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Alumni News

First-Generation Students to be Lauded During Weeklong Celebration

Both in-person and virtual activities set for campus observance OCTOBER 26, 2020 BY EDWIN B. SMITH The academic achievements of first-generation students at the University of Mississippi will be celebrated in a series of in-person and virtual activities planned for Nov. 2-6. First-Generation Student Celebration Week is co-sponsored by the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College’s […]

Donald Cole, who retired in January after more than 50 years at the University of Mississippi as a student, educator and administrator, has been honored by having his name added to the university’s Student Services Center. Cole, known for being a tenacious advocate for diversity and opportunity for all students, said he is speechless and humbled at having the building renamed the Martindale-Cole Student Services Center. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

Student Services Center Renamed to Honor Donald Cole

IHL approves renaming building to honor 50 years of advocacy for education and inclusiveness October 19, 2020 by Staff Report The University of Mississippi will rename a major campus building in honor of Donald R. Cole, a former student activist who returned to Ole Miss as a caring mentor and administrator for decades. The Mississippi […]

Renvy Pittman, a 1977 UM graduate, is a longtime supporter of the Grove Scholars program. Her recent $100,000 gift will enable students in the program to pursue summer internships in their fields. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation

Valuing Higher Education

UM alumna continues legacy of giving to Grove Scholars program OCTOBER 10, 2020 BY BILL DABNEY Renvy Pittman’s belief in the power of higher education is evident in her continued generosity to the Grove Scholars program at the University of Mississippi. The 1977 UM graduate’s recent $100,000 gift to the program is the latest in […]

Ben and Melinda Yarbrough

Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, M.D. Senior Professor Research Award for Natural Sciences Fund

OCTOBER 27, 2020 Melinda and Benjamin Yarbrough of Natchez, Mississippi are funding an annual Senior Professor Research Award in the Natural Sciences division of the University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts. “After family, Ole Miss has been one of the most important and long-standing influences in my life,” said Ben Yarbrough (BS biological science […]

S. Kendall Dunn Biology Support Fund

OCTOBER 27, 2020 Alumna Dr. S. Kendall Dunn of Pike Road, Alabama supports excellence in student research and learning at the University of Mississippi Department of Biology through the purchasing of new instrumentation and infrastructure required to support these instruments. “The biology curriculum at Ole Miss put me in a great position for most of […]

Norma S. Bourdeaux Art & Art History Endowment

OCTOBER 27, 2020 Alumna Norma Bourdeaux of Oxford is providing support for the greatest needs of the University of Mississippi Department of Art & Art History. “I was fortunate to return to school in my 70s to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts,” Bourdeaux said. “Surrounded by excellent instructors and serious fellow students, both graduate […]

UM graduates who have received scholarships this year for medical school through the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program are (from left) Meagan Buchanan, Katelynn McGowen, Steven Smith and Jamie Riggs. Photo by Joe Ellis/UM Medical Center

UM Graduates Receive Rural Physicians Scholarships

Program helps students attend medical school in return for service to state OCTOBER 6, 2020 BY STAFF REPORT Several graduates of the University of Mississippi have been awarded Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarships valued at $30,000 a year for their medical training. The awards were announced at an annual scholarship ceremony in Jackson. The UM graduates […]

Mallory Loe, a graduate of the UM Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, completed a research fellowship with the HST-Wellman Summer Institute for Biomedical Optics. Submitted photo

The COVID-19 Cohort

Recent UM graduates enter medical school during a global pandemic September 10, 2020 by Abigail Meisel This summer, 104 members of the University of Mississippi class of 2020 are entering medical school during a historic time, a global pandemic of COVID-19. Because of safety protocols, they’re missing out on milestone events, such as the traditional […]

UM alumnus Shelby Grady performs on the set of ‘Slice of Life,’ a short horror film written and directed by Gavin Fields and produced by Deer Run Media, a video agency founded by Fields and several fellow UM alumni. Submitted photo

Choose Your Own Adventure with a Degree in Theatre Arts

Department of Theatre and Film alumni employ training in many fields September 1, 2020 by Katherine Stewart What do an HR director at a New York City startup, a senior tax accountant for one of the world’s largest companies, and a personal assistant-cum-film producer and actor have in common? This isn’t a riddle; it’s a […]

Honors College Alumna Wins National Portz Scholarship

Genevieve Verville’s research could improve development, effectiveness of new drugs AUGUST 20, 2020 BY EDWIN B. SMITH A recent graduate of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi has been awarded a prestigious scholarship from the National Collegiate Honors Council. Genevieve Verville, a May 2020 chemistry graduate with minors in mathematics, […]