Both are now eligible, along with the recipients from seven other districts, for the Capital One National Academic At-Large All-America Team, which will be announced in June.  The At-Large team includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, men’s volleyball, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, water polo and wrestling.

“We are extremely proud of this prestigious honor,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.  “Both Adrian and Johan are as dedicated to their studies as they are in tennis.   It’s very impressive that these two are able to compete at a high level on the court and in the classroom.”

Backstrom owns a 3.88 cumulative grade point average in Banking and Finance and earned this honor for the first time in his career.  He is an ITA Scholar-Athlete and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Forberg Skogeng earned this honor for the second time in his career.  He recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi with a 3.89 cumulative grade point average in Managerial Finance.  A finalist for the SEC Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, Forberg Skogeng is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Both players helped lead the Rebels to their 10th SEC West title as well the program’s 20th consecutive NCAA appearance.  They also helped the Rebels earned the Chancellor’s Cup for the 10th year in a row, as the men’s varsity team at Ole Miss with the highest cumulative grade point average.

Follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissMTennis and on Facebook.

John Winkle, who joined the UM faculty in 1974, has left an indelible mark on the university during his 39-year career as both an academic and a motivator.

His colleague, John Bruce, chair and associate professor of political science, said that Winkle demonstrated the best practices of faculty across his career, all the while performing extensive service for the department, college and university.

“Without doubt or hesitation, I can say that he has left the largest footprint of any faculty member here in a long time,” said Bruce, who has worked with Winkle for 17 years. “His students think the world of him and routinely mention him when contacted years after graduating from the university. Beyond the work dimension, John is a delightful person, and we have been privileged to call him a colleague and friend over the years.”

Winkle was instrumental in the creation of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the honors program before it. In the summer of 1996, he wrote a statement proposing an academic vision for a new honors college, which would be part of a larger document that then-Chancellor Robert Khayat would take to a prospective donor.

“I thought about the need for a unique and transformative experience for each student in a new honors college and I used the professorial model of research, service and teaching,” Winkle said. “I envisioned that each student would write and defend a capstone research thesis in the senior year. I thought it vital that each student understand the importance of giving back to the community in the form of required public service, and I also suggested that students instruct their peers by giving a couple of lectures in introductory classes in their disciplines.”

Two of his three recommendations – the senior thesis and the public service – are components of the Honors College experience to this day.

Winkle also gave his ideas about what would become the Lott Leadership Institute.

“In 1997, I proposed to then-Chancellor Khayat that we consider creating a program in leadership studies,” he said. “He sent Andy Mullins and me to visit colleges and universities whose programs we might model. We returned and submitted a proposal using the model of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. Eventually, because of the chancellor’s leadership, a proposed program became an institute.”

Besides his academic work, Winkle has inspired countless students over the years. He is a recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award, as well as the Faculty Achievement award, the Random Acts of Kindness Award and the Frist Student Service Award. In 1998, the IHL presented him with the Harrison Governing Boards Award, given to one faculty member in the state system for contributions to higher education in Mississippi.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mills, a former student of Winkle’s who lives in Oxford, called him a fine instructor.

“I worked with him later when I was in the Legislature and he served as adviser to several law-related committees, and we worked together on various pieces of legislation,” said Mills, who took two constitutional law classes and a political science class from Winkle. “He is a good man and too young to retire. He must have a satisfied mind because he hasn’t aged a day since the first day I met him.”

Since 2003, Winkle has been the faculty adviser for the undergraduate mock trial program.

“I will most miss the classroom interaction and the exchange of ideas,” he said. “I challenge my students to think critically. I tell my students that the answer to any question they ask should always prompt another question, for the essence of true learning, I believe, lies in the ability to ask the better question.”

Winkle earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Mercer University and a master’s and Ph.D. in political science from Duke University. He had two visiting appointments at Emory University in 1991 and 1992; and at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999. His research interests are judicial behavior and judicial lobbying.

He has truly loved his time at the university.

“I have respected the learning process and have encouraged my students to do so. I have cared about my students and have treated them as individuals,” he said.

Plans are under way for the John W. Winkle III Fund for Faculty Excellence.

Winkle’s retirement won’t leave him resting on his laurels, though. Next year, he plans on completing two ongoing research projects for publication.

“Thereafter, I hope to explore several possibilities, such as living abroad for six months, working for nonprofit groups, helping to launch honors programs elsewhere or becoming active in court reform projects,” Winkle said.

Forty-three years later, the retired Silicon Valley computer designer, whose invention design was finally declassified in 1998, is using his engineering experience to teach children in Mount Olive about science and robotics. He also has completed the requirements for a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Ole Miss as a graduate fellow at the university’s Center for Mathematics and Science Education, or CMSE. He was among some 3,000 candidates for degrees at Saturday’s Commencement ceremonies.

“I didn’t originally plan on visiting Mississippi,” Holt said. “I was sitting in my driveway in Oklahoma in my motor home that I had just bought to travel the country. I’d sold my house and I had to be out in a couple of days when a friend from Mississippi called and invited me visit his nonprofit ministry, R.E.A.L. Christian Foundation. He said he would have me check out the computers in the ministries. After two weeks, I knew I should stay. I liked helping rural ministries.”

After deciding to stay in Mississippi, Holt met Tony Duckworth of Mount Olive Ministries in Mount Olive. The organization provides children and teenagers with educational opportunities to promote an interest in academics and helps prevent students from dropping out of high school.

“Ray’s attitude about his achievements inspire our kids to dream again,” Duckworth said. “They know that their dreams can become a reality.”

Holt suggested starting a robotics team in Mount Olive to spark an interest in the students, and it worked. During the first-ever statewide high school robotics competition hosted by the CMSE in February, Holt’s group, dubbed Team Purple Thunder, took first and second place in two different categories. Their robotic successes continued from there. In late April, the team competed against 128 other robotics teams from 28 countries in the FIRST World Robotics Championship in St. Louis, placing 13th out of 64 in their division. The team was ranked first among first-time competitors.

“He really inspired us to do well in the competitions,” said Mount Olive ninth-grader Whitney Schreiber. “We’re just a small town that never really gets anything, and he teaches us so much.”

Holt splits his time between Oxford, where he is completing student teaching in mathematics at Lafayette High School, and Mount Olive. Throughout the year, he has made efforts to help his students in Mount Olive expand their horizons. Besides visiting St. Louis in April, Team Purple Thunder visited the Nissan plant in Canton last November. Last March, the team toured the UM School of Engineering and the Center for Manufacturing Excellence.

“When you show students what’s possible, you can see them become excited,” Holt said. “After they saw real engineers program robots to preform tasks to build a truck, they started to realize that they’re doing same thing with our robot on a smaller scale. They realized how much they could actually do.”

Offered at UM since 2010, the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction is a one-year master’s program designed to help college graduates with noneducation degrees transition into teaching at the secondary level. After hearing about Holt’s robotics program, the CMSE offered him a fellowship that included full tuition, office space at the center and access to a variety of professional development and educational materials to complete the degree.

“Seeing the struggling that the youth have in Mount Olive, I had no idea our after-school programs could grow to this,” Holt said. “Our first goal was to make sure none of our children drop out of high school, and the second one was that their GPA would be a 3.0. Now, nine out of 11 students make straight As. Two of our past students have been accepted to Ole Miss.”

Holt said he hopes his new training will help him instill confidence and ambition into more children, particularly those who have an opportunity to become first-generation college students and who may have never previously considered a career in science or engineering. He hopes that in coming years, he can help grow after-school programs in rural communities throughout the state. All 11 members of Team Purple Thunder planned to visit Holt during graduation on Saturday.

“This degree has been way too much work to say it’s just for me,” said Holt. “Working with youth is my passion. I have students who now say ‘I want to come to Ole Miss to study robotics,’ I consider that a real success.”

OXFORD, Miss. – In honor of Symbols of Faith, Home, and Beyond: The Art of Theora Hamblett, and in celebration of the hometown of Theora Hamblett, the Mississippi Museum of Art invites all current and former residents of Oxford to a day of events and programs in the Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art on Saturday, May 18.

“The University of Mississippi Museum has been very pleased and honored to partner with an institution we admire deeply, the Mississippi Museum of Art, to share multiple Theora Hamblett artworks with Jackson and central Mississippi audiences,” said Museum Director Robert Saarnio. “The Oxford Day celebration further extends the spirit of partnership between our museums, and deepens the links between our two communities.”

The day-long celebration begins at noon, featuring entertainment by Oxford musicians and performers and highlighting the work of area filmmakers and artists. The Athletics Foundation from the University of Mississippi joins the festivities to promote Ole Miss Athletics, and the Central Mississippi Ole Miss Rebel Club will host a tailgate for club members. This event is free and open to the public.

A variety of talented Oxford musicians and performers will provide entertainment throughout the day on the C Spire Stage in The Art Garden, including Oxford Ballet, Dent May, Jimmy Phillips and the Ruminators and the Kudzu Kings. Literary readings are presented by Vox Journal, and the Southern Foodways Alliance will present a series of independent films.

Artwork from Oxford-based Southside Gallery will be on display inside the museum, showcasing the work of talented Mississippi visual artists. Educational spaces and activities are provided by the museum’s education staff and the University Museum, with a focus on the art of Theora Hamblett and upcoming museum exhibitions. The Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau and representatives of Ole Miss Athletics bring added excitement and energy.

Oxford-themed food options and specialty cocktail selections are provided by The Palette Café by Viking and Chef Louis H. LaRose.

This event is sponsored by BancorpSouth and Southern Beverage.

It is supported by the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses, permanent home to many of Hamblett’s paintings, and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.

The Mississippi Museum of Art’s mission is to “engage Mississippians in the visual arts.” The museum is located at 380 South Lamar Street in Jackson. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Monday. For more information about the Mississippi Museum of Art’s exhibitions, programs, and special events, please call 601-960-1515 or 1-866-VIEW ART (843-9278), or visit www.msmuseumart.org.

“The University of Mississippi believes in transformation through service, and we’re honored to see that commitment recognized with this prestigious award,” said Albert Nylander, director of the university’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement. “We are working to expand our service-learning and civic engagement efforts so that the university can positively impact the quality of life in communities across the state.”

The university was honored for its participation in the College Corps National Service Program, the UM Big Event and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The 60 UM College Corps members commit to 300 hours of service per academic year at 12 locations in Oxford and Lafayette County. They were responsible for serving 2,250 meals, tutoring 400 students, reading 200 books with youth and raising $15,000 for partner organizations.

The Big Event, a student-driven day of service in Oxford and Lafayette County, engaged 3,085 students, faculty and staff, who gave 13,100 service hours in one day, serving 5,000 individuals in the community.

The 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service inaugurated what has become an annual celebration of service and community. In 2012, 87 students, faculty and staff volunteered 435 service hours, tutoring 100 students and working on a project to fight hunger.

“We are proud of our students and their sense of service to the community,” Chancellor Dan Jones said. “Over 10,000 of our students engaged in community service in the past year, and these students collectively gave nearly 478,000 service hours. These students provide tremendous momentum to deepen our future community-engagement efforts.”

“Congratulations to the University of Mississippi, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS. “Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges.”

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the award since 2006 and manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.

More information about community service efforts at Ole Miss can be found at http://mclean.olemiss.edu. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees can be found at http://www.nationalservice.gov.

Students in adjunct instructor Jeremy Roberts’ event-planning class spearheaded the space-themed children’s fair, which included visitors from NASA’s Stennis Space Center, the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society’s annual Best Dressed Pet Contest and activities such as games and face painting.

“We did everything from picking out the food, working with the vendors and setting up the layout to designing the posters and marketing the event,” said Roberts. “It provided students with one of three hands-on, real-world event-management experiences this semester.”

Hundreds of children and their parents came out to the Oxford Square to take part in games and activities ranging from fingernail painting by the Lafayette High School Varsity Cheerleaders to art projects with Oxford’s Studio Whimzy.

After breaking down this year’s Square Fair, students held a debriefing session and began planning the 2014 event, which NHM students will also oversee.

“It was a fun event,” Roberts said. “We did it as a way to give back to the community.”

Students in the NHM 312 course also hosted Miss-I-Sippin’, a fundraiser benefiting the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the NHM department in April, and put on a reception for the Mississippi Dietetic Association’s annual conference in Oxford.

The 2012-13 honored faculty and their awards are Felice Coles, associate professor of modern languages, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher; Sarah Moses, assistant professor of religion, Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen; and Michael Raines, instructional assistant professor of Teaching English as a Second Language and Intensive English Program, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor. They were recognized Saturday (May 11) afternoon at the college’s commencement ceremony in Tad Smith Coliseum.
The selection process involved nominations from students and fellow faculty, which were considered by a committee of former recipients based on criteria that includes excellence in class instruction, intellectual stimulation of students and concern for students’ welfare.

The nomination letters followed a theme of selflessness, professional passion and individual attention to students.

Nominating Coles, one student wrote about admiring “her most notable characteristics: professionalism, work ethic and passion for teaching.”

“Dr. Coles exhibits an outstanding predisposition not only to teach but also to help the student to completely engage in the subject matter.”

Of Moses, one colleague referred to how her students regularly give her high marks in teaching evaluations and wrote the following: “Dr. Moses is more than an excellent teacher; she is also a caring mentor. Teaching religion has some unique challenges, compared to teaching chemistry, for example. The teacher is exposing students to belief systems that are quite different than their own deeply held beliefs. … It takes great skill to negotiate such controversial terrain. One has to earn the respect of the students to take them on this journey.”

One student writing for Raines noted his willingness to “go the extra mile.”

“It’s evident from (Dr. Raines’) teaching, attitude and actions that he loves teaching and takes pleasure in helping students to have success and accomplish their dreams.”

Each of the three recipients received validation of their worthiness for the awards from their department chairs.

“Dr. Felice Coles is one of the finest teachers in the Department of Modern Languages, which now boasts no fewer than seven faculty members honored as teacher of the year,” said Donald L. Dyer, modern languages chair. “She is known as a professor who practices tough love, and her students appreciate Dr. Coles for her professionalism and hard work.”

Likewise, Dyer offered kudos to Raines, saying, “Dr. Michael Raines for the past several years has been the linchpin of our off-campus master’s degree program in Teaching English as a Second Language, after serving for many years as a teacher of Spanish and intensive English on campus. His commitment to his students is evident in their devotion to him as a teacher, a mentor and an academic adviser.”

Steven C. Skultety, philosophy and religion chair, lauded his honored faculty member.

“Like other well-respected teachers, Dr. Sarah Moses brings an incredible amount of enthusiasm to her teaching, and she thinks very carefully about which material will interest and challenge our students. What sets her apart, however, is her uncanny ability to exert authority and make students feel like sharing and participating at one and the same time. Students in her classes never feel they are receiving a pre-packaged lecture, but believe they are entering a conversation led by a sympathetic expert.”

The three honored faculty each expressed surprise and appreciation for having been chosen.

“Teaching is my favorite part of being an academic,” Moses said. “When I think of freshmen who are just setting out on the intellectual, social and personal journey of college, I consider it a great privilege to help them to deepen their understanding of the world in which they live, particularly about religious studies. And so it is very gratifying to me to know that some of my students have had a positive learning experience in my classes and honored me by nominating me for this award.”

Likewise, Raines said, “Being chosen for this award means that my work is appreciated by my students and peers alike. I feel honored to be in such distinguished company, and I simply plan to continue to do what I have always been doing.”

Coles said, “I’m grateful for having been selected as an outstanding teacher in the College of Liberal Arts. I couldn’t have achieved this honor without the enthusiastic support and encouragement from my colleagues and chair in modern languages.”

Coles, who joined the faculty in 1994, holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Louisiana State University, a master’s in linguistics from the University of Utah and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She teaches a variety of courses in Spanish and linguistics. Her research interests include dialects of American English and Hispanic sociolinguistics and language obsolescence. She is the editor of the Southern Journal of Linguistics.

Moses joined the university in 2008. She specializes in religious and medical ethics and contemporary religious thought. Each semester, she teaches several sections of REL 101: Introduction to Religion. She holds a master’s from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in theological ethics from Boston College.

Raines has been teaching at UM for nine years. He teaches courses in TESL, linguistics and ESL. His research interests include ESL, American and Mexican cultures, and linguistics. He completed bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish, as well as a master’s and doctorate in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, all at UM. He earned his second master’s in romance languages-Spanish from the University of Alabama.

For more information about the College of Liberal Arts, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/liberal_arts/.

When it comes to legal drugs, ElSohly has a knack for formulating new ones. His name is on 31 patents issued in this country and abroad, and on 23 more pending patents. Companies have licensed several of those formulations, which include a prophylactic treatment for poison ivy dermatitis, compounds for treating malaria and cancer, and precursors to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, for treating a variety of conditions.
His expertise and work products have been sought by the United Nations, the White House, State Department, National Institute on Drug Abuse, other government agencies with familiar acronyms and even the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Association.

For this, and more, ElSohly is the sixth recipient of the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award. The award, which is sponsored by Pharmaceutics International Inc. and includes $7,500 and a plaque, was presented during UM’s main commencement ceremony Saturday (May 11) by Alice M. Clark, vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs.

“The award recognizes and pays tribute to a faculty member whose career and achievements have generated national and international accolades; someone who has been a leader in his chosen field, who has inspired and encouraged others, who is admired and respected by his peers and who has made outstanding lifelong contributions to his profession and to our institution,” Clark said.

“Dr. ElSohly has done all of this. He has distinguished himself as a researcher, an innovator, an inventor, a businessman and a teacher. His contributions have had an enormous impact on the worldwide scientific community, especially in the areas of drug abuse, pharmaceuticals and phytochemistry (plant chemistry).”

ElSohly – a research professor in UM’s National Center for Natural Products Research and professor of pharmaceutics, as well as president of ElSohly Laboratories Inc. and Phytochemical Services Inc. of Oxford – is grateful for the award.

“I have been very happy here, and I love everyone, from the people I’m working with to the administration, and the work that I do,” he said. “The university has always recognized my contributions and, for that, I am grateful.”

His quick rise up UM’s professorial ladder is proof. ElSohly joined the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences as a postdoctoral fellow in 1975. Within a year, he became a research associate and acting director of the institute’s Physical Sciences Research group. By 1978, he became an assistant research professor, by 1981 was director of the university’s NIDA-funded Marijuana Project and by 1984 was a full research professor.

The Marijuana Project, which maintains the nation’s only legal marijuana farm, supplies marijuana and its constituents to the NIDA Drug Supply Program, which provides them to researchers in the scientific community around the country studying their potential harmful and beneficial effects.

In the ’80s and early ’90s, ElSohly’s work focused on analyzing marijuana seized by the DEA to develop a marijuana “fingerprinting” system that is used to trace crops to their sources globally. In recent years, he and other UM researchers have studied Cannabis to develop new medicines and new ways of delivering the chemical compounds in marijuana to treat a range of chronic conditions, from chemotherapy-induced nausea to neuropathic pain. They include a THC suppository and a transmucosal THC patch.

ElSohly is recognized nationally and internationally for his “outstanding and creative development of pharmaceutical products,” said Walt Chambliss, UM’s director of technology management. “He is known and highly respected as an excellent pharmaceutical scientist who is one of the best problem solvers I know. His company, ElSohly Laboratories Inc. (aka ELI), has been the recipient of many SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grants from NIDA and other NIH institutions.”

In recognition of his excellent contributions to the SBIR program, ElSohly received the Tibbetts Award in 2002. These national awards are presented to companies and individuals that exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement by stimulating technological innovation, meeting federal research and development needs, encouraging diverse participation in technological innovation and increasing commercialization of federal research.

In 2008, ElSohly and Ikhlas Khan, NCNPR’s assistant director and director of its FDA Center for Excellence on Botanical Dietary Supplement Research, launched the start-up company Phytochemical Services Inc.

“It is patterned after his successful business model at ELI, but it provides phytochemical analytical services to the dietary supplement industry,” Khan said.

Former RIPS Director Carlton E. Turner, who once directed UM’s Marijuana Project and hired ElSohly to work with him as a postdoc, said that ElSohly played a significant role in developing assays for constituents of Erythroxylon coca, from which cocaine, crack and other drugs are derived, and helped all branches of the military develop and implement urinalysis programs for detecting common drugs of abuse.

“The program was very successful and is still in use today,” Turner said. “Dr. ElSohly continues to be a key player by providing standardized samples and inspecting and certifying the program’s laboratories.”

Today, ElSohly is an internationally recognized authority on the detection, analysis and chemistry of both Cannabis and E. coca. He is the author or co-author of nearly 270 scientific publications in national and international journals and another 270 presentations at scientific meetings worldwide. He has also authored nearly a dozen chapters in books, and his own, “Marijuana and the Cannabinoids,” is “a real classic and often used by Cannabis researchers around the globe,” said Rudolf Brenneisen, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

Throughout his career, ElSohly has been a mentor to numerous graduate students at Ole Miss and elsewhere. All have appreciated his warm-hearted expertise and advice. Among them are Nirmal Pugh, an NCNPR senior scientist, and Amir E. Wahba, senior synthetic chemist at Arbor Therapeutics LLC.

“As a graduate student, what I admired most about Dr. ElSohly was his desire and willingness to help others,” Pugh said. “He always encouraged scholarly research and inspired a creative interest in others for problem solving and the intellectual property of each project.”

ElSohly was involved in two of Pugh’s dissertation projects. “Both resulted in patents,” Pugh said, “and these patents have been licensed by commercial entities that now have products on the market.”

ElSohly once gave Wahba an opportunity to help modify one of his cannabinoids.

“It was a wonderful opportunity,” Wahba said. “He guided me through the modification of these highly unstable natural products, and discussion with him always gave me new ideas to solve a certain problem. Even though he did not teach me a class, his way of discussion was very illustrative, clear and informative, which suggests that Dr. ElSohly is a talented teacher.”

ElSohly is a member of 14 scientific societies, several of which have named him a fellow, and is one of the world’s most oft-cited authors in forensic sciences. He has been an expert witness in more than 60 military and civilian court cases, served as a DEA instructor and secured nearly 100 contracts and grants totaling more than $45 million for his research and other projects.

He was nominated for the directorship of the UN Narcotics Laboratory and named Researcher of the Year by the UM pharmacy school and a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where he earned his doctoral degree. He was also named a Legacy Laureate, an honor Pitt bestows on only a few alumni annually for their accomplishments.

Paul L. Schiff Jr., a professor of pharmacognosy at Pitt who served as ElSohly’s major professor and dissertation adviser, is not surprised by ElSohly’s success.

“His tenure as a graduate student was remarkably exceptional, and I have never encountered a brighter, more hard-working, dedicated and yet likeable student in my 50 years of contact with graduate students from around the world,” Schiff said. “He finished his entire course of study in just three years, a feat unmatched by any student whom I have ever known. He was very team-oriented and warm-hearted, being a natural leader to whom other students gravitated. These characteristics marked him for a truly exceptional career.”

NCNPR Director Larry Walker said, “Dr. ElSohly is an exceptionally creative researcher who also has the discipline and insight to bring his science to patients and to the marketplace. His consistent record and leadership in research throughout his career are truly remarkable, as is his standing in the scientific community. He has invested his entire career in the University of Mississippi and given her a lifetime of service, so it doesn’t surprise any of us that she has chosen him to receive her most prestigious research and creative achievement award.”

“As the sun began to come out, it reminded me of one word: belief. Work toward that belief and it will become a reality.”

“One other word that speaks to who and what you are and what you can become: power. You have the power within you. Do you realize just how powerful you are as individuals and as a group? You can bear and make change in this state, in the nation and in the world.”

“You have the power to do what is right, to do what is just. I ask you, ‘What rests in your hearts?’”

“Being able to look beyond your role at this campus and find your role in this world will not only impact you, but your states, nation and the world. I hope you realize and take seriously the role you will play.”

“I have a long relationship with this university. It changed my life very early as a young woman. I was largely unaware of the ills of society at that time. I thought my husband was out of his mind to seek a law degree from here. ‘It will never happen,’ I said to him.” He told me, ‘It will happen – if not for me, then for someone else who will come after me.’ We have been linked together for 50 years.”

“I want to see Mississippi rise from the very bottom to the very top. Educationally, this place is at the top. Emotionally, let’s be honest: that’s still being worked out.”

“I believe in you, in Mississippi, in America. May we find peaceful dialogue to deal with issues – not walk away from each other. Let’s come together where we can all be proud and all know we have paved the way for others with positive images of equality for all.”

“I have no regrets for what has happened, except one (referring to Medgar Evers’ assassination). That single event changed all our lives. Not just mine or my children’s, but many.”

“Once you graduate from here, you are truly on your own, Make your own decisions and live by them. Medgar Evers did, even when his family members didn’t initially believe in his vision.”

“This proud university has evolved for 165 years. I believe this class, more than any other before it, will have the opportunity to make everything good. I prefer to believe in the good of all humankind; that there are more people of good will than there are who do not feel that way.”

“Education is no longer a pathway to success; it is a prerequisite. Never has a college degree been more important – or more expensive.”

“Graduation is a time for us to reflect on the rich history of this university, and celebrate the excellence of an Ole Miss education.”

“You are more powerful than you think you are. Use that power for the betterment of all people. Be like the eagle. Fly high above the clouds of adversity. Use the storms to lift you higher and rise to greater heights.”

“Will you be an eagle or will you just be a bird hiding from the storm and waiting for it to be over? I truly hope you’ll use your strength as eagles to pass on the good works, good deeds this society needs. Dream the impossible. Don’t be intimidated by anything. Don’t let difficulties tie your mind or break your spirit. You have a bright future. Be strong.”

“We are all human beings. We are all children of God or whatever deity you wish to call upon. I believe in you, I hope you believe in yourselves, too. Not only for yourself, nor for the betterment of Mississippi but for all mankind. Soar! Soar . . . and be free!”

“Mississippi is considered to be the poorest state in the nation. As we push forward in education and human relations, I believe we will see very positive change in the near future. I’m back here to be a part of that change.”

“The state has made great progress, but let’s face it: we still have so much further to go.”

“Medgar did not want to die, but he believed so fully in what he stood for that he had to do it. Medgar’s death broke down the barrier of fear, yet we still see vestiges of racism. You don’t solve emotional feelings surrounding race in a century – probably not even in two centuries. It’s an evolving thing. We have to keep moving forward.”

“I believe in you, and I hope you believe in yourselves, too,” Evers-Williams said Saturday (May 11) as she delivered the main address at the university’s 160th Commencement. “Soar! Not only for yourselves, nor just for the betterment of Mississippi, but for betterment of all mankind. Soar, and be free.”
Evers-Williams, who worked for more than 30 years to seek justice for the 1963 murder of her well-known civil rights activist husband, Medgar Evers, is a former chairwoman of the NAACP and is widely credited with restoring the organization’s reputation and saving it from bankruptcy. Most recently, she delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, becoming the first woman to deliver a prayer at a presidential inauguration.

“The lifelong work of Dr. Evers-Williams to keep her husband’s memory alive and to progress his dream has been pivotal in the pathway from adoption of laws calling for fairness to the adoption of fairness into our societal expectations and interpersonal relationships,” said Chancellor Dan Jones, who presented the third University of Mississippi Humanitarian Award to the speaker, honoring her and her slain husband’s memory.

“You helped deliver many from the oppression of injustice and others from the oppression of hate. The denial of admission to the University of Mississippi for your husband was an expression of institutionalized injustice in this university, this state and this nation. As we recognize the two of you today, we offer our regret and apology for that injustice to you, your family and to countless others. We are grateful for your sacrifice and for your remarkable lives.”

Visibly moved, Evers-Williams didn’t make an acceptance speech. Later, during a press conference, she did comment about what the honor meant to her.

“I was very emotional about that (the award),” she said. “That’s why I did not get up to say ‘thank you.’ I deeply appreciate it. It speaks to all the emotional feelings I’ve gone through about the University of Mississippi.”

In 1954 – the year the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. the Board of Education declared all public education entities open to all citizens regardless of race – Medgar Evers applied for admission to the UM School of Law. After denial of his admission, he committed his life to justice and fairness for all through work as the field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi. His commitment to justice eventually led to his martyrdom, which was a tipping point in the struggle for civil rights in this country.

The first Humanitarian Award was presented to Jim and Sally Barksdale in 2001 by then-Chancellor Robert Khayat, who noted that “we recognize individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership qualities including courage, initiative, creativity, grace, generosity, personal integrity and sacrifices that affect human welfare and create social reform.” The second Humanitarian Award was presented in 2003 to Gov. William and Elise Winter, who were in attendance Saturday.

Evers-Williams was nostalgic, poignant and inspirational during her delivery. She reflected upon the painful 50-plus-year history between the Evers family and Ole Miss, acknowledged the progress that has been made in human equality and envisioned future evolution in societal attitudes.

“You all have the power – power to do what is right, to do what is just,” Evers-Williams said. “I hope that you realize and take seriously the roles you will play in your communities, the state, nation and the world.”

“I believe that this class, more than any others before it, has the opportunity to make everything good. I prefer to believe in the good of all humankind, that there are more people of good will than those who do not feel that way.”

Initially underneath clouds that gave way to sunny skies, the Vicksburg native spoke to graduating students, their families and other guests in the Grove. This year’s graduating class included nearly 2,500 spring candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees, plus more than 900 August graduates.

“Will you be an eagle or will you just be a bird hiding from the storm and waiting for it to be over?” Evers-Williams asked. “I truly hope you’ll use your strength as eagles to pass on the good works, good deeds this society needs.”

Among the attendees, Taurus Nash of Shelby came to watch his son, Jontarius Haywood, graduate with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism.

“This is a great achievement for him, particularly as a young black male graduating from a historically white university,” Nash said. “It’s very exciting and we feel very welcome being here.”

Linda Barrack, of Hattiesburg, said she was excited to be in the Grove to watch her granddaughter, Mary Beth Barrack, graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public policy leadership.

“I feel a lot of pride as she’s the third generation of our family to graduate from Ole Miss,” said Barrack, who was in Oxford with four other members of the family. “I’m sure her grandfather would be equally as proud of her if he were alive.”

Following the general ceremony, the College of Liberal Arts and the Oxford campus’ eight schools held separate ceremonies to present baccalaureate, master’s, doctor of pharmacy and law diplomas. Former Gov. Haley Barbour was the speaker for the School of Law and Sharyn Alfonsi was the speaker for the Meek School of Journalism and New Media.

Recipients of doctor of philosophy degrees were honored at a hooding ceremony Friday evening in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Three awards were presented by the Graduate School. The Group Award for Excellence in Promoting Inclusiveness in Graduate Education went to the Ph.D. Program in the Patterson School of Accountancy. Associate Provost Maurice Eftink received the Individual Award for Excellence in Promoting Inclusiveness in Graduate Education. Alan Gross, professor of psychology, was presented the Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching & Mentoring.

During Saturday’s ceremony, William W. Berry III, assistant professor of law, was honored as the recipient of the 2013 Elise M. Hood Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, presented annually to the campuswide outstanding teacher.

Mahmoud A. Elsohly, research professor and professor of pharmaceutics in UM’s National Center for Natural Products Research, was named the recipient of the university’s sixth Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award.

The university also recognized the winners of this year’s Frist Student Service Awards: Marvin C. Wilson, associate dean for academic and student affairs at the School of Pharmacy, and Amy Saxon, operations supervisor for summer school and online programs at the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education.

Evers-Williams has been a frequent visitor to campus in recent years. In March 2012, she delivered the keynote address for the university’s “50 Years of Integration” observance, and she participated in a panel discussion of her late husband’s life and work April 5 at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.