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UM Professors Collaborate with Counterparts Through SEC Grant

Posted on: December 18th, 2019 by erabadie

Faculty Travel Program encourages, supports conference partnerships

DECEMBER 17, 2019 BY SHEA STEWART

Thirteen University of Mississippi professors are taking part in this year’s SEC Faculty Travel Program, strengthening the university’s collaborations with fellow Southeastern Conference institutions and offering UM professors an opportunity to interact with their counterparts.

Established in 2012 by the SEC presidents and chancellors, the program provides financial assistance from the SEC office for participants to travel to other SEC universities to exchange ideas, develop grant proposals, conduct research and deliver lectures or performances.

Travel of the Ole Miss faculty is made possible partly through a $10,000 award from the SEC.

“Being a member of the SEC means more than being in the most competitive athletic conference in the country,” UM Provost Noel Wilkin said. “It also means we are part of a conference made up of excellent research universities that are creating cutting-edge knowledge, developing innovative technologies and providing outstanding educational experiences.

“These travel grants enable our faculty to develop inspiring collaborations across the conference that advance research and creative achievements that otherwise may not occur. As a result, they make our faculty better, make our university stronger and, ultimately, improve what we offer to our students.”

The program has supported the efforts of more than 700 faculty from across the conference since it started. Last year, 10 Ole Miss professors participated in the program.

“We are again excited that the SEC has provided funds that allow our faculty to visit other SEC universities to share their scholarship and collaborate on research and teaching initiatives,” said Donna Strum, UM associate provost.

The 13 UM travelers have visited or will visit a collective total of eight SEC institutions between August 2019 and July 2020. Areas of interest for this year’s Ole Miss class include disciplines from biology and biomedical engineering to science education and secondary education.

Participants from UM for the 2019-20 academic year are:

Joel Amidon, associate professor of secondary education, visiting Vanderbilt University to collaborate on best practices for preparing mathematics teachers
Rich Buchholz, associate professor of biology, visiting the University of Florida to continue a collaboration on explaining the role of sexual ornamentation in the mate selection of birds
Yunhee Chang, associate professor of nutrition and hospitality management, visiting the University of Georgia to conduct a graduate research seminar presentation, conduct a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey data analysis consultation and collaborate on a manuscript
Lainy Day, associate professor of biology, visiting Louisiana State University to access the LSU Museum of Natural Science’s ornithology collection and X-ray resources to measure endocranial and skeletal properties of avian specimens
Micah Everett, associate professor of music, visiting the University of Alabama to conduct a low brass recital with University of South Carolina trombone professor Michael Wilkinson
Toshikazu Ikuta, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, visiting the University of Alabama to collaborate on an analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data on language processing and an assessment of entropy processing in language
Samuel Lisi, assistant professor of mathematics, visiting the University of Georgia to explore establishing a new collaboration in homology
Jeremy Meuser, assistant professor of management, visiting the University of Alabama to collaborate on process personality and management models
Tamara Warhol, associate professor of modern languages, visiting the University of Kentucky to present her research on the sociolinguistics of writing to students and collaborate with UK linguistics professor Allison Burkette on a volume in Interdisciplinary Approaches to Language
Thomas Werfel, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, visiting the University of Florida to strengthen a collaboration in immunoengineering and develop a new collaboration in cancer immunotherapy
Brooke Whitworth, assistant professor of science education, visiting Auburn University to collaborate on a research idea involving the intersection of science education, engineering education, and the arts and crafts
Caroline Wigginton, associate professor of English, visiting the University of Tennessee to present on her in-process book at the UT Humanities Center’s Transatlantic Enlightenment seminar and give a talk on best writing practices
Yael Zeira, Croft Institute for International Studies assistant professor of political science and international studies, visiting Vanderbilt University to participate in the Vanderbilt-SEC Workshop on Development and Democracy, where she will present a working paper related to the comparative politics of developing countries

The SEC Faculty Travel Program is one of several academic endeavors designed to support the teaching, research, service and economic development focus of the SEC’s 14 member universities. Past program participants have been invited to present their research at conferences, been awarded competitive grants and secured publications in leading journals.

Successful Campaign Establishes Cole Scholarship

Posted on: November 1st, 2019 by erabadie

Over 260 Donors Help Surpass Goal

Both Dr. Donald Cole and his wife Marcia earned multiple degrees, held leadership roles, and taught at the University of Mississippi. Their children Donald II, William, and Mariah all attended UM.

NOVEMBER 1, 2019 BY ANGELA ATKINS

The Donald Cole Catalyst for Change Scholarship Endowment exceeded its goal by almost $10,000 through an online University of Mississippi fundraising campaign attracting gifts of all sizes.

The Ignite Ole Miss campaign, spearheaded by Ethel Young-Scurlock, director of the African American Studies program, associate professor of English, and senior fellow of the Luckyday Residential College at UM, raised more than $43,000 in two months. The endowment will fund scholarships for African American Studies majors who exhibit leadership qualities, a spirit of service and academic excellence.

Scurlock credited the campaign’s quick success to the deep love she said alumni, students and current and former faculty and staff feel for Cole, whose history of service and leadership at UM spans 50 years. Cole was a student activist in the 1970s, a doctoral student in the 1980s, and a professor and top administrator from the 1990s through his retirement in January 2019. In that time, he influenced generations of students and faculty.

This fall, Cole was inducted into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame for his accomplishments and contributions to UM.

“So many students have been impacted by Dr. Cole’s leadership and wisdom,” said Senora Miller-Logan, the assistant director of the Luckyday Residential Scholars program at UM and one of the campaign leaders. “It is wonderful to see that many more students will be able to benefit from his legacy because of the generous contributions to the Don Cole Catalyst for Change Scholarship.”

Torie Marion, UM’s assistant director of Alumni Affairs who also served as one the campaign’s leaders, said she was one of those students who Cole inspired, starting when she was a young teen.

“I met Dr. Cole as a sophomore in high school in the summer of 1994 in Weatherford, Oklahoma, for a math and science camp,” Marion said. “It was meeting him, hearing his story and seeing his love for Ole Miss that made me decide to attend our beloved university. He is amazing and such an inspiration to so many students, faculty and staff before and after me.”

Scurlock said the Cole scholarship will attract young people who seek an African American Studies background, understand socio-political engagement, and will pursue careers in business, politics, medicine, law, education, public and international policy, and beyond. Each recipient will take a course on the civil rights history of the university, where they will learn about the men and women who paved the way for them – including Cole.

“Together, we have made history,” Scurlock said. “This fund is going to transform the lives of students, who will then go on to transform the state of Mississippi and bring about positive change. An endowed scholarship guarantees that we will be able to help student leaders and memorialize the work of Dr. Don Cole at UM, long after we are all gone.”

Although the Ignite Ole Miss online campaign has concluded, those individuals and organizations that wish to contribute to the scholarship in Cole’s honor may still do so through the UM Foundation. Visit https://umfoundation.com/ignite and select the Don Cole Catalyst for Change Scholarship from the drop-down menu.

You may also contact Angela Atkins, digital giving officer in University Development, at 662-915-2755 or adm1@olemiss.edu.

Alumni Association Names Top Alumni of 2019

Posted on: July 11th, 2019 by erabadie

Eight alumni will receive the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s highest annual honors as part of Homecoming 2019. Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame for 2019 are: Kimsey O’Neal Bailey (BSPh 94), Donald R. Cole (PhD 85), Jake Gibbs (BSPHE 61), Duncan M. Gray III (BA 71) and Richard C. Howorth (BA 72). David Orris McCormick (BA 77, JD 80) will receive the Alumni Service Award and Sly Lee (BSPSC 10, MS 12) will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Vaughn L. Grisham will receive the Honorary Alumni Award.

Alumni Association to Honor Eight at Homecoming for Achievement, Service

JULY 9, 2019

The Ole Miss Alumni Association is honoring eight recipients for its Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2019 in recognition of their service and accomplishments.

Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame are: Kimsey O’Neal Bailey (BSPh 94) of Aberdeen; Donald R. Cole (PhD 85) of Oxford; Jake Gibbs (BSPHE 61) of Oxford; Duncan M. Gray III (BA 71) of Oxford; and Richard C. Howorth (BA 72) of Oxford.

Created in 1974, the Hall of Fame honors select alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their country, state or the University of Mississippi through good deeds, services or contributions that have perpetuated the good name of Ole Miss.

David Orris McCormick (BA 77, JD 80) of Pascagoula will receive the Alumni Service Award for service to the university and the Alumni Association over an extended period.

Sly Lee (BSPSC 10, MS 12) of Los Angeles, California, will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have shown exemplary leadership throughout their first 15 years of alumni status in both their careers and dedication to Ole Miss.

Vaughn L. Grisham of Oxford will receive the Honorary Alumni Award, which honors individuals who, though not graduates of the University of Mississippi, have consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, support, dedication, loyalty, leadership or service that has enriched the substance of and contributed to the advancement of the university’s or Alumni Association’s missions, reputation or prestige.

The Alumni Association will host a reception for the honorees on Friday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss. A ticketed dinner for the award recipients will follow the reception at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the dinner should register in advance by calling the Alumni Association office at 662-915-7375. Individual seats are $100 per person while space is available. Reserved tables of 10 are available for $1,200. $25 from the sale of each individual seat, and $250 from the sale of each reserved table will go toward the Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship.

Hall of Fame Awards

Kimsey O’Neal Bailey is a 1994 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and has been practicing for more than 25 years. She is a past president of the Mississippi Pharmacist Association and past and ex officio member of the Ole Miss Pharmacy Board of Directors. She has been a pharmacy supervisor for two Fortune 50 retail chains for over 16 years, overseeing pharmacy operations from 18 to 36 stores.

At Ole Miss, she was a standout basketball player, achieving All-Southeastern Conference for four years, Freshman of the Year of the SEC and SEC Great. She also is listed in the university athletic record books with 1,480 points scored and 692 rebounds. She was voted Miss Ole Miss and was the first African-American female to hold the title at the university.

Bailey was voted to the Ole Miss Women’s program’s Mt. Rushmore along with other recipients including Peggie Gillom-Granderson (BSW 80), Jennifer Gillom (BAR 87) and Jackie Martin-Glass (BSHPE 92). She is a 2003 inductee into the University of Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame. Bailey has served on the Ole Miss Mississippi Alumni Association Board of Directors including roles with both the Executive and Athletics Committees.

Bailey is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she was on the Board of Directors for Leake County Boys and Girls Club and was an East Central Community College Board of Trustees member for over 15 years. She is married to Ronald Bailey and has two children, Kobe and Kimsey.

Donald R. Cole a Jackson native, graduated from the then-segregated Brinkley High School and entered the University of Mississippi in 1968, six years after it had been integrated. Within a year, he found himself protesting vestiges of discrimination still lingering within the university, and within another year, he, along with seven other students, was suspended for their continued protest by participating in a demonstration on campus.

Cole completed his bachelor’s degree at Tougaloo College, and obtained master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and the State University of New York at Buffalo before returning to UM to complete his Ph.D. in mathematics.

After several years of working in the aerospace industry and teaching, he was invited back to UM to be an associate professor of mathematics and assistant dean of the Graduate School. He advanced to assistant provost and assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs, where he spent 25 years working under three chancellors and two interim chancellors to distinguish his alma mater as a national leader in race relations.

Cole is known for his unique approach in reconciling voices of dissent and promoting diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff, students and the community. As a national spokesman for the institution, he helped transition the university into a well-respected 21st-century institution.

Cole and his wife, Marcia (Cert 82, BA 88, MSS 00), a minister of the gospel, have three children: Donald (03), Mariah (BA 08) and William (BS 10).

Jake Gibbs was a two-sport All-American at Ole Miss and was selected by Sports Illustrated in 1991 as the 8th best collegiate quarterback in history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

In 1960, as co-captain and quarterback, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy race when he led the Rebels to the Football Writers’ national championship while earning All-American and All-Southeastern Conference honors.

Gibbs was voted SEC Back of the Year and SEC Player of the Year in 1960. He was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the 1961 Sugar Bowl.

Following his senior football season, Gibbs was drafted by the NFL Cleveland Browns and the AFL Houston Oilers, but chose to concentrate full time on baseball and signed with the New York Yankees.

As a third baseman at Ole Miss, Gibbs also helped the Rebels claim SEC baseball titles in 1959 and 1960. He was All-America in 1960 and 1961. His .384 career batting average still rates as the third best in Ole Miss baseball history. A member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Gibbs was selected by the student body as Colonel Rebel in 1961 and was also named to the Ole Miss student Hall of Fame.

Gibbs’ major league career with the Yankees spanned 10 years. He retired from baseball following the 1971 season and returned to Ole Miss as head baseball coach in 1972. He compiled a 486-389-9 overall record in 19 seasons, which made him the all-time winningest coach in Rebel baseball history, a record which stood until 2013. He led his squads to a pair of SEC titles, three SEC Western Division pennants and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including the 1972 NCAA College World Series.

Gibbs returned to major league baseball in 1993 as catching coach in the New York Yankees’ bullpen. He then served as manager of New York’s Class A Tampa team in the Florida State League during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Gibbs was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 1995, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Ole Miss M-Club Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989. Additional honors came in 2006 when he was named a SEC Football Legend and in 2014 when he was selected a SEC Baseball Legend. He was also selected to the Chick-Fil-A Southeastern Conference Football Players of the Millennium team.

Gibbs was recognized in 2017 with the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Jake Gibbs Letterwinners Walk at Ole Miss, which serves as the culmination of the Walk of Champions as well as the front door to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

A native of Grenada, Gibbs was married 51 years to the late Patricia Monteith of Oakland. They have three children, Dean (BPA 85), Monte (BBA 88) and Frank, and seven grandchildren.

Duncan M. Gray III was born in Canton, Mississippi. He enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at Ole Miss in 1967 and finished with a degree in English and political science in 1971. As an undergraduate, Gray was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and was selected for membership in both Phi Kappa Psi and Omicron Delta Kappa honoraries. He was listed in the Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities, served as president of the campus senate and was chosen as a member of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame in 1971.

After graduation, he enrolled in Virginia Theological Seminary in 1971, spent 18 months on the staff of Senator Mark Hatfield and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1975. After his ordination as deacon and priest in the Episcopal Church, he served congregations in Greenville, New Orleans, Memphis and Oxford.

In 2000, Gray was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Mississippi, a position he held until his retirement in 2015. His tenure as bishop was marked by an emphasis on leadership development, initiatives in racial reconciliation, rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and navigating the cultural shifts in sexual norms. He was involved in overseas work in Honduras and Panama, established new models of partnerships in Uganda and South Sudan and served in numerous national and international leadership positions.

He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 45 years. They have three children, Duncan IV (MA 04), Peter, Tabitha, and eight grandchildren. In retirement, he lives in Oxford and continues to work on clergy leadership development world-wide, while serving in a variety of roles locally at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Richard C. Howorth was born in Marks, Mississippi, and majored in English and sociology at the University of Mississippi. His family moved to Oxford, his mother’s home, in 1963, where his father practiced surgery. Forebears on both sides of the family were connected to the University of Mississippi, the earliest being William Barksdale, class of 1855. Richard’s grandfather taught Shakespeare for 50 years; a great-grandfather was chancellor; a great-great-grandfather was dean of the law school; and Howorth is named for an uncle who was UM’s second Rhodes Scholar.

After years of considering the feasibility of an Oxford bookstore, Richard and his wife, Lisa (BA 76, MA 84), learned the business by working in one in a Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., returning home two years later to open Square Books in 1979.

Square Books gradually expanded to become today four stores on five floors in three buildings one hundred feet apart on the historic town square of Oxford, Mississippi. In 1989 Howorth joined the board of directors of the American Booksellers Association, serving two years as president and board chairman, an experience that helped him decide to run for mayor of Oxford and serve two terms from 2001 to 2009. In 2011 and again in 2015 he was appointed to the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, including two years as board chair.

In 2008 Howorth received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, one of only two booksellers to receive the designation. Square Books was named Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year in 2013, and recently Square Books was recognized with a Citation of Merit from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.
The Howorths have three children, Claire, Beckett and Bebe, and two grandchildren.

Alumni Service Award

David Orris McCormick was born at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and currently lives in Pascagoula. He grew up in Long Beach and attended Ole Miss where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in 1977 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1980. That same year he was admitted to practice law. He joined Cumbest, Cumbest, Hunter & McCormick in 1980 as an associate.

In 1991, McCormick became managing partner of the firm, which was established in 1970. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and was inducted as a Fellow in 2007; the Mississippi Bar Association where he served as a Bar commissioner from 2007 to 2010; and, the Jackson County Bar Association, where he served as president from 1988 to 1989.

McCormick’s practice is primarily in civil litigation representing plaintiffs with an emphasis on personal injury and asbestos-related diseases. McCormick, along with other attorneys, assisted Attorney General Mike Moore in pursuit of the historic tobacco lawsuit and settlement on behalf of the State of Mississippi.

McCormick has served in numerous positions on behalf of Ole Miss including the Jackson-George County Ole Miss Alumni Club (president, 1992-94); Ole Miss Law Alumni (president, 2003-04); The Inn at Ole Miss Steering Committee (2004-08); member of the Momentum Financial Campaign for Ole Miss (2006-08); member of the UM Foundation Board (2006-09); and the Ole Miss Alumni Association (president, 2007-08).

He and his wife, Susan Cumbest McCormick (MM 80), attend Eastlawn United Methodist Church where he serves on the administrative board, Staff-Parish Relations Committee and also leads an adult Sunday School class. The McCormick’s have two children, Sarah Kathryn Hickman (BBA 03, MBA 05) and Caroline L. (James) Stevens (BAccy 11, MAccy 12), and have one grandson, William McCormick Hickman.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Sly Lee is a first-generation American entrepreneur and scientist who is passionate about creating positive global impact leveraging exponential technologies. He is co-founder and CEO of Emerge, who is redefining the concept of “teleportation”, with a first product that transmits our sense of touch from a distance through immersive computing (AR/VR). Emerge’s vision is to connect people’s emotions and feelings, on the path to ultimately “teleporting” our presence.

Lee is also advisor to the board/former co-founder of The Hydrous, a 501(c)3 nonprofit on a mission to create open access oceans. Their team pioneered a method to 3D capture coral reefs in high resolution using photogrammetry for scientific monitoring, data visualization and educational experiences. Their work has been featured at the Skoll World Forum, WIRED Magazine, Fast Company and TED.

Lee is an Oxford native of Singaporean immigrants and a second generation Ole Miss alumnus who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Master of Science degree in environmental toxicology at the University of Mississippi. He hopes to inspire the next generation of southern entrepreneurs and investors towards technology focused endeavors, which he believes is necessary to spur innovation in his home state.

Lee is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, alumnus of Singularity University Global Solutions Program 2015, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and avid surfer and scuba diver. He is very close to his two brothers, Dexter and Nicholas, and their loving parents, Maria and Peng. Lee resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Britney Spencer Lee.

Honorary Alumni Award

Vaughn L. Grisham joined the Ole Miss faculty in 1961. Four years later, he enrolled in doctoral studies in sociology and history at the University of North Carolina. While taking his coursework at UNC, Grisham was hired to teach full time at North Carolina State University, where he was identified as a Master Teacher.

Armed with his Ph.D., Grisham returned to UM between 1968 and 2016, where he taught over 20,000 students in the Department of Sociology and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Ole Miss selected him as the Outstanding Teacher in the university, and later presented him with the Frist Award for service to the university and the state. The American Sociological Association named Vaughn one of the top 25 outstanding sociology professors in higher education. He was president of the Ole Miss Faculty Senate for two terms. In addition, faculty from the eight Mississippi universities elected him as State Faculty Senate president for two terms. He has authored six books.

Grisham served as the Scholar-in-Residence at the Southern Growth Policies Board; Associate: Kettering Foundation; Associate: Annie E. Casey Foundation; Associate: Winthrop Rockefeller Institute; and Associate: Brushy Fork Institute, Berea College.

Vaughn established the McLean Institute for Community Development at UM in 1984 and its work continues to this day. He has assisted communities in 33 states, two Canadian provinces and his work has been taken to both Siberia and South Africa.

He has been married to Sandy Hopper Grisham for 37 years. They have four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Private Gift Preserves Ambiance of Faulkner’s Famed Rowan Oak

Posted on: July 10th, 2019 by erabadie

Historic Preservation

Sandy Black sits in the office of William Faulkner’s home.

JULY 8, 2019 BY BILL DABNEY

William Faulkner’s desk, typewriter and resting bed are fixtures in the office of the late Nobel Prize-winning author’s Oxford, Mississippi, home. Peering in, it’s easy to imagine the writer, pipe in hand, contemplating his next sentence.

Now, one of his biggest fans is preserving that ambiance.

“I can’t imagine that the university didn’t already own all of this furniture and it was just a shock to me that it could leave, that they could just pick it up in a truck and take it away. I had no idea,” said Sandra Miller Black of Madison, Mississippi, whose recent $500,000 gift helped the University of Mississippi ensure that all of Faulkner’s furnishings would remain in the home.

Faulkner’s house, outbuildings and land, affectionately named Rowan Oak by the author himself in 1931, were purchased by the university in 1974 and added to its University Museum and Historic Houses. But all furnishings remained the property of Faulkner’s extended family.

Until now.

“My husband has been very generous in giving me monthly allowances. With these, I bought the children’s birthday gifts, household supplies and paid some bills, that kind of thing,” said Black, who is married to John Black, a UM Foundation board member.

“But I always had a nice amount left over and I invested it early on in Apple, Google and Amazon. It grew and grew, and I was able to accumulate enough money to be able to make this gift.”

Black was inspired to affix Faulkner’s furniture to his home in perpetuity by Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks who told her of the need. So his request plus her longtime love of the author’s work and home were a good fit.

“We are so grateful to Sandy for her gift which will ensure that generations of Faulkner fans continue to visit Rowan Oak and be able enjoy his historic home in its entirety,” Sparks said. “This is good for Rowan Oak and it’s good for Ole Miss, Oxford and the state of Mississippi.”

Black fell in love with Faulkner’s home in 1989 when she and a group of friends began attending the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha conference — a celebration of the author’s work that draws hundreds of visitors to Oxford, Mississippi, from all over the world. Annually, Rowan Oak draws upwards of 60,000 visitors to its house and grounds from all 50 states and more than 50 foreign countries.

“We had a fabulous time,” Black said. “We did everything. We went to Bailey’s woods and had the picnics and, of course, the discussions and seminars were spectacular. We all were English majors so we really enjoyed that and being together.”

Black never met Faulkner. She saw him shopping once when she was a student at Ole Miss but feels she knows him through his stream-of-consciousness writing style. Of all his books, some of which she has read several times, her favorites are “Absalom Absalom,” “Go Down Moses” and the Snopes trilogy.

“I love his work. It seems to me that he writes like all of us think. It’s spidery and it goes off in all sorts of directions at the same time,” said Black, who has lectured on Faulkner to freshman English students at Holmes Junior College in Jackson, Mississippi.

“I would recommend that the female students read ‘A Rose for Emily’ because I knew that everyone would like that and then for the male students I would recommend ‘The Bear’ – it’s stunning for guys.”

Sandy met her husband, John Black, at a fraternity rush party at Ole Miss. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Ole Miss in 1961 and a master’s degree in accountancy in 1962. In college, he was a Taylor Medalist and member of Omicron Delta Kappa academic honorary and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. They were married in 1963 and have three adult children and eight grandchildren.

Now retired, John Black owned HCM Inc. of Jackson, an organization that primarily operates nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Sandy Black said, in addition to reading books by Faulkner and J.R.R. Tolkien, she enjoys gardening, cooking, playing bridge and collecting regional art. Most recently, the couple has helped their son, Johnny Black, campaign for a seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

In 2015, the Blacks made an $11 million gift to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the largest private gift received by UMMC in a single year on record. Since then, the Blacks also made a major gift to renovate the guest house at the chancellor’s home on campus and they consistently support Ole Miss Athletics.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with Sandy’s gift to the university and we greatly appreciate her vision in desiring that future generations of Faulkner fans fall in love with Rowan Oak as she has,” said Robert Saarnio, director of the University Museum and Historic Houses.

Curator Bill Griffith agreed: “Rowan Oak without its furniture would simply be Faulkner’s house. Thanks to Sandy Black, the property will remain his home.”

Home to Faulkner and his family for over 40 years, Rowan Oak was originally built in 1844, and stands on over 29 acres of land just south of the Square and campus in Oxford. The house is open most days and the grounds are open year-round, from dawn to dusk. There’s no fee to visit the grounds, but admission to tour the house is $5 cash.

For information on supporting culture and arts at Ole Miss, contact Rob Jolly, development officer, at 662-915-3085 or jolly@olemiss.edu. To make a gift, visit give.olemiss.edu.

Ten Seniors Inducted into UM Hall of Fame

Posted on: April 8th, 2019 by erabadie

Recipients honored for service, achievement and potential for success

APRIL 6, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH

The 2019 University of Mississippi Hall of Fame. Pictured are (front row, from left) Blair Wortsmith, of Little Rock, Arkansas; Makala McNeil, of Grenada; Mallie Imbler, of Tupelo; Jaz Brisack, of Oxford; Skylyn Irby, of Batesville; Randon Hill, of Oxford; (top row from left) UM Provost Noel Wilkin; UM Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Brandi Hephner LaBanc; Jarvis Benson, of Grenada; Levi Bevis, of Florence, Alabama; Elam Miller, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Jacob Ferguson, of Randolph; UM Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks and UM Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Melinda Sutton Noss. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services.

Ten University of Mississippi seniors have been inducted into the university’s 2018-19 Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors afforded students at UM.

The inductees were honored Friday (April 5) in a ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Chosen by a committee in accordance with policy developed by the Associated Student Body, selections are based on outstanding contributions in all aspects of campus life.

This year’s Hall of Fame members are Jarvis Benson, of Grenada; Levi Bevis, of Florence, Alabama; Jaz Brisack, of Oxford; Jacob Ferguson, of Randolph; Randon Hill, of Oxford; Mallie Imbler, of Tupelo; Skylyn Irby, of Batesville; Makala McNeil, of Grenada; Elam Miller, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and Blair Wortsmith, of Little Rock, Arkansas.

“Hall of Fame is a fitting way to recognize the legacy that each of these students leaves at the University of Mississippi,” said Mindy Sutton Noss, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students. “Each of those selected for Hall of Fame has a record of scholarship and service to the university community and has had a positive impact while on the Ole Miss campus.”

The 10 students were among more than 200 Ole Miss seniors recognized for inclusion in Who’s Who Among Students at the University of Mississippi.

Jarvis Benson

Majoring in international studies and Spanish, Benson is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies. A former president of the Black Student Union, he was an Associated Student Body senator, mentor for the Mississippi Outreach for Scholastic Talent, or MOST, program and an orientation leader. Benson served as a community organizer for Mississippi Votes and oversaw the largest voter registration effort in the state since the Freedom Summer of 1964.

Levi Bevis

Bevis, pursuing a public policy major, is a member of the Honors College. He served in several roles over the course of his education, including president of the Columns Society and Forward Mississippi, an organization he helped found. A member of UM College Democrats, Bevis served as a legislative intern in Washington, D.C., last summer with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. He has held several positions with the Associated Student Body and been involved with many bipartisan efforts on campus.

Jaz Brisack

A general studies major with minors in public policy leadership, journalism and English, Brisack was named a Truman Scholar and a Rhodes Scholar in 2018. She served as president of the College Democrats, competed on the UM Debate Team and co-taught an Honors College course on labor history. Brisack is also a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, a labor organizer who worked on the United Auto Workers’ campaign to unionize Nissan and a volunteer at the Pinkhouse, Mississippi’s only abortion clinic.

Jacob Ferguson

Ferguson is a double English and history major. An Honors College student and member of the Columns Society, he has served on the executive committee for the Honors College Student Ambassadors. Ferguson also was an orientation leader and served on the planning committee for the university’s TEDx event.

Randon Hill

An English and Spanish double major, Hill is particularly involved in campus fraternity and sorority life. She served as president of the Tau Eta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., as well as the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UM. Hill has led and participated in dozens of service projects, both on campus and in the community. She also has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Mallie Imbler

Imbler is completing a double major in public policy leadership and political science. A member of the Honors College and a Trent Lott Leadership Institute scholar, she is a Taylor Medal recipient and Phi Beta Kappa inductee. Imbler also completed an internship in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House last summer. She helped start and facilitate the growth of the new Future Alumni Network, and ultimately served as its president. Imbler also served as an Ole Miss Ambassador and a member of the Undergraduate Council and held leadership roles with Kappa Delta Sorority.

Skylyn Irby

Irby is a mathematics major in the Honors College. She has served as vice president of the UM Gospel Choir, and held several leadership positions in the Black Student Union and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. A Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Irby has been involved in the Associated Student Body, MOST Program and Bridge STEM Program through the Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation.

Makala McNeil

A sociology and integrated marketing communications double major, McNeil served as an Associated Student Body senator. She also was an executive board member of Students Against Social Injustice and the campus chapter of the NAACP. McNeil has held several leadership positions in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., served as a mentor for the MOST Program and worked with the Office of Sustainability as an intern.

Elam Miller

Miller, a public policy leadership major, served as president of the Associated Student Body in his senior year and as vice president in his junior year, among other roles. An Honors College student, he has served on a number of university committees, including the Chancellor’s Standing Committee on Accessibility, the Strategic Planning Council and the Council of Academic Administrators.

Blair Wortsmith

Wortsmith is a managerial finance major and a member of the Honors College. She is also one of only eight women to be named both Most Beautiful and Miss University, and is the first out-of-state student to do so. Besides her pageant titles, Wortsmith has held leadership positions within Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Associated Student Body and MoneyThink. She is also a member of several honor societies.

UM Graduate Programs Highly Ranked by U.S. News & World Report

Posted on: May 2nd, 2018 by erabadie

MAY 2, 2018 BY STAFF REPORT

The University of Mississippi offers 14 graduate programs ranked in the Top 100 among public institutions. Seven programs joined the ranks of the Top 100 in the recent 2019 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, adding to seven other UM graduate programs that were previously ranked.

UM graduate programs ranked in the Top 100 are:

pharmacy (No. 23)
history (tied for No. 38)
English (tied for No. 40)
business (tied for No. 53)
law (tied for No. 54)
political science (tied for No. 59)
social work (tied for No. 62)
clinical psychology (tied for No. 67)
education (tied for No. 68)
physics (tied for No. 83)
mathematics (tied for No. 85)
chemistry (tied for No. 99)

Online graduate programs at UM ranked in the Top 100:

online MBA (No. 20)
online education (tied for No. 35)

The business program performed exceptionally well in the 2019 edition of the rankings, finishing in a tie for No. 53 among public institutions.

“We are excited for the recognition of our MBA program, and this ranking is a testament to the quality of our faculty and the outstanding educational experience that we provide for our students,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration. “We continue to create opportunities for student success and offer an excellent value in the marketplace for students aspiring to receive an MBA.”

Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report named the university’s online Master of Business Administration as one of the best in the nation, ranking No. 20 nationally, and the Ole Miss online graduate education programs tied for No. 35 among public institutions.

“We’re pleased to see many of UM’s graduate programs ranked nationally,” Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter said. “As we continue our focus upon preparing the next generation of leaders for challenges on a national and global stage, these rankings provide important benchmarks for us to highlight and measure our successes.

“Through our outstanding faculty and collaborative research opportunities, we are committed to fostering excellence in graduate education and to growing our reach and impact.”

The new rankings arrive a year after U.S. News & World Report graduate program rankings for history, English and political science placed each of those UM programs in the Top 100 for public institutions.

In the 2018 edition of the rankings, the UM graduate program in history cracked the Top 40 for the first time, tying for No. 38 among public institutions.

The English program tied for No. 40 among public universities.

The political science graduate program entered the rankings for the first time and tied for No. 59 among public institutions.

In the 2017 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, the Ole Miss pharmacy program ranked No. 23 among public institutions, and the university’s clinical psychology graduate program tied for No. 67 among public institutions.

“The institution has focused on enhancing graduate education, and we are so pleased that our excellent programs have garnered this level of recognition,” said Christy M. Wyandt, interim dean of the Graduate School.

In four of the last five years, the university also has improved its overall U.S. News & World Report Top Public Schools ranking. In the 2018 edition, UM was tied for No. 73 among top public schools.

The 2019 edition of the rankings rates programs in business, law, medicine, nursing, engineering and education, among others. According to U.S. News, the ranking methodology varies by discipline, taking into account factors that may include test scores of entering students, job placement rates and starting salaries of recent graduates, academic quality ratings by officials at peer institutions, and opinions of hiring managers.

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.”

Seniors Awarded 2016 Hall of Fame Honors

Posted on: March 7th, 2016 by erabadie

Recipients chosen for academic achievement, community service and potential for success

MARCH 4, 2016 | BY SHELBY SANSONE

Hall of Fame 2016. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Hall of Fame 2016. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

Ten University of Mississippi seniors have earned membership in the school’s 2015-2016 Hall of Fame, one of the university’s highest honors.

The Hall of Fame inductees were honored Friday (March 4) in a ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Recipients are chosen by a committee in accordance with ASB policy, with selections based on a student’s academic achievement, community service and potential for future success.

New Hall of Fame members are Brady Bramlett of Memphis, Rod Bridges of Madison, Jeremy Coleman of Jackson, Maia Cotelo of Oxford, Joe Curry of Stringer, Ann-Marie Herod of Abbeville, William Kneip of Mobile, Alabama, Justavian Tillman of Oxford, Debra Whitley of Natchez, and Elizabeth Wicks of Ocean Springs.

“We commend these outstanding students for their impressive accomplishments both in and out of the classroom,” said Morris Stocks, provost and executive vice chancellor. “We anticipate great successes for these young men and women, both professionally and academically. We also know that our Hall of Famers will contribute to the betterment of society.”

The 10 students, along with 150 other UM seniors, were also recognized for inclusion in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. They are to be listed in the national publication’s 2016 edition.

The following eight of the 10 Hall of Fame students have majors in the College of Liberal Arts:

Brady Bramlett. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Brady Bramlett. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

Bramlett is a biological science major, a pitcher for the Ole Miss Rebels baseball team and a tenor in the UM Concert Singers and Men’s Glee groups. He is president of Ole Miss Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and vice chair of the NCAA Division I SAAC. He is a member of NCAA Division I Strategic Vision and Planning Committee and a council member of NCAA Minorities Opportunities and Interests Committee. He is an SEC representative for Autonomy Five legislation and in the National Collegiate Honor Society. He also was a member of the Ole Miss Concert Singers European tour that included performances in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Bramlett is a seven-time Ole Miss Scholar Athlete and a three-time SEC academic honor roll recipient. After graduation, he plans to enroll in the university’s MBA program and then pursue a career in athletics administration. His parents are Bobby and Amy Bramlett of Bartlett, Tennessee.

Rod Bridges. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Rod Bridges. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

Bridges, a public policy leadership major, is president of the Associated Student Body, a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute scholar. He is an officer for the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity and received the UM Outstanding Student Higher Education Award for 2016. Bridges is in Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. He received the ASB Senator of the Year Award in 2014 and the UM Freshmen Leader of the Year Award in 2013. After graduation, he plans to attend Officer Candidacy School. His parents are Roddy Bridges of Madison and London and Thomas Wagner of Coos Bay, Oregon.

Jeremy Coleman. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Jeremy Coleman. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

A biological science major, Coleman was chief of staff for the Black Student Union’s vice president and treasurer for the university’s Gospel Choir. He is an Ole Miss Ambassador, a member of the Columns Society, treasurer for Men of Excellence and has been a reporter for The Daily Mississippian student newspaper. Coleman was on the committee that opened the Ole Miss Food Bank. He received the Segal AmeriCorps Education award for serving more than 300 hours of community service at the food bank and the Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi. After graduation, he plans to attend veterinary school and wants to open a small animal clinic and, eventually, an animal rescue center to protect endangered species. His parents are LaShaundra Coleman and Boris Thomas of Jackson.

Maia Cotelo. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Communications

Maia Cotelo. Photo by Kevin Bain/UM Communications

Cotelo has a triple major in international studies, economics and mathematics. She is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Leadership scholar. A founding member of the RebelTHON dance marathon, she was the event’s 2016 executive director. She received the World Cup Initiative Grant and was the Portuguese Outstanding Student of the year from 2013 to 2015. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. She is also on Mortar Board and is recipient of a Taylor Medal, the university’s highest academic award. After graduation, Cotelo plans to take a year to travel and then pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. She is the daughter of Enrique and Irene Cotelo of Oxford.

Ann-Marie Herod. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Ann-Marie Herod. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

A broadcast journalism and African-American Studies major, Herod has received the Gannett Freedom Forum Scholarship, the Robert Williams Minority Scholarship, the Daniel Phillips Memorial Scholarship and the D. Landrum & C T Hill Scholarship. Not only is she a College Corp member under AmeriCorps, but she is also a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award recipient. She has served as vice president and president of the university’s Association for Black Journalists, and as public relations and community service director for the Black Student Union. She has been a senator and co-director of inclusion for the Associated Student Body, an Ole Miss Ambassador, an Ole Miss Athletics Ambassador and a member of the Freshmen Council. Herod is a journalist and recording secretary for the Lambda Sigma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. With the Wesley Foundation, she did missionary work in Honduras. She has worked with the Horizons Summer Enrichment Program as a mentor and teacher’s aide and was involved with the UM Association for Black Journalist Mentor Program with the Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi. After graduation, Herod plans to teach with Teach for America in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her parents are Dr. James and Ann Herod of Abbeville.

William Kneip. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

William Kneip. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

Kneip is a public policy leadership major and member of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute. He was elected Mr. Ole Miss for the 2015-2016 school year. He is the president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and holds the title of 2015 IFC President of the Year. He is the president of the Mississippi Columns Society and a member of Lambda Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. Kneip was also co-director of finance and fundraising for the Big Event. After graduation, he plans to work at the UM Foundation. His parents are Edward and Tori Kneip of Mobile, Alabama.

Justavian Tillman. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Justavian Tillman. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

Tillman is majoring in general studies with minors in education, English and journalism, and is on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll. He is president of the Black Student Union and the Men of Excellence, and was the university’s Gospel Choir president for 2014-2015. He is the UM Association of Black Journalist secretary, on the Associated Student Body Inclusion Committee, Vice Chancellor Advisory Council and Black History Month Planning Committee. He is also on the Office of the Dean of Students Leadership Development Committee and Insight Leadership Advisory Council. Tillman is an African-American Male Retaining, Enrolling and Graduating Ambassador, Fastrack Peer Mentor, and a student worker for the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement. He interned at Brown University for the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International. He has worked as a volunteer for the Big Event, More Than a Meal, Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi and LeapFrog. He is in Sigma Alpha Lambda honor society, is a UM Opportunity Scholar and is in the National Undergraduate Fellowship Program. After graduation, he plans to obtain a master’s degree in higher education/student personnel. He is the son of Sesame Hall and grandson of Nancy Hall of Bruce.

Elizabeth Wicks. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications

Elizabeth Wicks. Photo by Thomas Graning/UM Communications

An international studies and French major, Wicks is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, where she was a senator, and the Croft Institute, where she was a senator and vice chair for social activities. She co-founded the Honors College Student Union and was an Associated Student Body senator. She is an NSHSS Di Yerbury International Scholar, and a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Beta Phi and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies, Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-medical honor society, Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor society and Pi Delta Phi French honor society. She served as community service chair for Omicron Delta Kappa and on Mortar Board. Wicks also worked with the Lazarus Project multispectral digital imaging team and was a Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine summer scholar and research intern in 2014 and 2015. She helped to organize TEDxUM and is in the Columns Society. Wicks is an Ole Miss Ambassador, Global Ambassador appropriations committee chair and a member of its rules committee. She has volunteered for numerous events and organizations in Oxford, including Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi, Big Event, RebelTHON, Green Grove Initiative and Operation Christmas Child. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wicks of Ocean Springs.

UM Students, Staff Lead Community MLK Day of Service Events

Posted on: January 15th, 2016 by erabadie

Volunteers gathering to conduct food drive and promote wellness

JANUARY 11, 2016 | BY EDWIN SMITH

Donald Cole will deliver the keynote address. | Photo by Robert Jordan/ Communications

University of Mississippi students and staff will be spearheading efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in Lafayette County and Oxford during 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances.

The opening ceremony for the Lafayette-Oxford-University MLK Day of Service begins at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Oxford Activity Center. Program participants include Oxford Mayor George “Pat” Patterson and Lafayette County Board of Supervisors President Jeff Busby. Donald Cole, assistant provost, special assistant to the UM chancellor for multicultural affairs and associate professor mathematics, will deliver the keynote address.

Afterward, awards will be presented to four outstanding LOU volunteers in two categories. Community member recipients are Patrick Alexander and Jacqueline Certion, both of Oxford; and Judith Thompson of Abbeville. Faith Meyer of Oxford is the student recipient.

“It is exciting that University of Mississippi students and staff are choosing to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Kacey Schaum, assistant dean of students for leadership and involvement. “Volunteering builds communities and strengthens relationships. To have our students take opportunities to participate in endeavors like these is amazing.”

Other activities scheduled are:

Jan. 4-15 – a letter-of-appreciation writing campaign for civil rights leaders John Perkins and Charles Evers. Also, “I Have a Dream” art project. Participating schools include Oxford-University School and Lafayette High School.
Jan. 16 – Delta Service Corps VISTA is sponsoring a canned goods drive for the UM Food Bank, Pantry and Love Packs. Drop-offs may be made between noon and 4 p.m. at CVS, Larson’s Cash Saver and Walgreen’s.
Jan. 18 – Ole Miss athletics/UPD-sponsored “Dream Team” 5-K wellness walk/fun run. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Oxford Activity Center. The first 50 participants to register get free T-shirts.
Jan. 18 – Volunteer projects at the Veterans Home in Oxford.
Jan. 18 – Sorting of food collected during the food drive.

“Learning the larger history surrounding civil rights and MLK is important, but we see a need to educate our students about living leaders who made great movements right here in Mississippi,” said Sara Baker, co-coordinator of the letter-writing campaign. “We hope to give proper gratitude to local leaders. We hope to educate students on the civil rights movement here in Mississippi and give them a local, current perspective about the continuous issue.”

Community participation is crucial to the success of the service observance, said Sarah Ball, Volunteer Oxford director.

“This national day of service honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and commitment to transforming our nation through service to others,” Ball said. “The LOU MLK Day of Service offers community members a chance to engage in a variety of volunteer opportunities that are designed to give back to the community.”

Patrick Elliot Alexander, assistant professor of English and African American Studies.

An assistant professor of English and African American Studies at UM, Alexander created a Prison-to-College Pipeline Program for inmates at Parchman Penitentiary. He is also volunteers with the Rethinking Mass Incarceration in the South Conference.

Thompson is a UM assistant professor of teacher education. A lifelong volunteer, she has been involved with the Boys and Girls Club, CREATE Foundation, Leap Frog, Lafayette County School Board and other groups. She is chair of the LOU Excel by 5 Steering Committee, a community-based project that strives to improve the quality of life for children ages 5 and younger.

Jacqueline Certion,
FASTrack academic advisor

A senior academic adviser for the UM FASTrack Program, Certion started a free summer program for tutoring students in math and reading. She is also involved in the Boys and Girls Club, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority and other organizations.

A sophomore from Austin, Texas, Meyer is involved in Kappa Delta sorority at UM. She chaired its Personal presence, Attitude, Communications skills and Enlarging our world committee and worked with Prevent Child Abuse America and the Girl Scouts.

For more information about LOU MLK Day of Service events, contact Ball at volunteer@oxfordms.net or Schaum at krschaum@olemiss.edu.

An Ethical Proposition for UM

Posted on: March 16th, 2015 by erabadie

Alumni donate to strengthen curriculum in ethical reasoning

March 16, 2015

UM alumni Frances and Hume Bryant (right) and Bruce and Mary Betsy Bellande (left) of Oxford, Miss. enjoy a ten day cycling trip through the Provence region of France in 2014 while sporting their UM jerseys.

Hume Bryant and his wife, Frances, have established the Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hume Bryant Lectureship in Ethics Endowment through a recent pledge and gift of real estate. The new endowment will offer faculty support to enable additional ethics courses across disciplines, allowing more UM students to ponder ethical queries through academic instruction and carry strengthened reasoning skills into their post-academic life.

“Ethics courses help students learn to think and decipher all the grey areas between what we call ‘right and wrong,’” said Bryant. “If you don’t learn how to think critically, you probably shouldn’t be in a position to make important decisions. For instance, it came out recently that corporate managers knew about an automobile malfunction that killed people but were afraid to say anything. How does that happen? I think people sometimes make decisions without considering the ethical consequences.”

Chancellor Dan Jones (left) and Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Richard Forgette (right) thank Frances and Hume Bryant for their gift creating an endowment to support the teaching of ethics at the University of Mississippi.

Bryant, a 1964 engineering graduate, enjoyed his years at UM from youth through graduation. The son of a university professor and administrator, his childhood home was where Lamar Hall now stands, and he attended University High School, housed in what is now the music building. As an undergraduate he participated in the band playing the flute and piccolo.

The band is still my favorite part of the game day experience,” he said.

He met his first wife, Barbara Kalif, at UM. After graduation, Bryant was assigned to the Strategic Air Command in New England where he ended his active duty tour as a captain. After earning a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, he embarked on a 25-year career with Southern Pacific railroad that moved the couple to San Francisco, where they raised two children, William and Michelle.

Barbara Bryant passed away while they were living in California. After moving to Chicago and Fort Worth, Hume Bryant retired to Oxford in 2000.

I loved the cities I lived in, but grew tired of the commotion,” he said. “I was very fortunate to come home to a place like Oxford.”

But as a young man, Bryant was eager to expand his horizons.

“We have a very complicated history,” Bryant said of the university and Oxford. “Growing up, there was often talk among my family about issues that were not necessarily popular, but were very important. I know now that these discussions were really about ethics.”

Bryant’s family played a major role in UM’s history. His mother, Willie Hume, was the niece of Alfred Hume, the first chancellor to possess an earned doctorate. Hume served UM for nearly 60 years as a professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, two-term chancellor and three appointments as acting chancellor. He is credited for preventing Gov. Theodore Bilbo from moving the university to Jackson.

His father, W. Alton Bryant, was chair of the Department of English, provost and later vice chancellor. He is noted for encouraging fellow administrators during the tumultuous period of integration to “be concerned about how rules were implemented and the effects of carrying them out as much as their literal meaning.”

Bryant also noted another key influence, the Rev. Duncan Gray, Jr. While rector from 1957 to 1965 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, Gray became a motivating figure during James Meredith’s admission. Gray was among a minority of outspoken Mississippians regarding the ethical dilemma of integration. During a Sunday morning sermon the day of the 1962 riot, Gray told his congregation, “No university in the world would defend this position rationally, and no Christian church would defend it morally.”

That evening, Gray moved throughout the angry mob, removing bricks from hands and encouraging people to go home before he was overtaken by a mob and beaten.

“I was in Carrier Hall as the riot started, then went to the Sigma Nu house,” Bryant remembered. “Some fraternity brothers and I tried to misdirect potential trouble makers coming to the campus. Thinking back over that time, I realize that while I still did not necessarily associate ‘ethics’ with the incident, I did know that Reverend Gray followed his beliefs at great risk to his person – and did what was right – regardless of the consequences. I was so impressed with his actions that the following spring, I went through confirmation classes with Reverend Gray and joined St. Peter’s.”

Today, Bryant serves Oxford by volunteering on the Oxford Tree Board. His tenure has helped acquire almost $200,000 in Mississippi Forestry Commission grants for the community. He enjoys gardening, nature, biking and lives near the downtown square in walking distance to his favorite places, including the UM campus and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

He is not alone on his walks and bike rides, however. Through mutual friends, Bryant met Frances Byars King and the two were married in 2013. Frances Bryant attended UM from 1976 to 1980 studying marketing. She has spent her career in sales and works for AirMedCare, the largest independent air medical network in the nation.

“We are two polar opposites,” said Frances Bryant. “I’m very spontaneous, while Hume is the consummate planner. But that works very well for us. I was so proud when he wanted to establish this lectureship. It’s a good fit, and captures an essence of him that I care for deeply.”

Steven Skultety, chair and associate professor of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, was pleased to hear UM alumni established the lectureship to highlight the importance of ethics in a liberal arts education.

“Many people believe ethics can teach us nothing because they assume values are subjective, unscientific and up to each person,” said Skultety. “It is incredibly important that our university helps students understand that constructing a persuasive ethical argument demands as much logical reasoning and unbiased attention as conducting a scientific experiment or creating a mathematical proof. After all, when they enter the work world, our graduates will inevitably face decisions and dilemmas that will call upon their critical skills and familiarity with ethical principles.”

UM offers environmental, biomedical, and general survey ethics courses to undergraduates and legal ethics within the School of Law. However, as yearly offerings average only one section per year, availability is limited.

Skultety believes the Bryant Endowment will help address that need.

“With guidance from the College of Liberal Arts and the Office of the Provost, we plan on using this gift to create a position for a full-time ethicist,” said Skultety. “Not only will this position lead to more classes being offered but also will promote greater coordination among faculty teaching ethics in some capacity. A full-time ethicist will increase visibility for ethics on our campus, and he or she will serve as the point-person for anyone studying ethics in a scholarly way. The prospect is very exciting.”

On a larger scale, this gift represents foundational beliefs about the importance of a liberal arts education that were shared by Hume Bryant’s predecessors.

“On behalf of our university community, we thank Hume and Frances Bryant for their generous support,” said Morris Stocks, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “This gift will strengthen our liberal arts faculty and help provide meaningful opportunities for our students to develop critical thinking skills and find moral purpose as they endeavor in their academic and career pursuits. The Bryant family has a long legacy of leadership at the University of Mississippi, and we are truly grateful for their commitment.”

Frances Bryant has a daughter, Cade King Clurman, living in Annapolis, Md. and a son, Trey King, in Inverness, Miss. The Oxford couple enjoys visits with their five grandchildren, planning their new home and traveling abroad with Mary Betsy Bellande, Hume Bryant’s sister, and her husband Bruce.

Individuals and organizations can make gifts to the Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hume Bryant Lectureship in Ethics Endowment by mailing a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, Miss., 38655; visiting http://www.umfoundation.com/makeagift; or contacting Denson Hollis, senior development officer for the College of Liberal Arts, at 662-915-5092 or dhollis@olemiss.edu.

Katie Morrison