Students enjoy the fall colors on campus between classes.
Maybe you’ve heard by now that the University of Mississippi is the state’s flagship university. That status helps generate overwhelming support from alumni and friends, who gave a record $133 million this past fiscal year. Take it from Acting Chancellor Morris Stocks, these funds allow the university to strengthen its faculty, increase student scholarships, contribute to research and improve health care.
This summer, UM hosted 16 high school students from around the country to assist with research aiding in the prevention of concussions in athletes. This program is a partnership between Ole Miss athletics, the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education. Sensors worn by athletes are providing data to help coaches and trainers monitor the health and safety of their players. The Ole Miss football team is testing the technology in a pilot program this season.
Have you ever been concerned about an older relative who might be at risk for falling? Technology designed right here at UM by research scientist James Sabatier can be used to measure and score the movements of aging adults in order to assess them for possible treatment or intervention. The UM-patented sonar technology soon could help ease the minds of those who care for the elderly.
Even before this was announced, anyone on campus could’ve told you that our student affairs team rocks. They are genuine in their efforts and enthusiastic about their work. They have earned UM the honor of being named one of the Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs for their commitment to workplace diversity, equitable staffing practices and supportive work environments. UM is one of two SEC schools to be recognized, and the only school in Mississippi.
Leading the pack as one of Mississippi’s Healthiest Workplaces, UM and the RebelWell team are working diligently to promote a “culture of wellness” among our faculty and staff. Exercise opportunities, health screenings, general wellness education and nutrition services are all available to help create a healthy work-life balance for our employees. And you know what they say: Happy faculty and staff make for happy students.
Have we talked enough about what a great place UM is to work? Fortunately, we can let someone else do the talking for us. The Chronicle of Higher Education has once again named UM one of the “Great Colleges to Work For.” Based on a survey of our own employees, we were noted for our strengths in collaborative governance, employee confidence in the university’s senior leadership and supervisor/department chair relationship. UM has received the recognition seven years running.
Perhaps the biggest story of 2015 is UM’s nationwide search for a new chancellor. The UM Board Search Committee, appointed by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, hopes to have a preferred candidate by the end of the year. The committee, assisted by a UM Campus Search Advisory Board, met with the boards of the UM Foundation and Alumni Association and held listening sessions to hear firsthand what faculty, staff and students want in a new leader.