathematical physics at UM, and enhance its undergraduate and graduate education,” he said.

“This collaboration will be very important not only for my career and the field of research, but also for my current and future students, our dynamical systems group, the mathematics department and the whole of the University of Mississippi.”

Garrick’s fellowship is funded by NSF grant 1738817; Kocic’s by NSF grant 1738834.

The mission of EPSCoR is to enhance research competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions – states, territories or commonwealths – by strengthening STEM capacity and capability. EPSCoR envisions its targeted jurisdictions as being recognized as strong contributors to the national and global STEM research enterprise.

Student Spotlight

Posted on: September 7th, 2017 by erabadie

A look at a few of the 5,327 scholars in the College of Liberal Arts

From left: Dylan Ritter, Miller Richmond, Rachel Anderson, Alex Martin, and Austin Powell.

Rachel Anderson, BA Spanish and BAJ Journalism ’17

The most defining of the rigorous challenges and invaluable opportunities of Rachel’s college experience — producing the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s first bilingual hurricane guide as a public affairs intern, blogging about her semester in Bilbao, Spain, for Study Abroad, interning in Florence, Italy—was competing as a member and leader of UM’s Speech and Debate Team.

“Debate enabled me to further pursue my passion for foreign language and culture. I’ve watched Spanish language competitions, trained in my second language, and introduced international exchange students to the activity. Debating for the university fused my studies, helping me practice my public speaking and poise for broadcast journalism while bolstering my Spanish fluency.”

Alex Martin, BA international studies and mathematics ’17

As managing editor of the University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal — a yearly peer-reviewed publication founded by students for students with a mission to recognize excellent work, Alex recruited articles and was involved in outreach about what publishable research looks like and how undergraduates can get involved in research activities.

“I am interested in pursuing a career in economic research — particularly macroeconomics and international development. As a summer intern in the Office of Economic Policy in the Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC, I liked economic research and analysis in practice. This led me to seek a position at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, where I started work this fall as a research assistant in the Economic Research division.”

Austin Powell, BA philosophy and public policy leadership ’17

Teaching entrepreneurial and leadership development at the Marshall County Correctional Facility provided insight for Austin’s Honors thesis, “Entrepreneurial Correctional Education in the Criminal Justice System,” and will be useful as the Rhodes Scholar finalist pursues a master’s degree in criminology at the University of Oxford in England.

“My goal is to return and raise the quality of life for Mississippians by developing an in-depth understanding of criminology and the criminal justice system, how different entities can become community partners in Mississippi, and how the state can take partial ownership of the solution. My research will focus on the disconnects that lie between empowering offenders in the entrepreneurial class and the reality of low post release employment opportunities.”

Miller Richmond, BA international studies ’17

Miller completed the global health emphasis with a Croft/Honors thesis, “An Investigation of the Integration of Education and Mental Health Treatment into the Care of Diabetes in Syrian Refugee Women,” an expansion of his research abroad—interviews and surveys with refugees, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Jordanian Ministry of Health officials, and doctors. He developed ethnographic research skills studying the health house model in Mississippi with Kate Centellas, Croft associate professor of anthropology and international studies.

“Returning from Jordan, I collaborated with Dr. Centellas; Dr. John Green, director of the Center for Population Studies and associate professor of sociology; and Emma Willoughby (BA liberal studies and sociology ’14) to form a Global Health research group that led to a working paper, ‘Epistemic Prejudice and Health Inequalities: The Case of Mississippi.’”

Dylan Ritter, BS chemistry ’17

One of UM’s six inaugural Stamps Scholars and the American Chemical Society Outstanding Inorganic Chemistry Student, Dylan conducted genetics research at Texas A&M University, in Ireland at a pharmaceutical lab where his performance earned him an opportunity for independent research with a multinational company, and in a lab associated with the University of California at Davis that integrated his earlier work from Texas.

“During those summers, I realized how much I enjoy research and found a new career path in the sciences. The experiences were so rewarding that my post-undergraduate plan shifted from medical school to graduate school for a PhD in biomedical science.”

Melanie Culhane, Jiwon Lee, Alicia Dixon, and Johnnay Holt.

From left: Melanie Culhane, Jiwon Lee, Elizabeth Taylor, Alicia Dixon, and Johnnay Holt.

Melanie Culhane, BM music – vocal performance ’17

A musician and performer active in UM’s choral programs, Opera Theatre, and Living Music Resource, Melanie received first place in the 2016 National Association of Teachers of Singing State Competition Senior Women Category for four musical selections — an Italian aria from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, the French song “Chanson d’amour” by Faure, a German piece by Schumann, and, in English, “I Hate Music” by Bernstein.

“Although I was nervous, I relied on my preparation and the knowledge I had obtained in all of my academic classes and practice sessions, and gave great performances for the judges.”

Alicia Dixon, BA classics and philosophy ’17

Establishing UM’s Archaeological Ethics Bowl team set Alicia’s career path: “Because of this experience, I want to practice Cultural Heritage law.”

“Classics Professor Hilary Becker’s Who Owns the Past? course opened my eyes to issues facing the preservation of antiquities and problems that arise when pieces of the past can be bought and sold. Since then, two fellow students and I have learned what the law says about historic preservation and the standards for ethical excavation, trade, and repatriation. We have debated complex cases to stretch our understanding of how antiquities — and the people they represent — should and should not be treated. A general Ethics Bowl team we started with Philosophy Professor Deborah Mower will continue to compete after we graduate.”

Johnnay Holt, BA political science ’17

“I’m interested in how politics affects our lives, and how it helps create our profound democracy. My political science studies and research have increased and broadened my intellectual capacities to analyze ethical issues, cultural diversity, and service to others through both knowledge based theory and hands on experience. Moreover, being a political science major has fostered and developed within me a firm foundation and greater understanding of the methodology and practices of public policy to guide me as a future law school student.

“My career goal is to one day run for public office and actively meet the needs of my community.”

Jiwon Lee, BM music ’17

The double major in violin and flute performance is principal flute in the University Wind Ensemble, a first violin member of the orchestra, a drum major for The Pride of the South marching band, a member of the basketball pep band, and a featured soloist playing the National Anthem at baseball, basketball, and softball games.

“I am grateful for the experiences I have had at Ole Miss. One could never have dreamed that a little girl from Daejeon, Korea, would be standing in front of thousands of people conducting a college band or playing solos with the University Wind Ensemble. Thank you, Ole Miss family!”

Elizabeth Taylor, BA sociology ’18

As a transfer student from Grayson County College and an international officer of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Elizabeth earned acceptance into the UM Honors College where she is the first person in its junior entry program to receive a Barksdale Award — $5,000 for a dream project of study, research, or humanitarian effort. “In Dublin, Ireland, I interviewed employees of a nonprofit that provides services to survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution. By creating an organizational ethnography of Ruhama, I want to figure out how to create similar nonjudgmental social, psychological, and infrastructure support in the US. I am extremely grateful for the encouragement I have received since transferring to Ole Miss. I would list names, but there are truly too many to count.”

Jessica Richardson, Cellas Hayes, Tiara Mabry, and Ebonee Carpenter.

From left: Jessica Richardson, Cellas Hayes, Thuy Le, Tiara Mabry, and Ebonee Carpenter.

Ebonee Carpenter, BA sociology ’17

Before she transferred from Hillsborough Community College, Ebonee was International President of Phi Theta Kappa honor society for community colleges. Her work at the international level continues at UM with trips to Mexico and Zambia. In Mexico, she helped install water purification units with H2OpenDoors, a project of the Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Foundation. In Zambia, she conducted research on food security, health, and nutrition in a summer field school with Anne Cafer, assistant professor of sociology. The UM Office of Global Engagement and a US State Department Gilman Scholarship supported Carpenter’s field school work.

“The program was a unique opportunity to immerse myself in African culture while conducting research on the impact of food security and education on the growth and social development of local communities.”

Cellas Hayes, BA biology and classics ’19

The summer after Cellas’ freshman year, he traveled to Rome to take Ancient Italy in Context, a month-long classics course. Cellas spent his sophomore summer with scientists at the Bialystok University of Technology in Poland conducting research on fungi in the Bialowieza Forest, one of Europe’s oldest forests and a hotspot of biodiversity. He was one of four UM students accepted for the internship to study in Poland offered by the National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Students program.

“I am ecstatic to compare research differences in the US and Europe and to enhance and expand my education in more ways than just attending class. This university is the university for opportunity and has taught me to be genuine, be relateable, and build my life on being different.”

Thuy Le, BA biochemistry ’17

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer student conducted biomedical research with the UM Medical Center (UMMC) Cancer Institute as a summer scholar. Beyond the internship, Thuy studied drug therapies and their effects on triple negative breast cancer in the UM research laboratories of Yu-Dong Zhou, research associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Dale Nagle, professor of bimolecular sciences.

“The Frate Fellowship in Bioethics and Medical Humanities offered by the UMMC, UM Department of Philosophy and Religion, and Honors College challenged me in ways I never imagined. We discussed food insecurities, social determinants of health, organ transplantation, and dialysis. The controversial topics pushed me out of my comfort zone, and the fellowship taught me the importance of difficult ethical discussions and the emphasis of the humanities in medicine.”

Tiara Mabry, BA psychology and nursing ’17

“My grandmothers work with the mentally handicapped, in a women’s hospital, and for a battered women and children’s shelter. The desire to help others runs deep in my family.”

To continue her family tradition of service and prepare for a career as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Tiara took advantage of the resources offered through UM’s Grove Scholars, an intensive program encouraging and facilitating academic success and job placement among Mississippi resident STEM majors who are also Ole Miss Opportunity Scholars. She developed leadership skills and enhanced her interpersonal skills as Grove Scholars president, Green Grove ambassador, UM NAACP secretary, MOST mentor, and Sigma Gamma Rho sorority vice president.

“Make sure the things you are involved in are the things you are invested in.”

Jessica Richardson, BFA art, imaging arts ’17

The leader of the student-run Clicks Club offering lectures, museum trips, and group photo shoots also developed and led workshops providing technical information on cyanotypes and lighting.

“The Clicks workshop series teaches students of all areas and experience levels about the various aspects of photography. We emphasize hands-on experience while sharing information about other artists to study. My role as president allowed me to hone my networking and organizational skills through planning these workshops, which has helped prepare me for a career in the arts.”

Award-Winning Graduate Students

Each year College of Liberal Arts departments present Graduate Student Achievement Awards at Honors Day. These six represent scholars across the discipline areas housed in the College.

Anna Katherine Black

ANNA KATHERINE BLACK
PhD clinical psychology ’18

Doctoral winner of UM’s Three Minute Thesis Competition challenging graduate students to explain their research in three minutes and using only one slide, Anna Katherine’s dissertation is “An Experimental Manipulation of Fear of Pain in Migraine.”

Recipient of the Research Achievement Award in Psychology, she has four publications in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter in press with Scientific American–Neurology. Black, UM’s Psychological Services Center Assessment Services Coordinator, plans a clinical work career delivering therapy to clients who struggle with mental health difficulties.

Katelyn Dreux

KATELYN DREUX
PhD chemistry ’17

Katelyn’s graduate research experience includes the application of sophisticated quantum mechanical methods to study small, noncovalently bound clusters and also the investigation of physical properties of moderately-sized molecules and clusters of unusual inter- or intra-molecular interactions using density functional theory. Her dissertation is “Probing Atypical Non-covalent Interactions Using Electronic Structure.”

She presented her research results at three regional and national meetings and published four papers during her time at UM.

Josh Green

JOSH GREEN
BA classics and history ’08
MA Southern Studies ’17

Josh’s undergraduate honors thesis on the end of prohibition in Mississippi was so good that The Mississippi Encyclopedia editors asked him to write the essay on the topic for the book.

Josh obtained a law degree from Tulane University and practiced law in New Orleans before returning to Oxford to pursue a master’s in Southern Studies, where he won the first-year paper prize for “Peace and the Unsealing of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission Files.”

Justin “JP” Lawrence

JUSTIN “JP” LAWRENCE
PhD biology ’18

JP works in Biology Professor Brice Noonan’s lab exploring the evolution of warning coloration in poison frogs of the Neotropics. His most recent success securing research funding is an Australian Endeavour Fellowship to spend five months with a new collaborative group in Australia.

JP’s goal is to establish an independent research program focused on the ecology and evolution of aposematic species and the process of speciation.

John Lindbeck

JOHN LINDBECK
PhD history ’18

“Slavery’s Holy Profits: Religion and Capitalism in the Antebellum Lower Mississippi Valley” is John’s dissertation exploring the relationship between capitalist markets, religious faith, and the institution of slavery in the antebellum Southwest.

“I am especially interested in the economic foundations of proslavery evangelical denominations, as well as white Southerners’ faith that God’s Providence guided markets and commercial networks in the slave-based cotton kingdom.”

He presented “Missionary Cotton: Saving Souls in Mississippi’s Cotton Kingdom” at the 2017 Southern Historical Association annual meeting and wrote his master’s thesis on Anti-Mission Baptists, Religious Liberty, and Local Church Autonomy.

Feng Liu

FENG LIU
PhD economics ’18

Feng has developed a new test of predictive accuracy for macroeconomic applications and written elaborate programs to generate results for the new test—working as a full research partner with Economics Professor Walter Mayer and Mathematics Professor Xin Dang. Their paper interpreting the results has been accepted for publication by the International Journal of Forecasting.

As lead author on another paper, Feng simplified Economics Professor John Conlon’s asset-price bubble models—previously the simplest available. “My models have been cited in the Journal of Economic Theory—the top field journal on the subject, the Review of Economic Studies, and Econometrica,” Dr. Conlon said. “And I’m sure that her model will be significantly more influential than mine.”

Mathematics Professor Awarded Prestigious Ralph E. Powe Grant

Posted on: September 1st, 2017 by erabadie

Thái Hoàng Lê will use funds to study prime numbers

AUGUST 31, 2017 BY EDWIN SMITH

Thái Hoàng Lê, assistant professor of mathematics

A University of Mississippi faculty member has been selected for a prestigious Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Thái Hoàng Lê, assistant professor of mathematics, is the third UM faculty member to win the honor. The awards, which run for one year, provide seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU member institutions with the goal of enriching the research and professional growth of young faculty and resulting in new funding opportunities.

ORAU provides $5,000 for the award, and the winner’s institution is required to match it with at least an additional $5,000.

“I was excited and felt that I was lucky because the award is very competitive, with applicants from many universities and across multiple disciplines,” Lê said. “I am happy because the award is a recognition for my potential to do interesting work. I will use the award for summer support and travel to attend conferences and visit collaborators.”

Lê’s research involves finding patterns in prime numbers, numbers divisible only by themselves and 1.

“For example, can we find an infinite number of pairs of primes which differ by 2?” he said. “Questions like this have been studied since the ancient Greeks, mostly for aesthetic reasons, but since several decades ago, number theory and prime numbers have found practical applications in computer science, such as in coding theory and cryptography.

“As such, prime numbers are ubiquitous in real life, as in cryptosystems to encode messages sent over the internet.”

Research project must be in one of five disciplines to qualify: engineering and applied science, life sciences, mathematics/computer sciences, physical sciences, and policy, management or education.

Previous UM recipients were Davita Watkins, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 2015, and Nathan Jones, assistant professor of math and computer information science, in 2011.

Originally from Vietnam, Lê earned his undergraduate degree at École Polytechnique in France and his doctorate at the University of California at Los Angeles. He received a gold medal in the 40th International Mathematical Olympiad, an event for high school students, in 1999.

A faculty member at the University of Mississippi since 2015, he teaches several courses, including calculus and analytic geometry.

Lê has been a member of the Institute for Advanced Study and has held post-doctoral positions at the University of Texas at Austin and at École Polytechnique. His research on problems in combinatorial number theory is of interest to some of the very best mathematicians in the world.

“While I view myself as a pure mathematician, I also use my expertise to collaborate with computer scientists and work on applications of number theory and combinatorics to computer science,” he said.

“One of our papers is on randomness extractors; that is, how to convert a source of weak randomness into strong randomness. Of course, randomness is ubiquitous in real life, and we desire perfect, or unbiased, randomness.”

Lê deserves his recognition, said James Reid, chair and professor of mathematics.

“Dr. Lê has an impressive research pedigree for a young mathematician,” Reid said. “He has 17 publications in some of the best mathematics journals in the world, such as the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society and the Journal of Number Theory.

“Dr. Lê recently received a prestigious research award from the National Science Foundation. The Department of Mathematics is very proud that Dr. Lê’s cutting edge research in additive number theory has been nationally recognized.”

For more about the Department of Mathematics, visit http://math.olemiss.edu. For more about ORAU, visit http://orau.org.

Seven UM Freshmen Receive Omicron Delta Kappa Awards

Posted on: June 12th, 2017 by erabadie

Honor society recognizes outstanding leadership, community service

JUNE 11, 2017 BY RYAN UPSHAW

This year’s recipients of the Omicron Delta Kappa Freshman Leader Awards are (from left) James ‘JC’ Pride of Jackson, Olivia Lanum of Brandon, Caroline Glaze of Hattiesburg, Leah Davis of Tupelo, Savannah Day of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Summer Jefferson of Cumming, Georgia, and Brock Huerkamp of Arkadelphia. Photo by Ryan Upshaw

Seven University of Mississippi freshmen have been inducted into the Alpha Phi chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a prestigious national leadership honor society.

The annual ODK Freshman Leadership Awards, which identify outstanding freshman leaders and community servants, were presented at the organization’s annual induction ceremony. Previous recipients have gone on to serve in roles such as Associated Student Body president and to be inducted into the university’s student Hall of Fame.

This year’s recipients of the ODK Freshman Leader Awards are Leah Davis of Tupelo, Savannah Day of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Caroline Glaze of Hattiesburg, Brock Huerkamp of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Summer Jefferson of Cumming, Georgia, Olivia Lanum of Brandon and James “JC” Pride of Jackson.

“Each year, the selection process becomes more difficult as the university attracts outstanding students from all over the country,” said Ryan Upshaw, ODK adviser and assistant dean for student services in the School of Engineering.

“Our society is excited to be able to recognize their outstanding contributions during their first year on campus. We also look forward to their potential membership in our society later in their college career.”

A psychology major, Davis expressed gratitude at the recognition.

“Receiving the ODK Freshman Leader of the Year Award was a very humbling experience for me,” she said. “I was honored to know that the work and service I have done for my beloved university was recognized.

“I am excited for the opportunities that this recognition will bring, and cannot wait to continue to serve my campus!”

Davis is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and is a LuckyDay Scholar. She has participated in the ASB Freshman Council and Black Student Union and is a member of the UM Gospel Choir and Concert Singers. She has volunteered with Green Grove, “Groovin’ at Move-In” and the Oxford Film Festival.

Day is double majoring in public policy leadership and broadcast journalism as a member of both the Honors College and the Lott Leadership Institute. The recipient of a scholarship from the Lott Institute, she served as a legislative aide for the ASB Senate and was a member of the inaugural ASB Freshman Forum program and Lambda Sigma. She also is a news reporter for NewsWatch Ole Miss and has volunteered with RebelTHON and Big Event.

Glaze is an Ole Miss Women’s Council Scholar studying public policy leadership and secondary math education. She is a member of the Honors College, Lott Leadership Institute and the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program. She serves as vice president of Pittman Hall Community Council and is a member of ASB Freshman Council and Lambda Sigma. Glaze has volunteered with the Marks Tutoring Project and the Ole Miss Food Bank.

A member of the Honors College and the Lott Leadership Institute, Huerkamp is studying public policy leadership. He has volunteered with RebelTHON and the Big Event and has been a member of the ASB Freshman Council and Lambda Sigma. He will serve on the executive board of RebelTHON 2018.

Jefferson is a biology major as a member of the Honors College. She is the recipient of the Stamps Scholarship, the highest campus scholarship, and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Class. Jefferson is a team leader and accounting chair for Coaches Against Cancer and has begun undergraduate research in the Department of Biology. This summer, she will intern with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A member of the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence and the Honors College, Lanum is studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in manufacturing. She is president of the Stewart Hall Community Council and a member of the Engineering Student Body Leadership Council, Society of Women Engineers, Lambda Sigma and the NASA Student Launch Initiative Outreach and Structures Team. She has volunteered with the FIRST Robotics Tournament and will travel to South Carolina next fall to work as a co-op student with International Paper Co.

Pride is studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in manufacturing as part of the CME and the Honors College. He has volunteered with the Big Event, RebelTHON and Coaching for Literacy. Pride is the recipient of the W.R. Newman scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Class, ASB Freshman Council and Lambda Sigma.

Omicron Delta Kappa is a 103-year-old leadership honor society that has initiated more than 300,000 members at since its founding. The society has more than 285 active chapters at colleges and universities across the United States.

Doctoral Alumna Uses Math for Public Good

Posted on: May 19th, 2017 by erabadie

$Carla Cotwright-Williams, Ph.D.$

Carla Cotwright-Williams (PhD mathematics ’06)

In 2014, Carla Cotwright-Williams (PhD mathematics ’06) worked as the technical lead on a million-dollar federal contract to assess data quality in a Department of Homeland Security data system, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. At present, she serves as the Hardy-Apfel IT Fellow for the Social Security Administration. She cites communication as both a large part of her responsibilities and a significant factor in her success.

The communication skills her professors had admired so early on had deep roots. What began with her experience working alongside Maurice Eftink [former graduate school dean, associate provost emeritus, and professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry] with the IMAGE program, a National Science Foundation-funded program to expose children of color to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduate studies, only flourished in her many roles as the communicator of data to laypeople.

She knows all too well the difficulty people often face in trying to convey scientific or mathematical information to people from other fields.

“It’s a big challenge in mathematics and other STEM fields,” she said. “We’re not always the best communicators. And so the rest of the world can’t always appreciate what we do. But I like to say I’m using my math to help the public.”

And Cotwright-Williams is certainly helping the very young people, specifically young women of color, who will one day follow in her footsteps.

“I didn’t meet a black woman mathematician until I was in grad school,” she said.

But thanks to women like her, the face of the world is changing.

“We’re no longer hidden figures that are trying to make an impact on the world.”

Read the full alumna profile of Carla Cotwright-Williams in the 2017 University of Mississippi Graduate School summer newsletter>>

Stamps Scholars Attend 2017 National Convention

Posted on: May 10th, 2017 by erabadie

Students learn to join peers in addressing great challenges for the common good

MAY 5, 2017 BY KATIE MORRISON

Among the 21 Stamps Scholars from UM who traveled to Atlanta for the 2017 Stamps Scholars National Convention are (front, from left) Madeleine Achgill, Sally Boswell, Kathryn James, Nikki Sullivan, Page Lagarde, Summer Jefferson and Eloise Tyner, and (back, from left) Ben Branson, Tom Fowlkes, Heath Wooten, Brendan Ryan, Kate Prendergast, Emily Tipton, Anna Daniels, Eveanne Eason, Michaela Watson, R.G. Pickering, Dylan Ritter and Ben Bradford. Submitted photo

Twenty-one Stamps Scholars from the University of Mississippi were in Atlanta recently for the fourth biennial Stamps Scholars National Convention, where they learned from one another and from some of the country’s most renowned leaders about facing challenges that affect society.

Sponsored by the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, the 2017 Stamps Scholars National Convention, dubbed SSNC17, was on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The convention benefits the Stamps Scholars Program, a prestigious merit scholarship program that helps exceptional students become leaders throughout society. Launched in 2006 by Georgia native Roe Stamps and his wife, Penny, the program has grown to include 42 partner schools throughout the country.

“Whenever I speak with our Stamps Scholars, they talk about the value of getting together with driven and talented peers and learning from them,” Roe Stamps said. “Seeing what these amazing young leaders are doing, and realizing what they will achieve later in life, is inspiring.”

Some 730 scholars from across the country attended SSNC17 and had opportunities to hear and talk with leaders including Elisa Villanueva-Beard, chief executive officer of Teach for America, and G. Wayne Clough, former Georgia Tech president and secretary emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution.

The convention also provides a platform for scholars to learn from one another through discussion of some of the great challenges facing the world. This year’s topics included “Mental Health in the 21st Century,” “Living in an Energy Crisis” and “The Future of Human Space Exploration.”

The event also featured a service challenge, “Consulting for Social Good.” The goal of the service challenge is to apply scholars’ knowledge to real-life obstacles often present in nonprofit organizations.

“SSNC17 did not disappoint,” said Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez, dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, who attended the conference with the UM students. “Our Stamps Scholars engaged with scholars from across the nation to address difficult challenges and questions together. From guest speakers to active problem-solving, our scholars joined others in common cause.”

The experience was rewarding for both upper- and underclassmen.

Roe Stamps (left), founder of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, shares a laugh with Robert Grady Pickering, a freshman Ole Miss Stamps Scholar, at the 2017 Stamps Scholars National Convention. Submitted photo

Dylan Ritter, a senior biochemistry major from Somerset, New Jersey, appreciates the motivation that he derives from the convention.

“I went and met people doing science and research that blew me away – and they’re just kids going through undergrad with happiness and heartbreak and all the parts of a full college experience that I have,” Ritter said. “It really helps me realize that I am lucky to be in the company of such bright minds, but I am also fortunate because I can relate to them and learn how to do better with what I have.”

Sophomore Brendan Ryan, a Chinese language and mathematics double-major from Diamondhead, appreciates the community Stamps provides, both locally at Ole Miss and nationally.

“On this campus, I feel comfortable walking up to any of my fellow Stamps Scholars and striking up a conversation because I feel close to them,” Ryan said. “Most importantly, I am getting a better understanding of what being a Stamps Scholar means to my identity.

“I left the conference with a sense of national community; I felt a definite sense of camaraderie.”

The convention’s diversity and collective purpose made an impression on Sally Boswell, a freshman from Ocean Springs who is majoring in international studies.

“My biggest takeaway was how open-minded and determined all of the students were,” Boswell said. “Everyone listened to each other and diligently worked to solve the tasks with which we were presented.

“I had never been around so many high-achieving people from such a large range of places before, and it showed me that even though our nation and world have much division and chaos, there are scholars working hard in their disciplines to make the world a better place. I left SSNC17 with a very optimistic feeling.”

Stamps Scholarships are generous multiyear scholarships that include enrichment funding for study abroad, internship or research opportunities. The Stamps Foundation and its partners provide scholarship support to 930 scholars, with the projected goal of helping educate 5,000 scholars in total. Some 455 Stamps Scholar alumni around the world continue to benefit from various professional and social networking opportunities.

To learn more about the Stamps Foundation, visit http://www.stampsfoundation.org/.

Individuals and organizations interested in supporting academic scholarships at the University of Mississippi can contact Katie Morrison, director of corporate and foundation relations, at 662-915-2135 or email katie@olemiss.edu. Gifts also can be made by mailing a check to the UM Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655 with the purpose noted in the memo line, or by visiting https://www.umfoundation.com/makeagift/.

UM Seniors Inducted into Hall of Fame

Posted on: April 10th, 2017 by erabadie

Recipients honored for achievement, service and potential for success

APRIL 7, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

The 2017 Hall of Fame inductees are front row ( L to R) Acacia Santos, Leah Gibson, Yujing Zhang, Alex Martin. Back Row (L to R) Austin Dean, Chase Moore, Austin Powell, Miller Richmond, John Brahan, James Roland Markos. Photo by Robert Jordan UM Communications

Ten University of Mississippi seniors have been inducted into the university’s 2016-17 Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors afforded students at UM.

The inductees were honored Friday (April 7) in a ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. A committee in accordance with policy developed by the Associated Student Body chooses Hall of Fame members. Selections are based on academic achievement, community involvement and potential success.

This year’s Hall of Fame members are John Brahan of Hattiesburg; Austin Dean of Hammond, Illinois; Leah Gibson of Starkville; James-Roland Markos of Jackson, Tennessee; Jane Martin of Madison; Chase Moore of Horn Lake; Austin Powell of Corinth; Miller Richmond of Madison; Acacia Santos of Southaven; and Yujing Zhang of Oxford.

“The students who are inducted into the Hall of Fame are leaders, scholars and community servants,” said Mindy Sutton Noss, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students. “Their combined list of accomplishments and contributions to the university community is impressive and inspiring.

“They each leave a legacy at Ole Miss, and I know they will all go on to make a difference in the world around them. I believe we will hear more about the achievements of these individuals throughout their lives.”

The 10 students were among 150 Ole Miss seniors recognized for inclusion in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. They are to be listed in the national publication’s 2017 edition.

Brahan, pursuing a double major in public policy leadership and theatre arts, is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar. He served in several roles over the course of his education, including ASB vice president; director of Greek affairs for RebelTHON, the Miracle Network dance marathon benefitting the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital; and vice president of standards for the Interfraternity Council. Brahan served the community as a Leap Frog tutor and mentor. He’s performed in theatrical productions of “Clybourne Park” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and plans to pursue a career in the entertainment industry upon graduation. His parents are Tammy Kolbo and John Brahan of Hattiesburg.

An integrated marketing communications major, Dean has served as vice president of the Columns Society, an organization of 24 of the top students who serve as official hosts for the university. He also served as vice chairman of the University Judicial Council in the Office of Conflict Resolution and on the board of the directors for The Big Event, the largest community service project at the university. Dean was awarded Excellence in Integrated Marketing Communications and the Christine Wallace Service Award. After graduation, he plans to move to Washington, D.C., to work for a firm focused on running campaigns for legislation and political candidates. His parents are James Dean and Christy Amey of Hammond, Illinois, and Katrina and Tyrone Wilkins of Atwood, Illinois.

Gibson, a journalism major, is a member of the Columns Society and a McLean Institute Innovation Scholar, a distinction awarded to students with interest in entrepreneurship and economic development in Mississippi’s rural communities. She is Miss University 2017. Gibson served as station manager of Rebel Radio at the Student Media Center and special events coordinator of the Black Student Union. After graduation, she will compete in the 60th anniversary Miss Mississippi pageant in June and plans to spend a year traveling abroad. Her ultimate goal is to work as a television host on her own network. Her parents are Kelvin and Tamara Gibson of Starkville.

Markos is completing a triple major in public policy leadership, biological sciences and biochemistry. He is a student director of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar. Markos is president of Sigma Nu fraternity and served as president of the UM Interfraternity Council in 2015. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the UM Undergraduate Research Journal, a yearly, peer-reviewed publication of research articles written by UM undergraduate students. Markos was awarded a Taylor Medal, an award given to fewer than 1 percent of students each year for outstanding scholarship in their field. Upon graduation, Markos will attend the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, to pursue M.D. and Master of Public Health degrees to prepare for a career as a clinical physician. His parents are George and Clare Markos of Jackson, Tennessee.

Martin is double-majoring in international studies and mathematics. She is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies. Martin has served as executive director of The Big Event, managing editor of the UM Undergraduate Research Journal and ASB director of academic affairs. She has been inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and was awarded a Taylor Medal. Martin plans to work as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and pursue a career in economics research. Her parents are Trey and Rebecca Martin and Traci Tigert of Madison.

A business management major and member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Moore founded and served as president of Student Affairs Leaders of Tomorrow. He served in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate achievement program, designed to prepare students for graduate research. Moore also served as student assistant for the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, director of the UM Gospel Choir and an ASB senator. After graduation, Moore plans to attend Ohio State University to pursue a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, with hopes of later earning a doctorate in management. His parents are Milton and Phyllis Moore and the late Nigela Patreece Moore of Horn Lake.

Powell, completing a double major in public policy leadership and philosophy, He served as ASB president during the 2016-17 academic year. He is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar, and he was a Rhodes Scholar finalist last spring. Powell also served as assistant director for The Big Event and is a member of the Columns Society. He has been accepted to graduate school at the University of Oxford in England and will pursue a master’s degree in criminology. His parents are Eric and Gwen Powell of Corinth.

Richmond is an international studies major and a member of both the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies. He served as executive co-director of The Big Event and chief of staff for the ASB. Richmond is also a member of the Columns Society and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He also conducted research with Syrian refugees in Jordan while studying abroad during the 2015 fall semester. He plans to continue his work globally in the public health field and attend medical school in the future. His parents are Jim and Jennifer Richmond of Madison.

A mechanical engineering major, Santos is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence. During her time at Ole Miss, she has served has president of the Columns Society, community assistant for the Department of Student Housing and an orientation leader for incoming students. In 2016, Santos was elected Miss Ole Miss by the student body. She also served as committee chair for recruitment and retention for the Black Student Union. After graduation, Santos plans to go to Disney World, catch up on sleep and then attend graduate school at Boston University. Her parents are Paula Santos of Southaven and Francisco Santos Jr. of Bremerton, Washington.

Zhang is a pharmaceutical sciences major and is member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She is a member of the Columns Society, served as RebelTHON director of catering and was a member of the Honors College student senate. Zhang also was awarded a Taylor Medal and inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Upon graduation, she plans to attend the UM School of Pharmacy to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy. Her parents are Darryl Scott and Jinping Stevens of Oxford.

Sullivan Award Recipients Honored with Celebration of Service

Posted on: April 6th, 2017 by erabadie

Honorees have joined efforts to help people across the community

APRIL 6, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

Donald Cole Photo by Robert Jordan/ Communications

University of Mississippi senior Miller Richmond, Oxford resident Jo Ann O’Quin and UM alumnus Donald Cole were honored Wednesday (April 5) with 2017 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards in celebration of their volunteer work and service within the LOU community.

The awards are presented annually by the university’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement to students, alumni and community members who demonstrate selfless service to others. It is the university’s highest honor recognizing service.

“We are fortunate that the University of Mississippi community is home to so many of these humble servants,” Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “In fact, we have so many examples of service in our midst that this year we created a new category for the Sullivan Award to honor an alumna or alumnus alongside the student and community member honorees.

“The vision of the University of Mississippi is to lead and excel by engaging minds, transforming lives and serving others. When these activities happen in concert, we can realize the promise of higher education to change lives, promote social and economic mobility, and enhance the greater good.”

Richmond, student recipient of the award, is a senior international studies major from Madison. He said he has always been interested in community service but really became engaged in helping others at Ole Miss.

“My work as co-director of The Big Event has been my main contribution to local service, but I also feel that my work with ASB, the Columns Society and other student organizations have allowed me to learn more about what service truly means,” Richmond said. “I believe that research that our faculty at the university complete is a form of service, and I have been honored to participate in research alongside some faculty as well as complete my own research abroad in Jordan.”

Miller Richmond Photo by Thomas Graning UM Communications

Richmond said he was surprised to learn that he received the Sullivan Award.

“I’m very thankful to my family and friends for being great examples of service,” he said. “I am glad to have served alongside many great students on this campus, and I could think of many deserving people for the Sullivan Award.”

O’Quin, the community member recipient, is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, but has lived in Oxford for 40 years. A UM professor emerita of social work, O’Quin began attending Council on Aging meetings to get involved with the community and has led the monthly networking meetings for almost 20 years.

In 1985, she started a support group for Alzheimer’s and related disorders that continues to have monthly meetings. She created and organized the Caring for Aging Relatives, or CARE, Fair and Workshop in 2000, which ran for nine years and grew to more than 450 participants. As a result of that success, O’Quin began the CARE support group.

Additionally, she helped start the Memory Makers Respite Day program and the Caregiver Resource Center, which offers free resources and counseling for families dealing with memory issues.

“Looking back, my parents had great influences on me and my interest in service,” she said. “My dad was an advocate for the mentally ill and also racial reconciliation throughout his career and my mom had a heart for caregiving with older adults. My regret is that I lost both of them at early ages and I would like to thank them for making this recognition possible.

“The Sullivan Award is a tremendous honor and reinforces the importance of my dad’s motto to ‘serve your fellow man.’ In a way, it is hard to even accept an award for something that I just think is doing the right thing, when and where I can.”

Jo Ann O’Quin

Cole, recipient of the alumni award, is the university’s assistant provost and an associate professor of mathematics. Originally from Jackson, Cole is an advocate for education, particularly for minority students, and spends time developing projects that promote teaching and guidance of students, especially encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees.

He has always participated in community service, no matter where he has lived.

“I remember once when I volunteered so much time with youngsters having cerebral palsy,” Cole said “I would take my well-bodied son with me to help.

“It brought me to tears when he wanted a wheelchair for Christmas so he could be like those youngsters.”

In the LOU community, Cole has served as a board member for Habitat for Humanity. He’s also been instrumental in the Books and Bears program that provides Christmas gifts to UM Facilities Management workers, Kairos Prison Ministry and the LOFT Foundation.

Cole is an active member of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Oxford, serving as trustee, Sunday school superintendent and deacon.

“I believe that when anyone is bestowed with such an honor is first overwhelmed, feel so undeserving and then can think of many others that’s doing so much more,” he said. “No one ‘seeks out’ such awards, they happen naturally and because you’re doing something that you love and that is natural.

“Like the runner in a relay race, you’re proud to complete your leg of the race as you realize that any one individual provides just one small piece on the entire puzzle.”

PLATO Offers Students Personalized Learning

Posted on: March 30th, 2017 by erabadie

Program tailors lessons based on individual student needs

MARCH 30, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

The PLATO program allows students in large lecture classes to get a personalized learning experience.Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications

The PLATO program allows students in large lecture classes to get a personalized learning experience.Photo by Robert Jordan/UM Communications

The University of Mississippi’s College of Liberal Arts is implementing a method of personalized learning for students in large courses.

The Personalized Learning and Adaptive Teaching Opportunities Program, or PLATO, uses adaptive and interactive lessons to personally engage students in classes such as biology, chemistry, writing and rhetoric, and mathematics, all of which generally have high enrollment.

PLATO is funded by a $515,000 grant awarded by the Association of Public Land-grant Universities and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will oversee the initiative.

Through adaptive learning, instructors incorporate online lessons with class lectures. Coursework through the online system recognizes student responses and provides follow-up assignments based on each student’s answers.

Kerri Scott, instructional associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, began using online homework in her Chemistry 101 sections in 2008. As the classes grew to more than 200 students, she sought ways to expand learning methods.

“I am always on the lookout for new and better ways to communicate with students, and technology that adapts to their needs is ideal,” Scott said. “It allows us to tailor the assignments based on the needs of the student.

“Instead of me standing in front of a chalkboard telling 200 students to solve the problem a certain way, now they’re getting targeted with their own individual assignments and study plans.”

Additionally, modules include content basics of the course as well as assessments, so class time can be used for deeper discussion of the material or active practice. The courseware also gives instructors additional data on student performance on assignments beyond a single grade, allowing them to identify students who are struggling with the material before the first high-stakes exam.

This strategic use of technology improves traditional learning and strengthens the general education curriculum, said Stephen Monroe, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and an assistant professor of writing and rhetoric.

“We are grateful to the APLU and the Gates Foundation for their support,” Monroe said. “Our project is succeeding because of our wonderful faculty and Patti O’Sullivan’s leadership.

“Our students will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Adaptive courseware personalizes learning for our students, who can receive customized pathways through their homework assignments and then arrive to class better prepared for lectures and activities.”

Six other University of Mississippi faculty members are piloting the program this semester: biology professor Tamar Goulet and instructor Carla Carr, college algebra instructor Michael Azlin, trigonometry instructor Jon-Michael Wimberly and statistics lecturer Lanzhen Song and instructor Cody Harville.

Carr is using the LearnSmart technology of the courseware, which offers students an active reading experience.

Before each topic, students are assigned text to read in their eBook for the course. The adaptive courseware provides questions for students to answer as they read, making class preparation an assignment.

“Hopefully, the students are now gaining comprehension of what they’re reading, which will enhance lectures, rather than arriving to class unprepared,” Carr said.

Azlin is piloting the ALEKS adaptive courseware system in two sections of college algebra this semester. ALEKS provides an initial knowledge check that allows an individualized pathway through the homework goals of the course for each student.

“This initial knowledge check also allows me to see where each student, as well as the class as a whole, stands on each topic in the course,” Azlin said.

The grant will allow PLATO to expand across other sections of Chemistry 101 and writing and rhetoric courses in the fall semester.

UM Moves Up in Measures of Academic and Research Performance

Posted on: February 21st, 2017 by erabadie

University included in several rankings of the nation’s and world’s best institutions

FEBRUARY 21, 2017 BY STAFF REPORT

The University of Mississippi is ranked among the nation’s best public institutions in several third-party evaluations of academic and research performance. Photo by Robert Jordan/UM Communications

Efforts by faculty, staff and students to excel in their pursuit of knowledge have given the University of Mississippi, the state’s flagship university, new momentum in its mission to lead the way in learning, discovery and engagement for the state and nation.

UM has been ranked among the nation’s best public institutions in several third-party evaluations of academic and research performance, and the university has climbed in recent measures of those areas.

In 2016, the university was included for the first time among the elite group of R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the definitive list of the nation’s top doctoral research universities. UM is among a distinguished group of 115 institutions, including Harvard, MIT and Johns Hopkins in the highest research category, which includes the top 2.5 percent of institutions of higher education.

The university also achieved its highest-ever standing in the 2017 U. S. News & World Report annual rankings of Best (Undergraduate) Colleges and Universities, where UM tied for No. 64 in the Top Public Universities category, up seven places from the previous year’s rankings. The rankings reflect 15 indicators of academic excellence, such as graduation and retention rates, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources, financial resources and alumni giving rates.

The business (including accounting) and engineering programs were also ranked nationally.

“These achievements and rankings reinforce our flagship status and are a testament to the value of our degrees, the impact of our research and the competitiveness of our students, staff and faculty,” Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “While they provide important benchmarks for our university, we remain committed to achieving even higher levels of excellence.

“We will focus upon growing the reach and impact of Ole Miss to continue making a positive difference for Mississippi, our nation and the world.”

The university ranked in the top 20 percent of U.S. institutions for total research and development expenditures in a report issued by the National Science Foundation based upon 2015 expenditures. For the 10th consecutive year, the university was ranked in the top 20 percent in this report.

The university also performed well in the inaugural ranking of U.S. colleges and universities by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education publications. This measure ranked UM 74th among all the nation’s public universities.

This ranking constitutes a comparative assessment of more than 1,000 colleges and universities, measuring factors such as university resources, student engagement, outcomes and environment. The latter includes a gauge of the university’s efforts to build a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff.

“Many of our academic offerings continue to gain exposure and recognition,” said Noel Wilkin, the university’s interim provost and executive vice chancellor. “I fully expect this trend to continue because of the quality and commitment of our faculty and staff.”

Success in international education and research partnerships contributed to the university’s standing on U.S. News’ 2017 list of Best Global Universities. Among the top 1,000 research universities in 65 countries, UM ranked in the top third on this year’s list.

Tracy Brooks (left), assistant professor of pharmacology, and Randy Wadkins, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, discuss their progress on an anticancer research project at UM. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications

Randy Wadkins, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Tracy Brooks (left), assistant professor of pharmacology, discuss their progress on an anticancer research project at UM. Photo by Robert Jordan/UM Communications

The Best Global Universities list ranks each institution’s international and regional research reputation, including a statistical analysis of peer-reviewed publications, citations and international collaborations. The university ranked in the top 10 percent in international collaborations, and the university’s research areas of physics and pharmacology/toxicology were ranked in the top 20 percent.

“The reputation of the university in national and international research circles has been steadily growing over the past few decades,” said Josh Gladden, interim vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs and associate professor of physics and astronomy. “We have seen this trend through an increasing number of national leadership positions in societies and consortia, an increase in the number of grant awards, as well as in statistical reports such as U.S. News and World Report.

“It is an exciting time for the research community at the university, and I look forward to increasingly higher impact of UM research.”

U.S. News and World Report ranked two of the university’s graduate academic programs in the top 25 nationally among public universities: the online MBA program (No. 19) and pharmacy (No. 23). Here are some of the other U.S. News rankings of UM graduate programs among public universities:

School of Education online program (tied No. 35)
Arch Dalrymple III Department of History (tied No. 48)
Master of Business Administration (tied No. 51)
English (tied No. 56)
Clinical psychology (tied No. 67)
Civil engineering (tied No. 70)
Education (tied No. 72)
Social work (tied No. 77)
Physics (tied No. 84)
Electrical engineering (tied No. 85)
Mathematics (tied No. 91)

In national rankings by other sources, the university achieved several additional accolades among all public and private universities:

Patterson School of Accountancy (all three degree programs ranked in the top 10 nationally by the journal Public Accounting Report)
Patterson School of Accountancy master’s and doctoral programs (No. 1 in SEC)
Patterson School of Accountancy undergraduate program (No. 2 in SEC)
Creative Writing (No. 6 among “Top 10 Universities for Aspiring Writers” by CollegeMagazine.com)
Online health informatics undergraduate program (No. 3 by the Health Informatics Degree Center)
Business law program in the School of Law (one of only four schools to earn a perfect score of A+ by preLaw Magazine, ranking it as one of the country’s top programs)

The university’s efforts to achieve excellence in all its endeavors also has helped recruit talented students to learn and contribute on all its campuses. The Chronicle of Higher Education named the university as the nation’s eighth-fastest growing among both public and private colleges in its Almanac of Higher Education, moving up from 13th in 2014.

The ranking is based upon enrollment growth from fall 2006, when the university enrolled 14,497 students, to fall 2016, with 24,250 students registered.

The university’s incoming freshmen continue to be better-prepared for the rigor of college, posting an average ACT score of 25.2 in fall 2016, surpassing the school record of 24.7 set in 2015. The high school GPA of incoming freshmen also increased, growing from 3.54 to 3.57, another university record.

“Ole Miss is committed to student success,” Vitter said. “The demand for a University of Mississippi degree is unprecedented, and the success of our programs and initiatives aimed at helping students stay in school and graduate is clear in our increasing retention and graduation rates.

“Each and every day, our faculty and staff demonstrate strong commitment to transforming lives through higher education.”