Dive Brief:
- Mississippi's higher education board voted not to renew the contract of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones in a decision that has surprised and galvanized the institution's community.
- Inside Higher Ed reports Facebook has lit up with messages of support, campus leaders are circulating a petition, faculty are holding an emergency meeting, and students are planning a protest, all to try to change the state board’s mind.
- Jones’ list of accomplishments is long, but the apparent rift with the state board came over the running of the university medical center—and Jones’ supporters aren’t accepting the state’s rationale.
Dive Insight:
Jones’ struggle at the University of Mississippi and the popular support that may help him keep his job is not unique in higher education. The University of Virginia’s president, Teresa Sullivan, was forced to resign and was then reinstated to her position in less than a month back in 2012. Jones cited national trends to Inside Higher Ed for state boards wanting to have greater control over the day-to-day decision-making power of state universities. The controversy over the medical center may be overblown by state board members trying to get rid of a chancellor they just don’t want to work with. While they haven’t quite defended their position yet, they’ll have to answer for it in coming weeks as the campus community doubles down in support of Jones.