Alumni News

The new Linda Spargo Art and Rowan Oak Fund will contribute financially to academic research within the College of Liberal Arts – such as the work examining the history of author William Faulkner’s former home, known as Rowan Oak – and to the work of the Department of Art and Art History.

Support Fund Named for Spargo Supports Arts, Rowan Oak

Honoring Linda Spargo June 11, 2021 By Mary Stanton Knight Navigating a four-year university can be daunting for some, but University of Mississippi students had a mentor in Linda Spargo, who devoted her career to guiding them and their families. Recently retired, Spargo’s impact is being honored through a support fund. Numerous donors, including former […]

Building A Strong Foundation

Smiths’ Love for the Humanities Inspires Gift to Liberal Arts June 8, 2021 By Mary Stanton Knight A lifetime of love for the humanities inspired a Natchez, Mississippi, couple to provide academic support to the University of Mississippi’s College of Liberal Arts. When Carolyn and Marion Smith were briefed on the crucial call for funding […]

Ralph Eubanks, who has been named a 2021 fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, speaks at the 2017 opening of the Mississippi Bicentennial Exhibition at the University of Mississippi’s J.D. Williams Library. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

Ralph Eubanks Receives Harvard Radcliffe Honor

UM professor and author plans to use fellowship to write a book examining the Delta May 25, 2021 by Rebecca Lauck Cleary Walking your dog can be a routine event, or it could be the exact time someone calls your cellphone from a prestigious university sharing the exciting news that you’ve been named a 2021 […]

Alumni Spotlight: Susan Johnson Cushman

Susan Johnson Cushman’s books include Friends of the Library (short stories), Cherry Bomb (a novel), Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer’s (a memoir), and three anthologies she edited. John and Mary Margaret is her seventh book. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee. How did your interest in being an English major develop? I […]

Alumni Spotlight: Molly Harris

As volunteers manager with the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Molly Harris (BA political science 14) played a role in the inauguration of US President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. She was selected to lead the recruitment, training, and management of approximately 300 volunteers. “I saw everything you didn’t see on TV and […]

Dr. Ralf Zapata and his wife, Rhonda, established a new endowment at the University of Mississippi as a way to "give back" for the scholarships that had a transformative impact on their lives.

Providing Academic Opportunities

Zapatas Create Scholarships for Future Generations of UM Students May 14, 2021 By Jonathan Scott Scholarships awarded to Dr. Ralf Zapata allowed him to earn a chemistry degree in 1983 from the University of Mississippi, enabling him to launch his future without the financial burden of student loans. As Zapata begins to ease into retirement […]

Several members of the Ole Miss First Scholarship program visit the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi. Among those participating in the field trip are (from left) Daniel Reed, OMF graduate assistant, Benjamin Saulsberry, museum director of the Interpretive Center, six OMF scholars – Edward Puckett, Haley Morgan, John Michael Walker, Katie Davis, Sarah Amitin and Francesca Patawaran – and Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.

Ole Miss First—It’s a Family Matter

Program Aims to Provide Scholarships for Deserving Students May 12, 2021 By Jonathan Scott Family. It’s the one word that best describes the Ole Miss First Scholarship (OMF) program. That was also the word that kept returning to the mind of Chancellor Emeritus Robert Khayat 20 years ago when he proposed establishing a new scholarship […]

UM Alumni Offer Wise Words to New Graduates

Ahead of Commencement exercises, 7 Ole Miss alumni share guidance and encouragement April 28, 2021 by Emily Howorth As the Classes of 2020 and 2021 celebrate Commencement in early May, they’ll complete an exciting journey, begin their next chapters and join the good company of distinguished alumni. The University of Mississippi is a place where […]

Robert and Margaret Khayat attended many events together, including the dedication of the Robert C. Khayat Law Center. Below: Margaret Khayat on her wedding day.

Honoring Former First Lady Margaret Khayat

Members of UM Family Recall Her ‘Pivotal Impact’ on Ole Miss March 10, 2021 by Jonathan Scott Margaret Mason Denton Khayat’s generous life and many years of support for the University of Mississippi are being celebrated by the Ole Miss family. Khayat, the former first lady of Ole Miss, passed away Feb. 22. Her husband, […]

Alumni Spotlight: John Kelly

As a chemist working for UES Inc. at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, John Kelly (PhD chemistry and biochemistry 16) focuses on improving a warfighter’s ability to detect chemical warfare in the field by optimizing and engineering novel solutions for imminent chemical weapons and terrorism. He uses state-of-the-art chemical identification and characterization sensors (gas chromatography-mass […]