University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university in Oxford, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. It also operates the University of Mississippi Field Station in Abbeville. Additionally, it is both a sea-grant and space-grant institute. Sixty-nine percent of undergraduates are from Mississippi and nineteen percent of all students are minorities. International students come from sixty-six nations. Ole Miss is a large university in the state of Mississippi with a total enrollment of 20,844 in fall 2011. The Oxford campus is the second largest main campus in the state with a fall 2011 enrollment of 16,586.

History


The Mississippi Legislature chartered Ole Miss on February 24, 1844. The university opened its doors to its first class of 80 students four years later in 1848. For 23 years, Ole Miss was Mississippi's only public institution of higher learning, and for 110 years it was the state's only comprehensive university.

When Ole Miss opened, the campus consisted of only six buildings: two dormitories, two faculty houses, a steward’s hall, and the Lyceum at the center. Constructed from 1846 to 1848, the Lyceum is the oldest building on campus. Originally, the Lyceum housed all of the classrooms and faculty offices of the university. The building’s north and south wings were added in 1903, and the Class of 1927 donated the clock above the eastern portico. The Lyceum is now the home of the university's administration offices. The columned facade of the Lyceum is represented on the official crest of the university, along with the date of establishment.

In 1854, the university established the fourth state-supported, public law school in the United States and began offering engineering education.

With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, classes were interrupted when the entire student body and many faculty from Ole Miss enlisted in the Confederate army. Their company, Company A, 11th Mississippi Infantry, was nicknamed the University Greys, and suffered a 100% casualty rate during the Civil War. A great number of those casualties occurred during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, when the University Greys made the deepest encroachment into Union territory. Some of the soldiers actually crossed the Union defensive fortification wall, only to be killed, wounded or captured. On the very next day, July 4, Confederate forces surrendered at Vicksburg, Mississippi; the two battles together are commonly viewed as the turning point in the war. When Ole Miss re-opened, only one member of the University Greys was able to visit the university to address the student body.

The Lyceum was used as a hospital during the Civil War for both Union and Confederate soldiers, especially those who were wounded at the battle of Shiloh. Two hundred and fifty soldiers who died in the campus hospital were buried in a cemetery on the grounds of the university.

The university was led, during the post-war period, by former Confederate general A.P. Stewart, a Rogersville, Tennessee native, who was President from 1874-1886.

The university became coeducational in 1882 and was the first such institution in the Southeast to hire a female faculty member, doing so in 1885.

The student yearbook was published for the first time in 1897. As a way to find a name for the book, a contest was held to solicit any suggestions from the student body. Elma Meek, a student at the time, submitted the winning entry of Ole Miss. This sobriquet was chosen not only for the yearbook, but also became the name by which the University is now known. Ole Miss is defined as the school's intangible spirit, which is separate from the tangible aspects of the university. Meek's source for the term is unknown. Some historians theorize she either made a simple diminutive of "Ole Mississippi" or derived it from "ol' missus", African American eye dialect for a plantation's "old mistress."

The university began medical education in 1903, when the University of Mississippi School of Medicine was established on the parent campus in Oxford. In that era, the university only provided two-year pre-clinical education certificates, and graduates went out of state to complete their doctor of medicine degrees. In 1950, the Mississippi Legislature voted to create a four-year medical school. On July 1, 1955, the University Medical Center opened in Jackson, Mississippi, as a four-year medical school. In 1955, the University of Mississippi School of Medicine moved to Jackson where its curriculum was expanded to four years in the brand-new Medical Center. The University of Mississippi Medical Center, as it is now called, is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi and houses the University of Mississippi School of Medicine along with five other health science schools: nursing, dentistry, health related professions, graduate studies and pharmacy. (The School of Pharmacy is headquartered on the Oxford campus)

During the 1930s, an attempt by Mississippi Governor Theodore G. Bilbo to move The University of Mississippi to Jackson, was prevented by then Chancellor Alfred Hume by giving Mississippi legislators a grand tour of Ole Miss and the surrounding city of Oxford. It so impressed the legislators that the move was defeated.

During World War II, UM was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.



Desegregation came to Ole Miss in the early 1960s with the activities of United States Air Force veteran James Meredith from Kosciusko, Mississippi. Even Meredith's initial efforts required great courage. All involved knew how violently Dr. William David McCain and the white political establishment of Mississippi had recently reacted to similar efforts by Clyde Kennard to enroll at Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi).

Meredith won a lawsuit that allowed him admission to The University of Mississippi in September 1962. He attempted to enter campus on September 20, September 25, and again on September 26, only to be blocked by Mississippi Governor Ross R. Barnett, who proclaimed that "...No school in our state will be integrated while I am your Governor. I shall do everything in my power to prevent integration in our schools."

After the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held both Barnett and Lieutenant Governor Paul B. Johnson, Jr. in contempt with fines of more than $10,000 for each day they refused to allow Meredith to enroll, Meredith, escorted by a force of U.S. Marshals, entered the campus on September 30, 1962.

Segregationists had gathered and rioted at the school; there were more people from around the South than students. Thousands of students, residents from the surrounding area and many from out of state, many armed, were involved. Many Mississippi citizens joined in on "their battle against 'Catholic, Communist, Northern'" intervention in Mississippi white people's business. The protesters swarmed the campus in a violent effort to prevent Meredith's enrollment and enforce segregationist laws of Mississippi at the time.

Two people died during the riot, including a French journalist. One-third of the US Marshals, 166 men, were injured, as were 40 soldiers and National Guardsmen.

After control was re-established by federal forces, Meredith, thanks to the protection afforded by federal marshals, was able to enroll and attend his first class on October 2. Following the riot, elements of an Army National Guard division were stationed in Oxford to prevent future similar violence. While most Ole Miss students did not riot prior to his official enrollment in the university, many harassed Meredith during his first two semesters on campus.

According to first person accounts chronicled in Nadine Cohodas's book The Band Played Dixie, students living in Meredith's dorm bounced basketballs on the floor just above his room through all hours of the night. When Meredith walked into the cafeteria for meals, the students eating would all turn their backs. If Meredith sat at a table with other students, all of whom were white, the students would immediately get up and go to another table.

In 2002 the university marked the 40th anniversary of integration with a year-long series of events. It was entitled, " Open Doors: Building on 40 Years of Opportunity in Higher Education, and included an oral history of Ole Miss, various symposiums, the April unveiling of a $130,000 memorial and a reunion of the federal marshals. It culminate[d] in September 2003 with an international conference on race." That year 13% of the student body was African American, and Meredith's son Joseph graduated as the top doctoral student at the school of business.

The site of the riots, known as Lyceum-The Circle Historic District, was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the United States Secretary of the Interior on October 7, 2008. The district includes:
 * The Lyceum
 * The Circle
 * Croft Institute for International Studies, also known as the "Y" Building
 * Bernard Hall
 * Carrier Hall
 * Shoemaker Hall
 * Ventress Hall
 * Bryant Hall
 * Peabody Hall

Additionally, on April 14, 2010, The University campus was declared a National Historic Site by the Society of Professional Journalists to honor reporters who covered the 1962 riot. One of the two people killed was a French reporter named Paul Guihard.

The University was chosen to host the first presidential debate of 2008, which was held September 26, 2008. This was the first presidential debate to be held in Mississippi.

The university adopted a new on-field mascot for athletic events in the fall of 2010. Colonel Reb, retired from the sidelines of sporting events in 2003, was officially replaced by the Rebel Black Bear. All university sports teams are still officially referred to as the Rebels.

Divisions of the University
The degree-granting divisions located at the Main Campus in Oxford: The colleges at the University of Mississippi Medical Center campus in Jackson:
 * School of Accountancy
 * School of Applied Sciences
 * School of Business Administration
 * School of Education
 * School of Engineering
 * College of Liberal Arts
 * Graduate School
 * School of Law
 * School of Pharmacy
 * School of Journalism and New Media
 * School of Dentistry
 * School of Health Related Professions
 * School of Nursing (with a satellite unit at the main campus)
 * School of Medicine
 * School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences

University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons, led by Dr. James Hardy, performed the world's first human lung transplant, in 1963, and the world's first animal-to-human heart transplant, in 1964. The heart of a chimpanzee was used for the heart transplant because of Dr. Hardy's research on transplantation, consisting of primate studies during the previous nine years.

The University of Mississippi Field Station located in Abbeville is a natural laboratory used to study, research and teach about sustainable freshwater ecosystems.

Since 1968, the school operates the only legal marijuana farm and production facility in the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) contracts to the university the production of cannabis for the use in approved research studies on the plant as well as for distribution to the seven surviving medical cannabis patients grandfathered into the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program (established in 1978 and canceled in 1991).

The university houses one of the largest blues music archives in the United States. Some of the contributions to the collection were donated by BB King who donated his entire personal record collection. The Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts & Entertainment Collection, highlighted by a wealth of theater and film scripts, photographs and memorabilia, was dedicated in September 2005. The archive includes the first ever commercial blues recording, a song called "Crazy Blues" recorded by Mamie Smith in 1920.

Special programs
The university offers the Chinese Language Flagship Program (S: 中文旗舰项目, T: 中文旗艦項目, P: Zhōngwén Qíjiàn Xiàngmù), a study program aiming to provide Americans with an advanced knowledge of Chinese.

Student media

 * The Daily Mississippian is the student-published newspaper of The University, established in 1911. Although The Daily Mississippian (DM) is located on the Ole Miss campus, it is operated largely as an independent newspaper run by students. The DM is the only college newspaper in Mississippi that is published five times a week. The editorial staff consists of approximately 15 students, along with a staff of 15-20 writers and 5 photographers, though these numbers vary from year to year and semester to semester. There is also an entire department devoted entirely to advertising sales and production. With a circulation of 15,000, it is one of the largest college newspapers in the country.
 * The Ole Miss student yearbook is a 416-page color book produced by students with faculty advice. It has won various awards including the Gold Crown.
 * WUMS-FM 92.1 Rebel Radio, operated by students, is a 3,000-watt FCC-commercially licensed radio station.
 * NewsWatch is the only student-produced, live newscast in the state of Mississippi. Broadcast through the Metrocast cable company, it is live at 5:30 Monday-Friday.

These five publications are a part of the S. Gale Denley Student Media Center at Ole Miss. Current director of student media is Patricia Thompson.

Athletics
Archie Manning's uniform number, 18, is the official speed limit of the Oxford campus. In March 2012, Ross Bjork was named the University's new athletics director.

Student housing
Approximately 4,386 students live on campus in the fourteen residence halls available. All freshmen (students with less than 30 credit hours) are required to live in campus housing their first year unless they meet certain commuter guidelines. The Department of Student Housing and Residence Life is an auxiliary, meaning that it is self-supporting and does not receive appropriations from state funds. All rent received from students pays for housing functions such as utilities, staff salaries, furniture, supplies, repairs, renovations and new buildings. Most of the residence staff members are students, including day-to-day management, conduct board members and maintenance personnel. Upon acceptance to The University of Mississippi, a housing application is submitted with a processing fee. On Campus Housing cost ranges from $1730 to over $5000(the highest price being that of the new residential college) per semester depending on the occupancy and suite type. Students (with more than 30 credit hours) have the option to live off campus in unaffiliated housing.

Graduate students, undergraduate students aged 25 or older, students who are married, and students with families may live in the Village Apartments. The complex consists of six two story buildings, and is adjacent to the University of Mississippi Law School. Undergraduates over 25, married students, and graduate students may live in the one bedroom apartments. Graduate students and students over 25 may live in studio style apartments. Students with children may live in the two bedroom apartments. Children living in the Village Apartments are zoned to the Oxford School District. Residents are zoned to Bramlett Elementary School (PreK-1), Oxford Elementary School (2-3), Della Davidson Elementary School (4-5), Oxford Middle School (6-8), and Oxford High School (9-12).

Greek life
Despite the relatively small number of Greek-letter organizations on campus, many students participate in Greek life at Ole Miss. The tradition of Greek life on the Oxford campus is a deep-seated one. In fact, the first fraternity founded in the South was the W.W.W. (or Rainbow Society), founded at Ole Miss in 1848. The fraternity merged with Delta Tau Delta in 1886. Delta Kappa Epsilon followed shortly after at Ole Miss in 1850, as the first to have a house on campus in Mississippi. Delta Gamma national sorority was founded in 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls in nearby Oxford. Today, sorority chapters are very large, with many boasting of around 250 active members. Recruitment is fiercely competitive and potential sorority members are encouraged to secure personal recommendations from Ole Miss sorority alumnae in order to increase the chances of receiving an invitation to join one of the 9 NPC sororities on campus. Fraternity recruitment is also fierce with only 14 active IFC Fraternity chapters on campus.

Associated Student Body
The Associated Student Body (ASB) is the Ole Miss student government organization.

The current student body president is Kimbrely Dandridge. Dandridge is the first African American female to serve as ASB President.

Noteworthy alumni

 * Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner attended.
 * Mahesh Bhupathi, Indian Tennis Star - Winner of 11 Grand Slam Titles
 * Best-selling legal thriller writer John Grisham received his Juris Doctor degree at Ole Miss Law.
 * Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson and long-time "As the World Turns" star Anthony Herrera attended the university.
 * Former NFL quarterback Archie Manning attended Ole Miss and played football for the Rebels. He met his future wife Delta Gamma Olivia Manning at Ole Miss.
 * Super Bowl Champion and Archie Manning's youngest son, Eli Manning, also played quarterback at Ole Miss and is now the starting quarterback for the New York Giants.
 * The University has produced three Miss Americas: Susan Akin (1986 and a member of Pi Beta Phi), Mary Ann Mobley and Lynda Lee Mead (1959 and 1960 roommates and both members of Chi Omega).
 * Baltimore Ravens Left Tackle Michael Oher - Drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Also see The Blind Side (film)
 * United States Senators Trent Lott, Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran earned their undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Mississippi, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen earned a masters degree.

Noteworthy alumni in fiction

 * Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a character in Star Trek
 * Suzanne Sugarbaker, a character in Designing Women (she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority)
 * Ellen Roark, a character played by Sandra Bullock in the 1996 movie A Time to Kill, based on the novel by real alumnus John Grisham
 * William Faulkner's estate, Rowan Oak, is owned by the university. His Nobel Prize for Literature is held in Archives and Special Collections at J. D. Williams Library on the Ole Miss campus. The town of Oxford surrounds the campus which is located in Lafayette County and inspired Faulkner and his imaginary town of Jefferson, the county seat of Yoknapatawpha County''
 * Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, the central character of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help and the film based on the book, graduated from Ole Miss before writing a book in which she told the stories of the African-American maids who worked for white families.
 * Vivvenne Abbot Walker, one of the central characters in The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood