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College of Liberal Arts

University of Mississippi

Southern Studies

Ted Ownby, former director of the UM Center for the Study of Southern Culture, reads outside Barnard Observatory. Ownby has received a Fulbright Award to teach and conduct research at the University of Southern Denmark. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

Former Center Director Receives Fulbright Award

Ted Ownby plans to teach and conduct research at the University of Southern Denmark JUNE 25, 2020 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY After Ted Ownby stepped down as the director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi in 2019, he wanted to do something different, so he decided to […]

Randy Fertel presents the Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame award to Adrian Miller.

Fanning the Flame

Fertel’s $1M Planned Gift Will Support Southern Foodways Alliance MAY 29, 2020 BY BILL DABNEY A New Orleans-based writer’s $1 million planned gift to the University of Mississippi will fan the flames of one of the Southern Foodways Alliance’s (SFA) most prestigious awards. Each fall, the SFA honors an unsung hero or heroine with the […]

ony Chachere, pictured here on the set of his first cooking video, shared his passion for Creole cuisine with his family and friends throughout his life.

A Natural Fit

Tony Chachere’s Funds SFA Documentaries on Hero Home Cooks MAY 27, 2020 BY MARY STANTON KNIGHT Tony Chachere’s major gift to the University of Mississippi will fund the creation of three film documentaries over the next three years by the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA). Based out of Opelousas, Louisiana, the family-run corporation’s $90,000 gift will […]

Cathead Distillery founders Austin Evans (left) and Richard Patrick have made a donation to the UM Southern Foodways Alliance to fund a series of essays exploring the contemporary South and its future. Photo courtesy Cathead Distillery

Cathead Makes Major Gift to Southern Foodways Alliance

Gift honors SFA’s efforts on behalf of restaurant industry during pandemic and beyond APRIL 29, 2020 BY BILL DABNEY The Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi has received a major gift from the founders of Mississippi-based Cathead Distillery, whose efforts during the COVID-19 crisis are making statewide impact. The $75,000 gift from Cathead […]

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill is among volunteers giving Cathead hand sanitizer to citizens during the community's first distribution.

Cathead Makes Major Gift to SFA

Gift Honors SFA’s Efforts During Pandemic and Beyond APRIL 23, 2020 BY BILL DABNEY The Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) at the University of Mississippi received a major gift from the founders of Mississippi-based Cathead Distillery, whose efforts during the COVID-19 crisis are making statewide impact. The $75,000 gift from Cathead owners Austin Evans and Richard […]

‘It’s Time,’ which tells the story of Ole Miss football player Chucky Mullins, premieres at the Oxford Film Festival, which begins March 18 and features screenings of 222 films and more than 100 events over five days. Photo courtesy Oxford Film Festival

‘It’s Time’ for the Oxford Film Festival

17th annual event brings more than 200 movies to community over five days MARCH 11, 2020 BY HANNAH HUMPHREYS The 2020 Oxford Film Festival, which begins March 18, will host the world premiere of “It’s Time,” the story of Ole Miss football player Chucky Mullins, and screenings of 222 films and more than 100 other […]

The 27th Oxford Conference for the Book will kick off with a celebration of 50 years of the University Press of Mississippi.

Authors, Book Lovers Converge at 27th Oxford Conference for the Book

Free public annual event set for April 1-3 MARCH 3, 2020 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY Ernest Hemingway said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” Along those lines, both book lovers and friends are set to converge April 1-3 in Oxford for the 27th Oxford Conference for the Book. Free and open to […]

Kenneth Mayfield (left), Dr. Theron Evans Jr., Henrieese Roberts, Linnie Liggins, and Donald Cole remember their time as UM students in the very spot where they were arrested for protesting 50 years ago. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

Then and Now: ‘Black Power at Ole Miss’ Spotlights Historic Events

University leaders reflect on 50th anniversary of arrests, recognize more must be done to heal wounds FEBRUARY 27, 2020 BY JB CLARK In a series of events intended to remember, reckon and repair, the University of Mississippi welcomed back many of the black students who were arrested on campus 50 years ago during one of […]

UM journalism graduate Will Jacks kicks off the SouthTalks spring series Jan. 29 with a talk about his photographs of Po’ Monkey’s Lounge outside Merigold.

Spring SouthTalks Begin January 29

January 23, 2020 by Rebecca Lauck Cleary The SouthTalks series, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, is offering a wide variety of events this spring, including five lectures focused on movement and migration in the South. SouthTalks explore the interdisciplinary nature of Southern studies and includes […]

Professors Jaime Harker and Theresa Starkey in the recording studio

Steering into Dixie

Sarah Isom Center podcast puts new lens on Southern Culture DECEMBER 6, 2019 BY ABIGAIL MEISEL Rock stars.  Rebellion. Radical spaces. Welcome to the universe of “Swerve South,” a new podcast produced by the University of Mississippi’s Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies. “Swerve South”—a six-part weekly series which debuted on November 27—examines […]