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At the Flagship, November

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UM Crest, @The Flagship, November 2020, Asya Branch, a UM senior from Booneville, wears the ‘Power of Positivity’ crown after being named Miss USA 2020CHANCELLOR’S 3 THINGS TO KNOW

 

Welcome to the November edition of @ The Flagship! With Thanksgiving approaching and the end of the fall semester upon us, I’m filled with gratitude for the Ole Miss community. Our students, faculty and staff have persevered amid obstacles presented by the pandemic. Your efforts, generous spirit, and commitment to our university have contributed to many successes this semester in the face of unprecedented challenges. And now, here are 3 Things to Know:

Crowning Achievement: I want to salute UM senior Asya Branch, who was recently crowned Miss USA 2020. A native of Booneville and an integrated marketing communications major, she was the first African American to win the Miss Mississippi USA pageant and the first Miss Mississippi to be crowned Miss USA in its 69-year history. Asya is passionate about helping at-risk youth and advocating for criminal justice reform, and she is the founder of an initiative called “Finding Your Way: Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents.” Asya will now move to New York City to fulfill her duties. Congratulations, Asya – we’re so proud of you and your many successes!

Serving Our Country: Congrats to Cadet Megan Steis, an Ole Miss senior who was recently selected as the #1 AFROTC cadet in the nation by the Navy Federal Credit Union with their “Navy Federal Credit Union ROTC All-American Student of the Year Award.” Megan is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chinese with a minor in Intelligence and Security Studies. Megan will be part of Navy Federal Credit Union’s media package where they will recognize each ROTC service’s award recipient during a bowl game on ESPN over the holidays. Way to go, Megan!

A Passion for Serving Others:  A few weeks ago, I visited the Grove Grocery, the recently renamed food bank serving our UM community. While there, I encountered passionate volunteers and saw first-hand the big-hearted effort behind this vital resource. The experience offered a touching reminder of how our people recognize and respond to needs in our community and beyond, resulting in powerful change. I hope you’ll read more of the inspiring examples of service and community engagement in our special section below, A Culture of Caring.

Stay safe, stay well and Happy Thanksgiving!

Signature of Glenn

Glenn F. Boyce

Chancellor

TOP STORIES

John Green, UM sociology professor and administrator, is part of an award-winning research team

Exemplary Research & Outreach

John Green, UM sociology professor and administrator, is part of a research team awarded the highly competitive National Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project was honored for research on pressing demographic, economic, social and environmental challenges faced by rural communities.

Nestor Delgado, a third-year Ole Miss law student from Pascagoula, won the sixth annual Landshark Tank CompetitionHigh-flying Entrepreneur

Nestor Delgado, a third-year student in UM’s School of Law, took first place in the sixth annual LandShark Tank Pitch Competition. His company, ROTR Drone Solutions, helps businesses integrate existing drone technology into their operations.

Children’s of Mississippi building front with cars passing byOn Par with the Best

Ole Miss women’s golf earned its highest ranking in program history when the Rebels came in at No. 2 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. It marks the fourth straight week that the Rebels have been ranked within the top 5 by Golfweek.

 

 

FLAGSHIP FACTS

Text says 25% of UM classes engage a community partner to enhance learning, line drawing shows two fists bumpingText says 400 student volunteers supported the pilot phase of M Partner, line drawing shows hands being raisedText says $250,000 raised by REBELthon in 2020 for Children’s of Mississippi, line drawing of music notes

 

A Culture of Caring

When it comes to supporting our community and making an impact in the world, the people of the University of Mississippi are committed to doing our part and contributing all we can. This is one of the values that binds us and forms lasting relationships. The following are just a few of the programs on our campus that are making a difference right now.
M Partner: This is a community engagement effort that seeks to improve quality of life in Mississippi communities. For the pilot phase, M Partner worked with three towns — Charleston, Lexington, and New Albany. The M Partner program was selected as one of the 2020 Outstanding Program Award finalists nationally, and celebrated many notable successes in the pilot phase. More news is coming soon about the innovative program’s next steps!
Ole Miss Big Event: Since 2011, this event has been the largest community service project at UM. One day each year, hundreds of students join together to serve their neighbors in the Oxford/Lafayette Community. Student leaders work with community organizations and individual citizens to understand the needs and opportunities for student-led community service.
Military Friendly: Ole Miss honors its military veteran students, faculty and alumni during Warrior Week with a series of events designed to recognize members of the armed services in the Ole Miss family. The university’s mission to honor and support its student veterans does not go unnoticed by its military faculty and staff. Throughout the week, a variety of events and activities honor veterans and their service, culminating with the Military Appreciation Game.
Greek Life: Fraternities and sororities add to the mission of the University of Mississippi and promote an experience that is life-changing, powerful, and transformative. During the Fall 2019 semester, Greek chapters at the university contributed more than 39,000 hours of community service and nearly $500,000 raised for charitable organizations.
Dental Mission Week: For the past four years, the School of Dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, in partnership with schools across campus and volunteers from the community, provides free care for up to 300 patients a day during its annual Dental Mission Week. The massive, campus-wide undertaking results in free dental care for adults and children from across the state who are underinsured or cannot afford dental care.
Sustainability: The Office of Sustainability’s Green Grove Gameday Recycling Program engages more than 100 students each fall semester to provide recycling education to football tailgaters and to assist the City of Oxford Recycling Department in processing gameday recycling. In 2017, the program diverted 2.78 tons of recyclables from landfills.
RebelTHON: This student-led dance marathon benefits the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital at the UM Medical Center. The 2020 edition was the ninth year of RebelTHON and sixth year of donating to Blair E. Batson Children’s of Mississippi. During that time, RebelTHON has donated $1 million to Mississippi’s only children’s hospital.
Engineers Without Borders: The University of Mississippi chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UM) is a student-led organization chartered in 2007. For over a decade, the chapter worked in the west African nation of Togo to complete a new schoolhouse and install a deep water well to deliver safe drinking water to a children’s hospital. During the 2019 winter intersession, EWB-UM traveled to Ecuador to complete the second phase of a water development project intended to increase the water supply to the community, its school and its health center. EWB’s 100 members have a strong desire to help others and improve communities across all borders around the globe.
CEED: The Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development program supports collaboration on business and economic development goals between community and campus. Students develop entrepreneurial skills to complement their academic interests by making meaningful contributions to Mississippi communities with the goal of improving local economies across Mississippi. The McLean CEED footprint covers all corners of the state.
Mississippi College Corps: This national service program that addresses problems related to education and opportunity in Lafayette, Yalobusha, Chickasaw, Lowndes, and Forrest counties in Mississippi. Annually, College Corps provides approximately 120 AmeriCorps members to 6 host sites that include local schools, afterschool programs, and early childhood centers. Members pledge 300 hours of service throughout a year-long term.
Adopt-a-Basket: For 16 years, the annual Adopt-a-Basket program has provided meals to staff members and area families in need. The event is co-sponsored by the Student Union, Associated Student Body and Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. This year, Adopt-a-Basket is working with the Willie Price Lab School program to make sure each family gets a special note for the holiday season. The event has provided meals for more than 1,000 families over the last several years.
North Mississippi VISTA Project: This signature project in the McLean Institute’s fight against poverty, intensified its efforts this fall in response to COVID-19. Established in 1965, VISTA is a federal program that aims to reduce poverty by engaging in indirect service through building the capacity of non-profit organizations. VISTA members serving yearlong terms extend the reach of campus-based units through volunteer management, resource development, and cultivating community partnerships.

 

Link to Donate to the Grove Grocery: The UM Food Pantry, Text Says Support the Grove Grocery as it continues stocking the food pantry with nutritious food and other essential item for Ole Miss students and staff.

 

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