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​Ole Miss: reinstate Dr. Jones

The University of Mississippi’s governing board should learn from our BOV’s past mistakes

Recently, the governing board of the University of Mississippi moved to oust the university’s chancellor, Dr. Daniel W. Jones. In response to this ouster, more than 2,500 people demonstrated at the school last Wednesday, showing their disagreement with the board’s decision.

Our University is no stranger to board-driven ousters. In 2012, University President Teresa Sullivan was unexpectedly fired from her position, and, in response to widespread protests, the Board of Visitors ultimately reinstated her. We write today to urge the governing board at Ole Miss to do the same.

William Winter, a former governor who tried to broker a compromise between the chancellor and certain board members, called the board’s action “drastic” and “radical.” Ole Miss’ alumni association quickly denounced the ouster, and the Faculty Senate unanimously did so as well. The Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper, has voiced its support of Dr. Jones. And the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, which had planned to donate $20 million to the school to build a science building, said it would withdraw its contribution unless Dr. Jones remained chancellor.

The Daily Mississippian’s Mar. 23 lead editorial on Dr. Jones’ ouster describes the actions of the board as “intentionally vague” — and herein lies the issue with this ouster. Just as President Sullivan’s ouster in 2012 came unexpectedly and with little explanation, so did Dr. Jones’. If there are legitimate grounds to terminate Dr. Jones’ contract, the board has not provided them, but instead, according to The New York Times, relied on the justification of his failure “to eliminate violations of contracting policies” — likely not something worthy of termination.

In a letter printed in The Daily Mississippian, past editors of the paper point to Jones’ progressive choices — including supporting student initiatives to end an offensive chant and replace their mascot — as key elements of his tenure. They end their letter saying that Jones’ work gave them “an alma mater and a state we could be proud of,” while his termination “gives outsiders a reason to tell us why we’re wrong.” The contrast they bring to light speaks volumes to the tension between board members and university presidents and chancellors: that one group tends to be far less transparent than the other, and that that lack of transparency reflects poorly on any institution.

President Sullivan is scheduled to speak at Ole Miss at its commencement in May. We urge board members to look to the controversy that ensued here at our University when reevaluating their decision. Dr. Jones appears to have large support from alumni, faculty and students; board members tend to operate separately from those bodies. But, ultimately, those bodies are most affected by the choices and policies of any school’s chancellor or board. At the very least, transparency is of the utmost importance when evaluating contracts, and this board appears to have learned nothing from the events in Charlottesville in 2012.

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