Dr. L. Stacy Davidson (left), chair of the Special Recognitions and Black History Month Committee of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, and University of Mississippi Provost Morris Stocks (right) congratulate Val Ross Thursday (Feb. 19) in Jackson for being named a finalist for the IHL’s 2009 Black History Month Educator of the Year award. Ross, UM assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs, was one of 10 educators across the state nominated for the honor. For nearly a decade, Ross has led efforts at UM to coordinate the university’s annual Black History Month celebration. Her work has helped secure figures of national prominence, including activist Angela Davis, filmmaker Spike Lee and former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, to speak on the Oxford campus. Courtesy photo.