Faculty News

Writing and Rhetoric Faculty Examines AI Opportunities, Challenges
Faculty encourage their peers to ‘Explore, don’t panic’ NOVEMBER 20, 2023 BY ERIN GARRETT When generative artificial intelligence first emerged, three faculty members in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi were fascinated, intrigued and concerned. “I initially encountered it in April of 2022,” said Robert Cummings, associate professor of writing […]

UM Libraries Hires Archivist to Focus on University History
Speck-Thompson to document university’s history, serve as liaison to departments NOVEMBER 22, 2023 BY BENITA WHITEHORN Jeannie Speck-Thompson, a native of Ecru, has been named university archivist, the first faculty member devoted to this position in two decades at the University of Mississippi. An assistant professor, Speck-Thompson will process multiple formats of archival materials that […]

The Pride of Their Parents
For first time in history, all UM band directors have children in the band NOVEMBER 7, 2023 BY ERIN GARRETT As University of Mississippi band directors, Tim Oliver, Randy Dale and Mel Morse have a lot in common: their mastery of music, love of sports and, now, the title of “band dad.” For the first […]

Callings: ‘Let’s Work Through This Together’
Student, professor pursue their callings at UM NOVEMBER 2, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE Overcome with the burden of earning a master’s degree, Randy Morgan decided in 2020 that he’d had enough. He would quit and perhaps go back to his hometown or to his part-time job. Either way, he was done. Then the Sherman native […]

In Support of Singing
Former Music Professors Hope Gift Will Attract Top Vocal Performers and Future Choral Music Educators to Ole Miss OCTOBER 30, 2023 BY BILL DABNEY/UM FOUNDATION Debra and Alan Spurgeon of Oxford, Mississippi, met in their college choir, and ever since choral music has been the focus of their life together. The retired University of Mississippi […]

Assembly Quartet Releases (Re)Mix
New album features musicians and scholars OCTOBER 17, 2023 BY STAFF REPORT Assembly Quartet founding member Adam Estes is associate professor at the University of Mississippi Department of Music where he teaches saxophone, bassoon, woodwinds methods courses, and coaches woodwind chamber ensembles. His quartet’s (Re)Mix album was released by Amp Recordings in September. “Dr. Estes […]

Local, National Talent to Sing the Blues at Annual Festival
Panel at UM Blues Archive to highlight history, importance of music to the South OCTOBER 5, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE The 12th annual Oxford Blues Festival will kick off three days of blues music with a free-to-the-public event at the University of Mississippi Blues Archive. The festival returns to the main stage on Oct. 12-14 with performances from Little […]

Fulbright-Hays Award to Fund Study Abroad Project in Bolivia
Kate Centellas and 10 students to investigate health care disparities in Latin America SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE Ten University of Mississippi students will travel to Bolivia next summer to study the impacts and intricacies of public health anthropology as a part of professor Kate Centellas’ recent Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Award. For more than a decade, […]

Groundbreaking Neuro-HIV Treatment in Development at UM
Researchers use ‘body’s natural transport mechanisms’ to target the brain SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 BY ERIN GARRETT University of Mississippi researchers are developing a novel treatment for the neurological complications of HIV, also known as neuro-HIV. The National Institutes of Health awarded a five-year grant to Eden Tanner, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Jason Paris, research […]