Administrative changes focus on efficiency
OXFORD, Miss. – Several key staff members at the University of Mississippi have new titles to reflect their expanded roles in the institution’s administration.
The moves are designed to strengthen the leadership structure and formalize many of the duties these staff members have been performing for some time, Chancellor Dan Jones said. The changes, which are in response to the need to reduce administrative costs related to reduced state support, were announced Tuesday and are effective immediately.
Wendell Weakley, president and CEO of the University of Mississippi Foundation, is assuming greater responsibility for overseeing the Office of University Development, which is led by Deborah Vaughn, senior executive director of development and chief development officer.
Andrew Mullins Jr., associate professor of leadership and counselor education and co-director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps, has been named as chief of staff to the chancellor.
Lee Tyner, university attorney and instructor in business administration, will also serve as special assistant to the chancellor.
“The university faces some of its greatest challenges in generations, and we need exceptional leadership to help us through these times,” Jones said. “I’m pleased these valued members of our team have agreed to take on new responsibilities and help us continue to achieve our goals of providing quality education and economic development for the people of Mississippi.”
Although Weakley, Mullins and Tyner have accepted added duties, the changes do not include salary increases, and Weakley’s added responsibilities allow the vice chancellor for development position to remain vacant. All these moves reflect the administration’s commitment to doing what is necessary to help the institution weather the tough economic climate, Jones said.
Also, Jim Ebel who joined UM as executive director of marketing communications in June 2009, has a new title: chief marketing officer. The change better reflects the goals and mission of the University Brand Services division, which Ebel leads, Jones said.
Weakley became just the second-ever president and CEO of the UM Foundation in 2006 and helped oversee the MomentUM campaign, which concluded in December 2008 after raising more than $240 million.
“Private support has never been more critical to our university and for increasing the margin of excellence we expect of Ole Miss,” Weakley said. “I look forward to working with our excellent development team as we focus on faculty and student support for now and for generations to come.”
Before returning to his alma mater, Weakley was a partner in the prestigious PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firm, where his clients included several prominent multinational corporations. He also previously served the university as a member of the UM Foundation board of directors and as chair of the Accountancy Advisory Council.
Mullins, who formerly served as executive assistant to the chancellor, is responsible for overseeing a range of special projects and representing the chancellor’s office at meetings and functions when Jones cannot attend.
“The biggest thing is to help coordinate various things the chancellor would like to implement,” Mullins said. “I help make sure various units across campus are on the same page with the things we’re doing.”
A 39-year veteran in education, Mullins has served as executive assistant to two governors, three state superintendents of education and three UM chancellors. He helped found the Mississippi Teacher Corps at Ole Miss in 1989 and served as the university’s liaison with the Commission on Presidential Debates for the 2008 presidential debate at UM.
In his new role, Tyner helps solve problems that arise across campus and advises the chancellor on issues that arise. He has served as part of the chancellor’s Executive Management Council for six years and was a member of the university’s Alcohol Task Force in 2006. He also is a member of the board of directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.
“It’s a great privilege to help accomplish goals that are important to the university’s missions,” he said. “I appreciate the chancellor’s confidence in me.”
Tyner has served as university attorney since 2003 and was associate university attorney from 1998 to 2003. Before joining the UM administration, he was a litigation associate with Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada in Jackson.
With more than 25 years of marketing, branding and positioning experience, Ebel has helped develop many well-known brands, including Fruit of the Loom, Elmer’s, Bridgestone and banking firm HSBC. He also helped develop a positioning campaign that raised the national profile of the business school at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and oversaw the launch of UM’s “Experience Amazing” campaign.