The University of Mississippi

As The University of Mississippi looks toward a new millennium, it is savoring a milestone in its rich heritage. A Sesquicentennial celebration has been launched and will continue to a climactic week of activities ending November 6, 1998, the 150th anniversary of the University's opening.

The University of Mississippi was chartered on February 24, 1844, and the Lyceum opened its doors in 1848. George Frederick Holmes was inaugurated as the first president, and the first session started with four professors and 80 students in the College of Liberal Arts. With "Leadership for the 21st Century" as the theme of the Sesquicentennial, a major goal is to sharpen the vision of what the University should be in order to prepare current and future generations of students to meet the challenges of the coming years.

Throughout the celebration, the contributions of one of the Schools will be highlighted each six months. The College of Liberal Arts, Research and Service Centers, schools of Law, Engineering, Education, Accountancy, Dentistry and Health Related Professions have already been featured, and the School of Business is currently in the spotlight. Celebrations for the schools of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medicine, and the Graduate School will be held in 1998. The capstone of the celebration will be a campaign to raise private funds solely for academic purposes.

The University of Mississippi takes great pride in having a unique role in the state. For 23 years (1848-1871), Ole Miss was the only state institution of higher learning in Mississippi, and for 110 years (1848-1958), it was the only institution in the state consistently designated as a university. The Lyceum was the first building on any public campus in Mississippi, and the major landmark will undergo an extensive restoration project beginning in 1998.

Oxford was selected as the site of the University by a one-vote margin on January 26, 1841, when the Mississippi Legislature was in session. At least seven cities were in the running. Oxford's selection seemed appropriate, especially since, when founded, the city was called Oxford after the university city in England with the hope that an educational institution would be established here.

Notable Ole Miss Alumni
Senator Trent Lott

o Susan Akin-Lynch, Miss America, 1986
o The Honorable Reuben Vincent Anderson, First black justice on Mississippi Supreme Court and President-Elect, Mississippi Bar
o James Barksdale, President of Netscape
o The Honorable Marshall Bennett, Treasurer of Mississippi
o The Honorable Thad Cochran, United States Senator
o Mary Ann Mobley Collins, Miss America, 1959; Entertainer
o The Honorable Tim Ford, Speaker, Mississippi House of Representatives
o Ron Franklin, ESPN Sportscaster
o Terry Ewert, Executive Producer, CBS Sports
o Cynthia Geary, Actress in "Northern Exposure"
o Jennifer Gillom, Olympic Gold Medalist; Professional Basketball Player with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury
o John Grisham, Best-selling Author
o Mary Donnelly Haskell, Actress and Singer
o The Honorable Trent Lott, United States Senator and Senate Majority Leader
o Gerald McRaney, Actor in "Promised Land," "Simon and Simon" and "Major Dad"
o The Honorable Richard Molpus, Jr., Mississippi Secretary of State
o The Honorable Ronnie Musgrove, Mississippi Lieutenant Governor
o The Honorable Steve Patterson, State Auditor of Mississippi
o The Honorable Lenore L. Prather, First woman on Mississippi Supreme Court
o Jeanne Shaheen, First Female Governor of the State of New Hampshire
o Lynda Mead Shea, Miss America, 1960
o The Honorable Larry Speakes, Former Deputy Press Secretary to United States President
o Michael S. Starnes, President, M.S. Carriers
o The Honorable Roger Wicker, Mississippi Congressman

The first class graduated in 1851, and the Alumni Association was organized a year later. In 1854, the School of Law - the nation's fourth-oldest state-supported law school - was authorized by the Legislature. In 1861, the University closed for the duration of the Civil War.

The University resumed operation in 1865 under the chancellorship of John N. Waddel. In 1882, women were admitted to the University, and in 1885, Sarah McGehee Isom became a member of the faculty, making The University of Mississippi one of the first in the South to admit women students and the first state university in the South to hire a woman faculty member.

Intercollegiate athletics arrived on campus in 1875 in the form of baseball, and under the leadership of Professor Alexander Bondurant, intercollegiate football began in 1893. He also proposed Harvard crimson and Yale blue as the school colors. The first annual appeared in 1897, named the "Ole Miss" by Elma Meek, becoming the beloved informal name of the University.

The following decade was an active one in the growth of professional education on campus with the establishment of the School of Engineering (1900), School of Education and Medicine (1903), and the School of Pharmacy (1908). Development of professional schools continued in 1917 with the addition of the School of Commerce (now Business Administration). Graduate degrees were conferred by the University as early as 1848, but an official graduate school was not formally structured until 1927.

In 1955, the School of Medicine was moved to Jackson and was expanded to a four-year program with the opening of The University of Mississippi Medical Center. The Department of Nursing was moved to the health sciences campus in 1956 and achieved school status in 1958.

The early 1960s marked the beginning of a new era with the admission of African-American students to the University in 1962. The remainder of the decade was a time of changing social conditions. The School of Accountancy was added (1979), as well as the Schools of Health Related Professions (1972) and Dentistry (1973) at the Jackson campus. In 1984, the University officially launched the overwhelmingly successful Campaign for Ole Miss, its first major fund-raising drive, which amassed $41.7 million for academic programs. The Drive for Athletics also topped its goal of $8 million, raising $11.6 million to upgrade athletic facilities.

In the 1990s, Ole Miss - now led by alumnus Dr. Robert C. Khayat - is providing leadership and research for the state and nation. Just one indication of the University's continued academic excellence is its ranking of first in Mississippi in the production of Rhodes Scholars. Ole Miss is pursuing a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, which would be the first at a public institution in the state. The first class of freshmen entered the new McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College this fall. Around 350 students applied for acceptance, and 120 were selected, with an average ACT score of 31. The college is made possible by a $5.4 million gift from Netscape president and CEO James L. Barksdale and his wife, Sally, both Ole Miss graduates.

Research capabilities have been greatly enhanced, entitling the University to be named a Carnegie II Research Institution. This designation makes it one of the top 125 research institutions in the nation. The Oxford campus is home to three federally funded national centers - the Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics, the National Center for the Development of Natural Products and the National Food Service Management Institute.

The Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering is conducting internationally recognized research, using computational models for simulating water and sediment flow to seek solutions for erosion problems and flood prevention. Likewise, the Center for Water and Wetlands Resources provides the best site in the world for experimental aquatic research on large-scale systems, and construction recently completed on a new $8 million education facility. Supercomputers, as well as a plethora of other high-powered computers and workstations, assist researchers, as does a computer network linking the state's educational institutions.

Almost $68 million in construction and renovation is underway or about to begin, which will literally transform the Oxford campus. Among projects are a new $23 million business and accountancy complex; $11 million to renovate and restore the Lyceum; $7 million to renovate the Old Gym, which will become the Student Services Building; $6.5 million National Food Service Management Institute building; a $2 million chapel; and $1 million to renovate Ventress Hall, which will become home to the College of Liberal Arts.

Technology is pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge, imagination and expertise necessary for a productive life in an increasingly complex society and competitive world. The University offers its students a dynamic opportunity to interact with cutting-edge technology, multimedia classrooms, computerized laboratories and advanced research facilities. In fact, Ole Miss was selected one of the nation's 100 most wired colleges by Yahoo! Internet Life magazine. All residence halls are hardwired, enabling dorm residents to check class schedules and grades, and communicate with professors and fellow students, as well as access the library and other vital information resources across the campus, the country and around the globe via the Internet.

As part of the Sesquicentennial, a computer-on-every-desk project was initiated to ensure that Ole Miss faculty members have the computer technology available to support teaching, research and service efforts. A Faculty Technology Development Center is helping professors make optimum use of computer capabilities to enhance the classroom experience.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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