Since we're all sucking off our towns and institutions today.....

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July 16, 2010

Dear Ole Miss Community,

In the past few months, three national publications have given The University of Mississippi top ranking. Earlier this spring, we were recognized as the safest campus in the Southeastern Conference. This month, we are included in the “best colleges to work for” rankings, and, just this week, the Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article that named us “most appealing college.” This most recent accolade echoes what all of us—our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors have known for years—that Ole Miss offers an amazing experience.

The authors of the Chronicle article, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, have spent the past several years researching challenges in higher education. Their book, Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids—and What We Can Do About It, will be out in August. They provide a synopsis in the July 11, 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education.

After noting the challenges facing higher education and some potential solutions (none of us will agree with all their ideas), the authors list 11 colleges or universities they think are doing their job well. First on their list is The University of Mississippi. They said, “… of all the flagship colleges we visited, we have found Ole Miss the most appealing.”

This sentence certainly got my attention, and not just because I know it to be a true statement. These respected authors spent years visiting colleges and universities. They cite 11 outstanding colleges and universities that are doing a good job, including MIT, Notre Dame, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder and others. But they note “we have found Ole Miss THE MOST appealing.”

The authors highlight a transformation at Ole Miss and appropriately attribute much of the progress to the leadership of Chancellor Robert Khayat. Early in his tenure as chancellor, he said that “The University of Mississippi should strive to be and be perceived as a great American public university.” In many ways, this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education fulfills that vision.

Many people have contributed to the progress at our university. Our faculty has worked to create a unique atmosphere of learning. The authors relayed to me in a personal conversation how impressed they were with our students, and that student learning is the main priority of our university. I am grateful for the high quality of teaching done by our outstanding faculty and for the leadership and scholarship of our dedicated students.

Generous contributions from our donors have provided opportunities to enhance our learning environment and create unique academic programs such as the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Each and every person who generously has supported this university should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment from this recognition.

Our progress has come despite a relatively difficult external environment over the past few years. Today’s economic circumstances are especially challenging. But, all of us can be reminded that the opportunities for the future are large and important. Our mission is crucial. Students of today and tomorrow need to transform their lives and the lives of others. The opportunities for us to influence the community and world around us through our service are immeasurable.
Thank you for your role in this recognition. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are doing amazing things. It is wonderful that others are taking notice.

Sincerely,

Daniel W. Jones
Chancellor

As we traveled around the country researching our book, we, in fact, found some colleges that we thought were doing their job well:

The University of Mississippi. In 1962 the Supreme Court ordered Ole Miss to admit James Meredith, a black Air Force veteran. In the riots that greeted his admission, two died and dozens were injured. President John F. Kennedy had to send in federal troops.

Today Ole Miss is a university where reconciliation and civility are at the heart of the educational mission. Much of the transformation has been the work of Robert Khayat, who retired from the chancellorship in 2009. In his 14 years there, he raised academic standards, tripled African-American enrollment, and banned Confederate flags from athletic events. Under his leadership the university reached into its past for different pieces of the state's history. Think Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Tennessee Williams. Ole Miss has a Center for the Study of Southern Culture that focuses on the art, literature, music, and food of the region, black and white. Indeed, of all the flagship colleges we have visited, we have found Ole Miss the most appealing. The campus has the feel of a liberal-arts college. Its Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College offers as fine an education as one might find at Carleton or Kenyon Colleges.

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