During my 30-plus year relationship with the University of Mississippi, I have had the privilege and pleasure of knowing four different chancellors. Each one has had a profound impact upon my life for different reasons. Perhaps you’ll relate as you read further.
Porter L. Fortune held the chancellor’s position when I enrolled here as a transfer student in the late 1970s. I remember – as a gesture of support and goodwill –Fortune authorized one of the university’s buses (normally only used by athletics at the time) for the Black Student Union Gospel Choir to travel in on its occasional trips out of Mississippi. As a member of the singing ensemble at the time, that obviously made a positive impression upon me.
The second chancellor I knew of was R. Gerald Turner. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, I’d had many life experiences like marriage, children, changes in employers and locations. My return to the university was both to work in the Office of Public Relations and to earn my master’s degree in journalism. As with Fortune, I don’t remember conversations with Turner. Yet I do remember him supporting my youngest brother, Lee Eric Smith, during his time as both the first African-American and first faculty-selected editor of The Daily Mississippian. Turner’s willingness to recognize youthful zeal – even when it sometimes wasn’t popular – was most admirable.
Before I received my degree, Turner left the university for another job and Robert Khayat succeeded him as chancellor. I didn’t really get acquainted with him until, after I’d moved around a bit, I returned to work in the Office of Public Relations again in late 2005. This time, I had the privilege to actually chat with a chancellor both in formal and informal settings. I’d heard lots of good things about Khayat and witnessed the many bold changes he initiated in his efforts to bring Ole Miss to heightened levels of success in every area.
By the time Khayat retired, I’d come to think of him not only as an administrator, but also a friend. Whenever I see him in town or on campus, he always has a smile, a firm handshake and a cordial conversation about family, health and so on. Most recently, I watched the down-to-earth, candid conversations he had with 31 students from Laurel Middle School. They’d read his new memoir “The Education of a Lifetime” and wanted to meet him. The visit converted several of them from being skeptics about Ole Miss to believers expressing the desire to one day attend college here. In my book, anyone who can use his influence to reach and impact future leaders most certainly is to be respected.
Our current chancellor, Dan Jones, appears to be much like his predecessor. He and his wife, Lydia, are very down-to-earth, friendly people who take a genuine interest in those they come in contact with. Chancellor Jones is building on the foundation of changes laid by Khayat and those before him. His dedication to service is much more than words. The man walks the walk. And he does it in such a way that it makes it easy for the staff, faculty, alumni and students of Ole Miss to follow his direction. I join with many others in trying to emulate his example.
Four different men, one position. Each man generated personal responses ranging from simple acknowledgement to profound respect to admirable imitation. Both publicly and privately, Fortune, Turner, Khayat and Jones have made many occasions memorable and meaningful for me in the ongoing legacy of a great American public university.
So, hail to the Chiefs! I am happy to know, or have known of, each one.