OXFORD, Miss. – The Center for the Study of Southern
Culture at the University of Mississippi marks 30 years of
work with a series of events Nov. 8-11.
Alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends are invited to
come together to celebrate the center’s achievements,
reflect on its past, consider the present and plan for the
future. All events are free and open to the public.
However, reservations are required for several social
functions.
“We are encouraging people who’ve had various types of
connections with the center to meet each other,” said Ted
Ownby, CSSC interim director and professor of history and
Southern studies. “We have a lot of successful alumni now
and we want current students to meet alumni who do
interesting things.”
Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor for the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, is slated to open the discussion
Thursday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. in Overby Center Auditorium.
She plans to talk about the development of the South over
the last three decades.
Taking a look ahead is Julia Reed, Vogue magazine editor
and author of “Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern
Phenomena” (Random House paperback, 2005). She speaks
Friday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. in the Tupelo Room of Barnard
Observatory. Ownby said Tucker and Reed were chosen
because they have no direct ties to the center.
“Cynthia Tucker’s columns help set the agenda for thinking
of Southern policy and politics, and she hasn’t been here
before,” Ownby said. “Julia Reed is a Mississippian who
writes with a sense of humor and warmth, despite her
sarcasm, and I think a lot of people find that intriguing.”
The meeting will gather attendees for such social events as
a Saturday “dinner on the grounds,” followed by a Southern
studies prom that evening and a Sunday morning golfing
finale. Reservations are required for these events by
calling 662-915-5993.
Ownby said Charles Reagan Wilson is to be honored during
the weekend for his service as the center’s director for
eight years. Wilson chose to return to the classroom
earlier this year, becoming professor and Kelly Gene Cook
Sr. Chair in History and professor of Southern studies.
CSSC continues to build on its history in helping to chart
ways into the South’s future. Events at the center began in
November 1977 with a symposium on the work of Eudora Welty,
with Welty herself in attendance. Along with its
undergraduate and graduate programs, the center supports
and houses diverse projects, including Living Blues
magazine, the Southern Foodways Alliance, the Oxford
Conference for the Book, documentary studies and the Future
of the South initiative.
Much of the anniversary meeting is to focus on the alumni
of the Southern studies academic program. The undergraduate
program began just after the center was founded, and its
master’s program was approved in1986. Graduates of the
program have gone on to earn doctorates in various fields.
A panel presentation during the upcoming celebration
features several alumni, who plan to discuss how their
Southern studies education has helped them in their
careers.
Jon Peede, director of literature for grants at the
National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C.,
completed his master’s in Southern studies at UM in 1993.
“The Southern Studies program provided a remarkable
exposure to multiple disciplines while still insisting on a
strong foundation in one or more graduate fields,” Peede
said. “I credit much of my professional career – as a book
editor, college communications director and now NEA
literature director – to the mentors I studied under in
Southern studies.”
Amanda Wallis of Pontotoc completed her bachelor’s degree
in Southern studies in December 2004. A third-year law
student at UM, Wallis reflects on how her undergraduate
experience helped prepare her for law school. “The program
helped me to develop my writing and analytical skills,
which provided me with a strong foundation to work from
once I began law school,” Wallis said.
“This anniversary raises the question of whether or not 30
is middle-aged or if at 30 we need new ideas of what to do
and where to go,” Ownby said. “Thirty is pretty successful
as far as centers go, and ours is continuing to look for
new things to do. We hope to have our friends together to
help us think of what we should do now.”
For more information about the celebration or assistance
related to a disability, call 662-915-5993. To learn more
about the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, visit