Photo by Jo Worthem/University Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – Teresa A. Sullivan, a respected sociologist and president of the University of Virginia, is set to visit the University of Mississippi on May 9 to deliver the main address at the university’s 162nd Commencement.
Sullivan has served as Virginia’s eighth president, the first woman elected to that position, since 2010. During her tenure, she has won praise for her consensus-building style of leadership and developed a financial plan to recruit and retain top faculty, restore the university’s Jefferson Grounds and provide scholarships for needy students. She has also guided the institution through two major controversies, her forced resignation and reinstatement by the university’s Board of Visitors in 2012, and a sexual assault scandal sparked by a 2014 Rolling Stone story that has been discredited and recently retracted.
A graduate of St. Joseph High School in Jackson, Sullivan speaks to graduating students, their families and other guests at 9 a.m. in the Grove. This year’s graduating class includes about 2,800 spring candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees, plus some 1,200 August 2014 graduates.
“Over the years, we have had leaders from many fields come to campus for our Commencement addresses, and I chose Dr. Sullivan for this year because she is a distinguished scholar and administrator who has Mississippi connections,” Chancellor Dan Jones said. “She has been through some interesting times in her tenure as president of the University of Virginia, and she has provided valuable national leadership in dealing with some of the issues she has faced.”
Recipients of Doctor of Philosophy degrees are to be hooded by their major professors in a 7:30 p.m. ceremony May 8 in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College ceremony begins at 4 p.m. at the same location.
A shuttle service for handicapped and elderly visitors is available, and guests who need this service are asked to park in the new garage beside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hill Drive and Manning Way. (Wheelchairs, if needed, must be provided by families.) To request assistance, call 662-915-7235 or 662-915-5203.
In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to Tad Smith Coliseum. If the weather is threatening, a decision on moving the ceremony indoors will be made by 8 a.m. and announced through media outlets, text messaging and the Ole Miss website.
UVA President Teresa Sullivan
Following the main ceremony, individual schools and the College of Liberal Arts hold ceremonies at various times and locations to present baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Pharmacy and Juris Doctor degrees and awards. The schedule is as follows:
– College of Liberal Arts master’s degrees – 11 a.m., Fulton Chapel
– Patterson School of Accountancy – 11 a.m., Ford Center (overflow viewing across the street in Nutt Auditorium)
– School of Applied Sciences – 11 a.m., Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center
– School of Business Administration – 11 a.m., Tad Smith Coliseum
– School of Engineering – 11 a.m., Lyceum Circle
– School of Education – 11 a.m., Grove
– School of Law – 11 a.m., Grove
– Bachelor of General Studies – 2:30 p.m., Grove
– School of Pharmacy – 2:30 p.m., Manning Center
– Meek School of Journalism and New Media – 2:30 p.m., Ford Center
– College of Liberal Arts – 2:30 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum
In case of rain, the College of Liberal Arts master’s degree ceremony will be moved to 11 a.m. in the Jackson Avenue Center. The School of Education ceremony will be moved to 5 p.m. in Tad Smith Coliseum; Engineering, 11 a.m. in Fulton Chapel; and Law, 5 p.m. in the Manning Center.
Besides Sullivan’s address, the main ceremony also includes remarks by the senior class president, recognition for the university’s outstanding teacher and announcements of the Frist Student Service awards and the Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award.
Sullivan grew up during the desegregation era in the South, first in Little Rock, Arkansas, until she was 13, and then in Jackson. She was valedictorian of her class at St. Joseph, the first high school in the state to integrate. She earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University’s James Madison College and her doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago.
She began her career as a sociology instructor at the University of Texas and quickly advanced to become executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas System. Before being tapped for the Virginia presidency, she was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.
In fall 2012, she launched a major initiative to develop priorities for the University of Virginia’s future that included soliciting input from 10,000 alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff. This effort produced a new strategic plan for the university, the Cornerstone Plan.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sullivan serves as vice chair of the Council of Presidents for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She also provides leadership as the Association of American Universities representative on the board of directors for the American Council on Education.
“I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with Dr. Sullivan, and I came away impressed with her commitment and loyalty to the people she works with,” Jones said. “It is truly an honor to welcome someone with her knowledge and experience to campus, and doubly so because of her Mississippi ties. Our graduates can learn a lot from her experiences.”
Because of campus construction projects, parking and transportation options have changed on campus. Guests are encouraged to check out parking and driving instructions here. A map showing Commencement venues, information booths, shuttle stops, parking areas and restrooms is available at http://map.olemiss.edu/.
For more information on Commencement activities, go to http://commencement.olemiss.edu/. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7235.