Dive Brief:
- University of Mississippi trustees are considering reversing their decision not to renew Daniel Jones contract as chancellor of Ole Miss.
- That move, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports, would raise questions about the board’s leadership abilities moving forward.
- It could be a problem if a chancellor were seen as more powerful than the body he reports to and it could also be a problem to lead as chancellor without having the backing of one’s bosses.
Dive Insight:
Mississippi’s governing board for higher education met Friday, presumably to discuss Jones’ contract. If they bow to the pressure from students, faculty, donors, and public officials — all of whom have stepped up to defend Jones and his tenure — they will join a select few boards that have made similar decisions in recent years. Teresa Sullivan was reinstated in 2012 to her position at the University of Virginia in a contract that is approaching its own renewal. The reversal is complicated and could be handled well, where everybody saves face, but it just as likely could not be.