James Corner
James Corner, assistant director of undergraduate admissions, has been selected as Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for May. To help us get to know him better, he answered a few questions for Inside Ole Miss.
IOM: How long have you worked at Ole Miss?
Corner: 13 years.
IOM: What is your hometown?
Corner: Batesville, Mississippi, the home of the 10-time state champion South Panola Tigers.
IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory.
Corner: In 2014, I was assisting with the Bachelor of General Studies Commencement ceremony and the speaker announced that I was leaving the department and all of the graduating class gave me a standing ovation. This was something I did not expect and it left a lasting impression on me.
IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work?
Corner: What I enjoy most about my position is that I get the opportunity every day to change lives and make dreams happen, by helping students get into college.
IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Corner: I like to spend time with my family and friends, as well as working out from time to time.
IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Corner: I would like to visit Hawaii.
IOM: What is your favorite movie?
Corner: Either “The Water Boy” or “Forrest Gump.”
IOM: What is your favorite Ole Miss tradition?
Corner: Seeing the Ole Miss football team walking through the Grove down the Walk of Champions. It is symbolic because it’s like they are walking into a battle, and the fans are cheering them on to victory.
IOM: What is a fun fact about you?
Corner: I am a really funny person once you get to know me.
IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead/fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Corner: Martin Luther King Jr., because, if it was not for great men like him, who made sacrifices for what was right, I would not be where I am at today in life.
IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Corner: Quiet, humble and easygoing.
IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history (past, present, or future), what would it be?
Corner: I would love to visit the future, because I would like to if we are ever going to have flying cars.
IOM: If you could be an animal for a day, you would be ____.
Corner: I would be a lion.
To nominate a colleague for Staff Member of the Month, email staffcouncil@olemiss.edu with the name of the individual you’d like to nominate as well as why you feel he or she should be recognized.