OXFORD,
Miss. — Morris H. Stocks, interim provost and vice chancellor for
academic affairs at the University of Mississippi since Jan. 1, 2008,
has been named UM’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
The appointment was announced today by Chancellor Robert C. Khayat, who retires June 30.
“We
are fortunate that Dr. Stocks accepted our invitation to serve as
provost during this time of transition,” Khayat said. “I am confident
that all of us will be supportive of his efforts as we continue to move
the university forward.”
Stocks began serving as interim provost
following the December 2007 retirement of Carolyn Ellis Staton, who had
held the position since 1999. The provost is the university’s chief
academic officer.
Ole Miss launched a search for Staton’s replacement last fall, but after announcing his plans to retire, Khayat decided to suspend the search and appoint Stocks to the position to maintain institutional stability and continuity, said Alice Clark, vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs, who was chairing the search committee.
“I fully support the appointment of Dr. Stocks to the permanent position,” Clark said. “He is a very able administrator and will provide immeasurable guidance and institutional knowledge to our next chancellor.”
Stocks, former dean of UM’s Patterson School of Accountancy, served three years as associate provost. He also served as senior vice chancellor for planning and operations in 2006-07.
“I believe this is an excellent decision given the context of the chancellor’s retirement and the many challenges the university faces in the upcoming years,” said UM Faculty Senate chair Kenneth Sufka, professor of psychology and pharmacology.
“Dr. Stocks is admired and respected for his record of scholarship, his excellence in teaching and for his administrative skills that include fairness, honesty and transparency,” Sufka said. “The university has been and will continue to be well served with Dr. Stocks in the provost’s position.”
James W. Davis, holder of the H. Eugene Peery Chair of Accountancy, agrees.
“Morris Stocks listens well and has the remarkable ability to gain consensus from others, even when their opinions are disparate,” Davis said. “He loves teaching, engages in meaningful research and is a most capable administrator. Ole Miss is fortunate to have him in this position of leadership.”
Stocks joined the UM faculty in 1991 and was named outstanding researcher and outstanding teacher in the accountancy school. He won the campuswide Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998.
Stocks, who holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in accounting, says Ole Miss has been blessed with strong leadership, outstanding faculty and students, and a devoted group of alumni.
“I consider it a tremendous privilege to serve the University of Mississippi community as provost,” said Stocks, whose appointment becomes effective immediately, pending approval by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.
“I have been blessed to work with Chancellor Khayat, and look forward to supporting our new chancellor,” he said.
For more information about academic programs at UM, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/ .