(Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
The college board announced Jeffrey S. Vitter as the preferred candidate for the Chancellor of The University of Mississippi at the Lyceum Monday.
Vitter is currently provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas.
Perry said Vitter will be on campus next Thursday, Oct. 29, for the campus interview.
“This is not the end of the process,”Perry said. “This is our preferred candidate at this point and we hope that he becomes your preferred candidate.”
Perry said Vitter will have an opportunity to meet with students and faculty, where individuals will be able to rank the candidate. He said the college board will decide that afternoon if Vitter will serve as our new chancellor depending on the rankings students and faculty give him.
Perry said Vitter will start around early February if everything goes smoothly.
According to the Campus Search Advisory Committee, they received over 50 applications and narrowed the applications down to eight candidates. Of those eight candidates, Vitter was selected after an overwhelming amount of unanimity.
“It became apparent that there was a surprising degree of consensus and unanimity at the first stage,” Alan Perry, president of the Board of Trustees, said. “That is why we bring you this announcement today.”
The college board thought continuing the process of the search would only have delayed the result of finding a new chancellor, Perry said.
Perry said that the reason why the committee decided in unanimity was that Vitter represented the complete package due to the experience he had as an academic, an administrator and someone who is great with people.
“He has the academic quality that is necessary to push the university to the next level,” Perry said.
Glen Boyce, the commissioner for the college board, said at the start of the interview process, they emphasized the fact Vitter has a strong policy in encouraging diversity.
“I wouldn’t want to put words in Dr. Vitter’s mouth; however, I do know that Dr. Vitter is committed to inclusion,” Boyce said.
One worry that has been addressed is that in Vitter’s resume, he has only held his current position for a few years. Perry assured the crowd that Ole Miss will not be a stepping stone for Vitter, but, rather, a destination.
Perry said the process did not move faster because of an offer that was awarded to Vitter by The University of Arkansas, but by the degree of unanimity.
“We are in a competitive world and we assume that, if we are looking at the top candidates, other people are looking at them at the same time,” Perry said.
Alex Borst, a junior international studies major, attended the announcement to learn more about the new candidate being presented for the chancellor position.
Borst was heavily involved with the #istandwithdan campaign last year, which advocated for transparency and answers from the college board.
Upon seeing the press release Monday, Borst said it felt a lot like the day when the student body was blindsided with the news of previous chancellor Dan Jones.
“I immediately became critical,” Borst said. “I feel like there still isn’t trust between us and IHL.”
Borst said he had a few concerns based on his previous background. He said seeing Vitter moving jobs frequently throws up a red flag, and his strong STEM background could deter advancements in a lot of the social and arts departments.
“I’m going to be weary of that,” Borst said. “It’s a different animal.”
One of the largest concerns Borst had with the announcement today was on the topic of diversity. He said the board continued to emphasize Vitter’s business and academic background when the focus needed to be on how the new candidate will be able bring unity to a university that has a checkered past.
“Why don’t you try to sell us on diversity? Why is that not something you want to sell him on?” Borst said. “The fact that they didn’t push that made me really uncomfortable. They seemed to be very decisive in their language.”
Borst encouraged students to ask Vitter the hard questions, but to be hospitable and not to treat him as an enemy.
“We will be waiting for your participation,” Perry said. “We will be waiting to hear what you have to say.”
