University of Mississippi

Categories: Sea-grant universities | Southeastern Conference | Universities and colleges in Mississippi | Space-grant universities

University of Mississippi
Image:OleMissSeal.jpg
Motto Pro Scientia et Sapientia ("In behalf of knowledge and wisdom")
Established 1848
School type Public
President Robert Khayat
Location Oxford, Mississippi, USA
Campus Rural
Enrollment 16,500 undergraduate,
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Faculty 1,332
Athletics Rebels
Colors red and blue
Homepage www.olemiss.edu

The University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss) is a public, coeducational research university located near Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1848, the school is composed of the main campus, with three branch campuses located in Tupelo, Southaven, and Booneville. UM maintains a field station in Bay Springs as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Additionally, it is a sea-grant institute, as well as a space-grant institute.

Total enrollment on The University of Mississippi’s three campuses and The University of Mississippi Medical Center is almost 16,500. Sixty-seven percent of undergraduates are from Mississippi, and 18 % of all students are minorities. International students come from 66 nations. The Chancellor of the University of Mississippi is currently Robert Khayat.

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Academic divisions

The degree-granting divisions located at the Main Campus:

  • 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

The colleges in the University Medical Center in Jackson:

  • School of Dentistry
  • School of Health Related Professions
  • School of Nursing
  • School of Medicine
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History

The Lyceum, built in 1848, is the oldest building on campus. It housed most of the classrooms and faculty offices of the University. It was used as a hospital during the Civil War for both Union and Confederate soldiers. It was also the site of rioting during desegregation. Today, the building is used to house the administration of the school.

Classes were interrupted with the outbreak of the Civil War, when every student and most faculty from Ole Miss enlisted in the Confederate Army. They were nicknamed the University Greys, and by war's end they had suffered a 100% casualty rate.

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Accolades

  • Ole Miss is among the top 30 public institutions with largest endowments per student.
  • Ole Miss is notable for its production of Rhodes Scholars (24) and has also produced five Truman and seven Goldwater scholars since 1998.
  • Ole Miss is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as one of the top 100 Research Extensive institutions in the nation.
  • The School of Pharmacy ranks 20th in the nation among schools of pharmacy for funding from the prestigious National Institutes of Health and 2nd among pharmacy schools for total federal funding.
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Interesting facts

  • The University houses the largest blues music archive in the United States. Some of the contrubutions to the collection were donated by BB King.
  • The school grows the only US government endorsed cannabis. The National Institute on Drug Abuse[1] (NIDA) contracts to the University the production of cannabis for the use in the few approved research studies on the plant as well as for distribution to the seven surviving medical cannabis patients grandfathered into the Compassionate Use Program (established in 1975 and cancelled in February 1992).
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons performed the world's first lung transplant in man and transplanted the heart of a chimpanzee - man's closest genetic relation - into the chest of a dying man.
  • William Faulkner's estate, Rowan Oak, is owned by the University. The town surrounding the campus is said to have inspired Faulkner and his imaginary Yoknapatawpha County
  • The fictional Leonard McCoy of Star Trek attended this university.


FACULTY AND STAFF With 2,224 full-time employees on the Oxford campus, including 591 full time faculty, Ole Miss is the largest employer in Lafayette County. More than 82 % of full time faculty hold the highest degrees available in their respective fields. The student to faculty ratio is 21:1.

The health sciences campus in Jackson employs 7,450 people full-time, including 741 faculty. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is the second-largest employer in Hinds County; 100 % of faculty hold the highest degrees available in their respective fields.

More than 28 fraternity and sorority houses are located on the UM-Oxford campus, and more than 35 % of the student body belongs to a Greek letter organization.

CAMPUS Ole Miss is located in the rolling hills of North Mississippi about 80 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The historic, wooded campus encompasses nearly 1,000 acres (4 km²) and includes 220 major buildings. The Lyceum, opened in 1848, is the institutional landmark and is the theme of the University’s logo. The University also operates campuses at the DeSoto Center in Southaven, the Advanced Education Center in Tupelo, and The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

ADMISSION The admission standards are relatively modest; a student graduating high school with a 2.5 GPA and a 16 on the ACT (or 760 on the SAT) will qualify for admission to Ole Miss. (Source:Ole Miss Admissions)

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Athletics

Image:ColReb.jpg
Colonel Reb

Ole Miss' sports teams, nicknamed the Rebels, compete in the competetive twelve-member Southeastern Conference (West Division) of the NCAA's Division I. The schools colors are red and blue, decidedly from the Crimson of Harvard, and the Blue of Yale-- 2 of the most prestigious schools at the time of choosing.

In recent years, the administration has attempted to distance itself from the negative connotations associated with its Confederate symbolism. In 1998, flagpoles were banned to discourage fans from displaying the Confederate battle flag at football games. This controversy began when coach Tommy Tuberville complained that the battle flag was undermining his efforts to recruit African-American athletes.

In 2003, the administration eliminated Colonel Reb , the mascot since 1979. A contest was held in which fans were invited to design a replacement. The athletic department chose two finalists, Rebel Bruiser and Rowdy Rebel, and invited fans to vote on their favorite. The limited fan response, as well as ridicule from fans of rival schools, prompted the administration to cancel the poll, so Ole Miss currently has no mascot.

With a long history in intercollegiate athletics, the University competes in 18 men’s and women’s sports. 630 student-athletes received all-conference academic honors from 1995-2004. On the field, Ole Miss has gone through some lean years since the 1960s, but has enjoyed more success recently. Nine of the 18 teams advanced to post-season play in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. The 2003 football team won the West division co-championship, although they did not represent the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game, the women's basketball team appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and the 2005 baseball team made it to the Super Regionals.

Ole Miss' athletic rivals are Louisiana State University (the Tigers) and instate rival Mississippi State University (the Bulldogs). They have also developed a strong football rivalry with Memphis

"There is no rivalry between Memphis and Ole Miss as much as people want to think that the record between the 2 schools in football is 59-9. Memphis wants to think it is a rivalry but they are and always will be conference-USA football." -Blake Moyers

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"Difference between Ole Miss and the University of Mississippi"

There is a valid distinction between The University and Ole Miss even though the separate threads are closely interwoven.

The University is buildings, trees, and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion, and personality. One is physical, and the other is spiritual. One is tangible and the other intangible.

The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss.

-Frank E. Everett, Jr., B.A.'32 LL.B.'34.

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Noteworthy alumni

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See also

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External links

Further reading regarding the desegregation of the University and the role that incident played in the US civil rights movement:

  • An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962, William Doyle, Doubleday, 2001, hardcover, ISBN 0385499698


Southeastern Conference:
  Eastern Division: Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | South Carolina | Tennessee | Vanderbilt  
Western Division: Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | LSU | Mississippi | Mississippi State 		Image:SouthEastConference 100.png