University of Mississippi
The Lyceum
The University of Mississippi, nicknamed Ole Miss, in Oxford, Mississippi was founded in 1848 with 80 students. It now has an enrollment of 14,307 students in nine academic divisions. Branch campuses are located in Tupelo and Southaven as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. It is a sea-grant institute as well as a space-grant institute
Schools and Colleges of Ole Miss
- College of Liberal Arts
- Graduate School
- School of Accountancy
- School of Applied Sciences
- School of Business Administration
- School of Education
- School of Engineering
- School of Law
- School of Pharmacy
The colleges in the University Medical Center in Jackson are:
- School of Medicine
- School of Dentistry
- School of Nursing
- School of Health Related Professions
University Facts
- The University is the home of a number of research centers.
- Ole Miss is among the top 30 public institutions with largest endowments per student.
- Ole Miss ranks 8th nationally for its production of 24 Rhodes Scholars and has produced five Truman and seven Goldwater scholars since 1998.
- The student-to-faculty ratio is 21:1.
- Ole Miss is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as one of the top 100 Research Extensive institutions in the nation.
- The School of Pharmacy ranks 20th in the nation among schools of pharmacy for funding from the prestigious National Institutes of Health and 2nd among pharmacy schools for total federal funding.
- University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons performed the world's first lung transplant in man and transplanted the heart of a chimpanzee - man's closest genetic relation - into the chest of a dying man.
- The University houses the largest blues (music) archive in the United States/
History
The Lyceum is the oldest building on campus, built in 1848. It was used as a hospital during the American Civil War for both Union and Confederate soldiers. It was also the site of the riots at Ole Miss during integration. Today, the building is used to house the administration of the school.
The school session was interrupted briefly during the Civil War, when every student and most faculty from Ole Miss enlisted in the Confederate Army. They were nicknamed the 'University Greys', and by war's end they suffered a 100% casualty rate.
The school was integrated in 1962 when 29-year-old James Meredith matriculated there. President John F. Kennedy called in 20,000 National Guard to protect Meredith. Two died and 300 were wounded in the resulting rioting. Today, approximately 13% of the student population is African-American.
William Faulkner's estate, Rowan Oak, is owned by the University. The town surrounding the campus is said to have inspired Faulkner and his imaginary "Yoknapatawpha County".
Athletics
Ole Miss' sports teams are called the Rebels. Ole Miss' athletic programs compete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) of the NCAA. In 2003, the administration eliminated the Colonel Reb mascot in an attempt to rid the university of the negative connotations still associated with the university. (Until the early 90's the fans waved Confederate flags and the band played "Dixie" at all sporting events.) The Rebels' rivals are the Louisiana State University Tigers, and to a lesser extent, the instate rival Mississippi State University Bulldogs.
Difference between Ole Miss and the University of Mississippi
"There is a valid distinction between The University and Ole Miss even though the separate threads are closely interwoven.
The University is buildings, trees and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion and personality. One is physical, and the other is spiritual. One is tangible and the other intangible.
The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss."
Frank E. Everett, Jr., B.A.'32 LL.B.'34
Famous Rebels and Noteworthy Alumni
- Haley Barbour (Former Republican National Chairman and current Mississippi Governor)
- Jim Barksdale (Netscape CEO)
- William Faulkner (Author)
- John Grisham (Author)
- Robert Khayat (Washington Redskins kicker, currently the University's chancellor))
- Trent Lott (Former Senator Majority Leader)
- Gerald McRaney (Actor)
- Archie Manning (New Orleans Saints QB)
- Eli Manning (New York Giants QB; youngest son of Archie)
- John S. McCain (Admiral, USN)
- Shepard Smith (News Anchor)
- Thad Cochran (US Senator)
- Mike Moore (Former Mississippi Attorney General, noted for starting major lawsuits against tobacco industry)
- David Delucci (Arizona Diamondbacks Outfielder)
- Roosevelt Skerrit (Prime Minister of Dominica and one of the youngest heads of state in the World)
- Bill Parsons (Head of NASA's Spaceship Programs)
- Leonard McCoy (Fictional Character from Star Trek series--served on the Starship Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk)
See Also
External Links
Ole Miss Web Site
Official Ole Miss athletics site
University of MS Medical Center
Further reading regarding the integration of the University and the role that incident played in the US civil rights movement:
- An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962, William Doyle, Doubleday, 2001, hardcover, ISBN 0385499698