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Film Professor Makes International Debut

Sarah Hennigan heads to New Zealand for screening at Maoriland Film Festival MARCH 20, 2019 BY KATHERINE STEWART One of the most recent additions to the University of Mississippi’s Department of Theatre and Film faculty is already making great strides – across an ocean and into another hemisphere. Sarah ...

Nominations Sought for Annual Frist Awards

Honor recognizes UM faculty and staff members for outstanding service to students MARCH 18, 2019 BY MITCHELL DIGG Away from their families and hometown friends, many college students encounter challenges or hardships. But at the University of Mississippi, faculty and staff members often step in to lend a helping hand ...

Two Math Champs = Win for Ole Miss

UM professors Dao Nguyen and Thái Hoàng Lê both won gold medals at Math Olympiad MARCH 13, 2019 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM One of the first known uses of mathematics was 37,000 years ago when someone in the Lebombo Mountains between South Africa and Swaziland carved 29 marks into a bone ...

Annual Awards Program Honors UM Faculty and Students

HEADWAE recognizes academic achievement, contributions to higher learning MARCH 14, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH University of Mississippi students and faculty were among the honorees at the 32nd annual Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence, or HEADWAE, awards program last month in Jackson. Edward Elam Miller, a senior from ...

Promoting Excellence in Lab Instruction

UM biology professor pays tribute to late wife through gift MARCH 13, 2019 BY KIRSTEN FAULKNER A recent major gift from University of Mississippi Professor Emeritus Will St. Amand establishes an award designed to identify and provide support for higher education instruction in introductory-level biology. Additionally, the Georgia St. Amand ...

Law School Associate Dean Honored by IHL

Sandra Cox-McCarty is this year's recipient of the Excellence in Diversity Award MARCH 12, 2019 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE Sandra Cox-McCarty, associate dean for administration and diversity initiatives at the University of Mississippi School of Law, is dedicated to diversity and inclusion. For more than 27 years, she has worked diligently ...

Emily Wagster Pettus to be Honored with 2019 Silver Em

Longtime legislative reporter to receive university's highest award in journalism MARCH 12, 2019 BY LAREECA RUCKER Between 2003 and 2014, U.S. newspapers lost 35 percent of their statehouse reporters, a percentage slightly higher than newspaper staffing nationwide, the Pew Research Center reports. As news staffs shrink across the country, state ...

Music Major Blends Experiences of International and Hometown Student

South Korean native Jiwon Lee grew up on Ole Miss campus MARCH 12, 2019 BY SHEA STEWART Jiwon Lee is not your typical international student at the University of Mississippi. Born in Daejeon, South Korea, Lee arrived in Oxford as an infant. Her father, Jongbok Lee, and mother, Aeran Moon Lee, were ...

Aliens are Coming to March Edition of Science Cafe

UM chemistry professor Ryan Fortenberry to discuss molecules from deep space MARCH 11, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH The detection and possible impact of alien molecules from deep space are the topic for a monthly public science forum organized by the University of Mississippi Department of Physics and Astronomy. The ...

History Professor Lands Humanities Fellowship

Lindgren-Gibson first UM historian to receive honor from the University of Rochester MARCH 8, 2019 BY KATHRYN ABERNATHY Alexandra Lindgren-Gibson, an assistant professor of history at the University of Mississippi, has been awarded a research fellowship from the University of Rochester, which funds a year of workshops, programs, research and biweekly Humanities ...

Music Faculty and Students Head to the College of Charleston

Trip to include performances, a master class and professional networking opportunities MARCH 7, 2019 BY LYNN WILKINS When Nancy Maria Balach, associate professor of music at the University of Mississippi and artistic director of Living Music Resource, gets to South Carolina this weekend, she’s going to hit the ground running. ...

Lecture Examines ‘Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age’

Alexander Heffner, host of PBS' 'The Open Mind,' to speak March 21 at UM MARCH 6, 2019 BY KENDALL PATTERSON The University of Mississippi’s Department of Writing and Rhetoric and Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will sponsor a lecture on “Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age” March 21 in Fulton ...

Learning in the Footsteps of Greatness

UM sophomore, Winona native chosen for Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows Program MARCH 5, 2019 BY SHEA STEWART A University of Mississippi student is heading to Virginia this May to study leadership at the home of the country’s first leader, George Washington. Mitchell Palmertree, a sophomore public policy leadership major from Winona, ...

Another Year of Exploring ‘New Horizons’

TEDxUniversityofMississippi to host fourth annual speaking event March 6 MARCH 5, 2019 BY JUSTIN WHITMORE The University of Mississippi is set to host its annual TEDxUniversityofMississippi conference that will bring together speakers from throughout the university community to the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts at 6 p.m. Wednesday (March 6). The fourth ...

Gift Benefits Public Policy Leadership Students

Alumnus supports rising juniors with major gift MARCH 5, 2019 BY CAITLYN CLEGG Teaching a college course inspired University of Mississippi alumnus Dean Copeland of Atlanta, Georgia, to provide financial support to student leaders at his alma mater. Copeland, a UM graduate and former Rhodes Scholar, recently made a $100,000 ...

Oxford Conference for the Book Welcomes Authors for 26th Year

Readings, panel discussions and lectures are free and open to the public MARCH 4, 2019 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY What do a championship poker player, the U.S.-Mexico border controversy and the Appalachian South have in common? They are all part of this year’s Oxford Conference for the Book, set for ...

Q&A: Midshipmen Ready to Represent Ole Miss

Navy ROTC prepares for 'national championship' drill competition FEBRUARY 28, 2019 BY STAFF REPORT The University of Mississippi  Navy ROTC Drill Team will participate in a national competition Friday (March 1) at Tulane University. The Mardi Gras Drill Meet is considered the “national championship” of drill competitions. Ole Miss midshipmen are in ...

Board of Trustees Presents Annual Diversity Awards

Medical Center administrator and former UM educator honored for service, statewide impact FEBRUARY 28, 2019 BY STAFF REPORT The Mississippi board of trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning celebrated Black History Month with its annual Diversity Awards ceremony in Jackson. Campus and community leaders were recognized for their efforts ...

English Professor Examines Voices of Early America

Caroline Wigginton wins national book award for first published work FEBRUARY 28, 2019 BY JUSTIN WHITMORE   University of Mississippi English professor Caroline Wigginton’s innovative look at some of America’s earliest texts was recognized nationally recently when she was named the recipient of the 2018 Early American Literature Book Prize for ...

Celebrating a Distinguished Military Career Shaped by Ole Miss

Col. Kelvin Nichols marks promotion where he was first commissioned FEBRUARY 26, 2019 BY JUSTIN WHITMORE Col. Kelvin Nichols has accrued more than 29 years of military service in the Mississippi Army National Guard and seen action around the world, and he asked friends, family and his brothers and sisters ...

Grisham Fellows Find UM Family During Visits

Newton High School students meet with faculty, staff and students; volunteer in community FEBRUARY 25, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH As a student at the University of Mississippi, Bruce Ware took Sociology 101 under professor Vaughn Grisham. From that classroom experience, Ware and Grisham developed an enduring friendship that inspired ...

Cantata Celebrates Sojourner Truth

Nicholls State soprano and chamber ensemble to perform Sunday afternoon at UM FEBRUARY 21, 2019 BY LYNN WILKINS Stanley Friedman didn’t learn about Sojourner Truth growing up. “It just wasn’t taught in segregated white schools in Memphis in the ’50s and ’60s,” said the composer, who teaches composition in the ...

A Biology Faculty Member Gives Back

Longest Scholarship Will Help Transfer Students Complete Their Degrees February 20, 2019 By Bill Dabney Dr. William D. Longest, who taught biology at the University of Mississippi for over two decades, recently established a scholarship endowment to help offset tuition expenses for students who transfer to Ole Miss from a community ...

‘Evicted’ Selected for 2019 Common Reading Experience

Incoming students to read Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller FEBRUARY 20, 2019 BY JONATHAN SCOTT The critically acclaimed New York Times best-seller “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City” has been selected for the University of Mississippi‘s Common Reading Experience for 2019. Written by Matthew Desmond, a Princeton sociologist and recipient of ...

Honors College Student Receives Barksdale Award

Maureen Maher gets $5,000 to fulfill dream of capturing national parks employees' perspectives FEBRUARY 21, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH A junior psychology major in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi will get to fulfill her dream to visit 12 national parks and interview seasonal ...

Dance Company Celebrates Modern Dance with ‘Calling Terpsichore!’

Annual showcase features range of styles during performances being staged this weekend FEBRUARY 20, 2019 BY KATHERINE STEWART In Greek mythology, Terpsichore is known as the goddess of dance. So it is only fitting that she should make an appearance at this year’s annual showcase from the University of Mississippi‘s resident ...

Acclaim for UM Pianist Draws Worldwide Attention to State, University

New album, London concerts mark notable start of 2019 for Levingston FEBRUARY 18, 2019 BY JONATHAN SCOTT The month of January brought positive attention to the University of Mississippi and the state as Bruce Levingston, internationally renowned concert pianist and holder of UM’s Fant Chair and Chancellor’s Honors College Artist-in-Residence, received acclaim ...

Burgeoning School of Nursing Program Increases Reach

Move to South Oxford Center will allow program to admit more students and offer more options FEBRUARY 15, 2019 BY KATE ROYALS Beginning in the fall, the University of Mississippi School of Nursing will expand its footprint in Oxford with a new space and more students. The next cohort of ...

Highlighting Research of Liberal Arts Professors

Thomas Couple Establishes Research Award Endowment February 14, 2019 By Mary Stanton Knight Sanford and Susan Thomas of Memphis, Tennessee, have made a gift of $50,000 to the University of Mississippi, establishing a faculty research award endowment in the College of Liberal Arts that reflects the value they place on academics. ...

Doctoral Student Earns Competitive Summer Fellowship

English student Sarah Heying granted access to unique library collection at Texas A&M FEBRUARY 10, 2019 BY JUSTIN WHITMORE University of Mississippi doctoral student Sarah Heying has earned a highly competitive fellowship that will send her to Texas A&M University this summer to participate in a unique research opportunity. Heying, a ...

Neuroscientist is Keynote Speaker for Brain Awareness Week

Vanderbilt assistant professor Erin Calipari to address opioid addiction FEBRUARY 8, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH A leading neuroscientist will discuss the impact of opioids and other drugs on the human brain during Brain Awareness Week, set for Feb. 19-21, at the University of Mississippi. Erin Calipari, assistant professor in ...

Classics Professor Named Humanities Teacher of the Year

Brad Cook receives honor from Mississippi Humanities Council, presents Feb. 11 lecture FEBRUARY 7, 2019 BY SHEA STEWART Brad Cook, an associate professor of classics at the University of Mississippi, has been awarded a Humanities Teacher Award from the Mississippi Humanities Council. The award recognizes outstanding work by a Mississippian in bringing ...

University Sets Annual Black History Month Observances

Keynote addresses by renowned authors Tim Wise and Joy DeGruy highlight events JANUARY 31, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH Two internationally renowned educators are the keynote speakers for annual Black History Month observances at the University of Mississippi. Tim Wise, a critically acclaimed antiracist essayist, and Joy DeGruy, a respected ...

‘Mr. Burns’ Examines Importance of Stories in Everyday Life

Director promises a show 'like nothing you've ever seen before' in Ole Miss Theatre production FEBRUARY 6, 2019 BY KATHERINE STEWART What happens when the lights go out on society as we know it? The first show of the Ole Miss Theatre spring 2019 performance season offers a challenging – and strangely ...

High School Students Learn Entrepreneurship Skills at Conference

STRIVE! brings 100 north Mississippi high school students together with area business leaders JANUARY 28, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH For 100 north Mississippi high school students, the path to owning their own businesses got a boost recently at the University of Mississippi. Those students spent Thursday (Jan. 24) investing ...

Q&A with Leo Stein, Black Hole Researcher

JANUARY 30, 2019 Leo C. Stein, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Mississippi, is part of a team of physicists that recently used supercomputers and artificial intelligence to create the most accurate model yet of black hole mergers. The research, conducted with ...

Making Better Predictions of Black Hole Smash-Ups

Caltech, UM physicists use supercomputers and AI to create most accurate model of stellar mergers JANUARY 30, 2019 BY WHITNEY CLAVIN/CALTECH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS One of the most cataclysmic events to occur in the cosmos involves the collision of two black holes. Formed from the deathly collapse of massive stars, black ...

Department of Theatre and Film Gets Showcase at Oxford Film Festival

New collaboration provides opportunities for filmmakers across campus, region JANUARY 30, 2019 BY KATHERINE STEWART A rising new cinema star will debut at next week’s Oxford Film Festival: the University of Mississippi Department of Theatre and Film. “Ole Miss Theatre & Film Presents,” a block of films curated by the faculty of ...

Faculty Pianist and Guest Mezzo-soprano to Perform Songs of Love

Longtime collaborators launch tri-city tour Jan. 29 on campus JANUARY 25, 2019 BY LYNN ADAMS WILKINS Valentine’s Day may not be until Feb. 14, but pianist Amanda Johnston and mezzo-soprano Tracelyn Gesteland will perform a program all about love, entitled “Mots d’amour,” or “Words of Love,” Jan. 29 at the ...

‘Thacker Mountain Radio Hour’ Goes Junior

Kids' version of iconic radio show features special guests and youth hosts, musicians JANUARY 24, 2019 BY LYNN ADAMS WILKINS “Thacker Mountain Radio Hour,” a live radio show featuring literary and musical guests, is teaming up with the University of Mississippi’s Living Music Resource to produce an episode that is ...

Two UM Professors Have Titles on Best Southern Books of 2018

Kiese Laymon's 'Heavy,' Chris Offutt's 'County Dark' recognized by AJC JANUARY 23, 2019 BY JUSTIN WHITMORE Two University of Mississippi faculty members had books recognized by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as among the best pieces of Southern literature published in 2018. Kiese Laymon’s memoir “Heavy” and Chris Offutt’s historical novel “Country Dark” were ...

Estate Gift Honors Family and Friends

Wilsons' planned contribution designed to benefit teaching in UM Honors College JANUARY 19, 2019 BY BILL DABNEY Ron and Jody Wilson, of Oxford, want their planned gift to help generate more University of Mississippi courses that will engage and challenge students for generations to come. The Wilsons recently included Ole ...

Philosophy Chair Wins National Excellence in Academic Advising Award

Steven Skultety recognized for service and support of students JANUARY 23, 2019 BY EDWIN B. SMITH Over the past few years, Steven C. Skultety has advised, encouraged and lent a compassionate ear to hundreds of students at the University of Mississippi. Now some of those same students are nominating him ...

Student to Work with Smithsonian on Expat Women Artists

Grace Moorman will research influence of American female artists living in Paris in 1920s JANUARY 14, 2019 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM University of Mississippi student Grace Moorman is going to Washington for the spring 2019 semester to work as a curatorial intern at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery on a ...

Doctoral Candidate Earns Fellowship to Continue Literary Research

Amber Hodge to continue dissertation work at University of Virginia's academic libraries JANUARY 10, 2019 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM University of Mississippi doctoral candidate Amber Hodge has received a Lillian Gary Taylor Fellowship in American Literature, which funds a month of research at the University of Virginia’s expansive academic libraries. Hodge, who ...

Three Southern Studies Faculty Celebrate Book Publications

Off Square Books event set for Jan. 22 JANUARY 8, 2019 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY Three faculty members at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture are kicking off the spring semester with a celebration of their books’ publication. The event, set for 5 p.m. Jan. ...

Ole Miss Hall of Famer Credited with ‘Altering the Face of Medicine’

Renowned immunologist Dr. Max Cooper wins Japan Prize DECEMBER 27, 2018 BY TINA HAHN Dr. Max D. Cooper, of the Emory University School of Medicine, didn’t become a researcher to win awards. As a pediatrician, his concern for his patients led him to explore why inherited disorders disable the immune ...

Professor Receives Competitive NIH Award, Peer-reviewed Journal Cover

Saumen Chakraborty's research explores alternate energy, Alzheimer's disease JANUARY 3, 2019 BY SHEA STEWART The fall semester was kind to University of Mississippi researcher Saumen Chakraborty, who received a National Institutes of Health award and earned the cover of a scientific journal. Chakraborty, an assistant professor in the UM Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, ...

UM Recognized Among Country’s Top-Tier Research Universities Once Again

Carnegie Classification recognizes R&D investment and doctoral and professional degrees granted DECEMBER 17, 2018 BY STAFF REPORT The University of Mississippi is included in the elite group of R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity released Monday in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the definitive list of ...

UM Educators Fostering Cuban Educational Collaboration

Six faculty members are applying principles, information gathered and shared during recent conference DECEMBER 18, 2018 BY EDWIN B. SMITH Six University of Mississippi faculty members were among educators from Cuba and many surrounding countries, including the United States, brought together for the recent Cuba TIES IV Conference. UM educators ...