Welcome

A message from the Chancellor

November 11, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To our alumni and friends,

As our state’s flagship institution, the University of Mississippi strives to set the standard in all that we do. It’s an expectation that permeates every aspect of Ole Miss — from academics to athletics to providing exceptional experiences that propel our students on their paths to building their legacies and leaving their mark on the world. This mindset is expected by our 130,000-plus alumni, nearly 22,000 students, and 12,000-plus employees. In that spirit, I’m thrilled to highlight several recent achievements that reflect our university’s continued momentum. I know these developments will deepen your pride in this extraordinary place.

Enrollment is up!

Overall enrollment is up. Transfer enrollment is up. Graduate and professional student enrollment is up. UMMC enrollment is up. Freshman enrollment is up BIG. With gains among both in-state and out-of-state freshmen, we posted the largest increase in the number of freshmen from one fall to the next in university history with our freshman class totaling 3,584 — an 18% increase over 2020! In a year when higher ed enrollment dropped 3.5% nationally, we’ve bucked the trend with overall enrollment up nearly 1% to 21,856. And we expect this trajectory to continue as undergraduate applications for next year are up 32%.

When students enroll at Ole Miss, they are persisting more than ever. Our historically high freshman retention rate this fall is 88.2% — 15 percentage points higher than the national average. Our incredible faculty and staff deserve a tremendous thanks for their contributions to how our students have persevered and thrived during this time. After nearly two years of change and uncertainty prompted by COVID-19, we’re ecstatic about this measure because it means more of our students are closer to walking across the stage at Commencement. We are grateful to our alumni and friends who support our recruitment efforts and enable us to attract high achieving students across the country. Be sure to read the entire news story for all the details of this great news.

Ole Miss remains the highest-ranked university in Mississippi!

According to U.S. News & World Report, we jumped 10 spots from last year to No. 67 among public universities, which places us among the top 10% of public universities nationally. We are also the state leader and in the top 5% of public universities nationally for Best Value, a critical indicator for our students and their families. We have been cited as a Best for Vets among public universities for our support of military-connected students with U.S. News ranking us #64 nationally and Military Times ranking us #21 nationally. See the news story.Ole Miss grads are the state’s best at finding and keeping a job!

For the fifth year in a row, UM graduates are the state’s best at finding employment and keeping it, according to U.S. Department of Education data compiled by Zippia, a career website. Zippia ranked colleges in each state with the highest job placement 10 years after graduation. Ole Miss’s employment rate is more than 91%, a great reflection of the value of the Ole Miss experience! See the news story.

These developments signify who we are now, and who we are becoming for our students and our future as an institution. As some of our best and most enthusiastic supporters and advocates, you do so much for Ole Miss and we’re grateful for all that you do. Your involvement, input, support, and advocacy makes a more meaningful experience for everyone and elevates our entire university. And, we can’t wait to see you in Oxford this weekend when ESPN’s “College GameDay” comes to town to see our Rebels take on the Aggies!

HOTTY TODDY!

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

A Veteran’s Day Message from Chancellor Glenn Boyce

November 11, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

As America honors its veterans today, let us all pause, reflect, and extend a heartfelt Thank You to the veterans in our classrooms and offices among our students, faculty, and staff. We commend these heroes for their courage, and we thank them and their families for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our nation and its citizens. Because of their service, we experience and enjoy the privilege of a world of greater security, freedom, and liberty. The University of Mississippi is honored to support each one of you and support your preparation for the next stage of your legacy of service and leadership.

Update Regarding Revised Deadlines for Federal Vaccine Mandate for Employees

November 8, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To all faculty, staff, and student employees,

In a message to you last week, I promised that the university would monitor and adapt to changes to the federal government’s COVID vaccination mandate for federal contractors. At that time, based on new federal guidance, I announced that the university would not place employees on leave if they were not fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, and we notified employees that they had until Jan. 3, 2022, to receive at least one shot of the vaccine of their choice.

At the end of last week, the federal government changed its guidance once again that prompted us to make another slight adjustment to our plan. Under guidance released last Thursday, employees are required to receive both shots of a two-dose vaccine, or one shot of a one-dose vaccine, by Jan. 4. We will continue to work with employees who have shown a good faith effort to become fully vaccinated by Jan. 4.

This new guidance for federal contractors should not be confused with the new COVID vaccination mandate for private employers that was also issued last week. While the vaccination mandate for private employers was temporarily halted this weekend by a court order, it does not impact the federal contractor mandate that applies to the university. We will inform you if the federal contractor mandate is halted by a court.

Employees can visit the federal mandate information page of the university’s COVID website to see details about how to upload vaccination cards or how to apply for an accommodation. We have started reviewing submitted requests for religious and medical accommodations.

Please remember that we are operating vaccine clinics on campus. Visit the university’s COVID website to see the schedule for upcoming clinics. I appreciate your patience as we continue to adjust our plan based on the evolving federal guidance.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor

Update on Deadline for COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Employees

November 2, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To all faculty, staff, and student employees,

This message is an update for you on an important matter to all of our employees regarding COVID vaccination. Before getting into the details, I ask for your patience as we continue to receive and monitor updated guidance from officials in Washington, D.C., and we are now reaching out to share what we have learned with you.

I sent an email on Oct. 25 to all university employees regarding the federal Executive Order that requires COVID-19 vaccinations by December 8, 2021, for all employees working on federal contracts and employees working in federal contractor workplaces. Based upon the guidance available at that time, the university indicated that employees who had not provided proof that they were fully vaccinated or received a medical or religious accommodation by Dec. 8 would be placed on unpaid leave until they provided proof of vaccination. In addition, the message indicated that employees with pending accommodation requests would be placed on paid leave while the accommodation request was evaluated.

On Nov. 1, federal officials issued clarifying guidance that now permits us to allow unvaccinated employees to continue to work after the Dec. 8 deadline “through a limited period of counseling and education.” Under the new guidance, employees do not need to be removed from the workplace unless these efforts result in “continued noncompliance.” Consistent with the latitude provided by the new guidance, university employees who are not fully vaccinated as of Dec. 8 will be allowed to continue working and not be placed on a leave of absence.

Unvaccinated employees and those employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination will be permitted to continue to work and remain on the payroll until Jan. 3, 2022, while the university continues to counsel and educate these employees on the need to get vaccinated. Employees who are not fully vaccinated by Jan. 3 (and who have not demonstrated a good faith effort to become fully vaccinated by having received at least one dose of the vaccine of their choice) or who have not received an accommodation may be separated from employment. If you are separated from employment for failing to become fully vaccinated, you may be eligible for rehire to an open position if the vaccine mandate is ever rescinded.

Employees who have a pending accommodation request as of Jan. 3 will be allowed to continue working until review of their request is completed. If an accommodation request is denied, the employee will be given a reasonable period of time to act promptly and become fully vaccinated. Here are the links to get more information and learn how to submit a request for an accommodation:

Thank you for doing your part to help the university work toward compliance on this matter. I am mindful that these developments present a difficult challenge for some of you. We will continue to monitor further updates or clarification of the federal guidance, and we will continue to modify our plans to comply with the Executive Order based on new information.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. BoyceChancellor

All university employees required to be vaccinated against COVID by Dec. 8

October 25, 2021 Letters from the Chancellor, Welcome

To all faculty, staff, and student employees,

As a major research university, the University of Mississippi receives federal contracts from the U.S. government. At present, the university is performing work on more than $91 million in active federal contracts.

The IHL Board voted earlier today to direct all universities to comply with the terms of an Executive Order issued last month by President Biden on “Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors.” The order requires all federal contractors, such as the university, to comply with the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force’s “COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors.” The task force guidance requires all employees, including graduate and undergraduate student employees, working on or in connection with a federal contract to be vaccinated, and also requires all employees working in a covered contractor workplace to be vaccinated. The definition of the covered contractor workplace as outlined in the task force guidance is broad and covers all buildings and spaces on campus.

Time is limited to get vaccinated by deadline

In order to comply with the Executive Order and task force guidance, all University employees (including faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate student employees) must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021. The task force defined the term “fully vaccinated” as two weeks after receipt of the second shot of a two-dose series, or two weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine. Therefore, an employee who is not fully vaccinated at this time needs to receive the first shot of the Moderna vaccine by Oct. 27, the Pfizer vaccine by Nov. 3, and the appropriately timed second dose or the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine by Nov. 24 in order to become fully vaccinated by the deadline.

Providing proof of vaccination

Employees must provide the university with proof that they have been fully vaccinated. In the coming days, employees will receive information on how to upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination for validation.

Accommodations will be provided to those who are not able to be vaccinated due to a disability or medical condition, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Information on how to make this request will be forthcoming.

Those who have not provided the required proof of vaccination by Dec. 8, or who have not received an approved accommodation for the reasons cited above, will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence until they provide proof of vaccination. Employees who have a timely filed pending accommodation request as of Dec. 8 will be placed on paid leave pending resolution of their request. Employees who have not provided proof of vaccination or have not received an accommodation by Jan. 3, 2022 (unless the request is still pending review) may be separated from employment.

How to get vaccinated

Vaccines are widely available in Oxford from multiple providers. You can locate providers at vaccines.gov. Any fees associated with COVID vaccination are covered by insurance. In order to facilitate compliance with the Executive Order and task force guidance, the university is offering free COVID-19 vaccines at clinics on Oct. 26, 28, 29, and Nov. 2, 3, 9, 17, 19 and 30. These vaccines are offered for free to all faculty, staff, and students. Visit the university’s coronavirus vaccination page for information on clinic dates and times.

Additionally, University Health Center Pharmacy on the Oxford campus offers free Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines any weekday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on a walk-up basis. Anyone 18 and older is eligible for the J&J vaccine, and anyone 12 and older is eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. Call (662) 915-5279 or email c19@olemiss.edu for questions.

Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation on this critical matter for the university.

Sincerely,

Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor

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