New Chancellor Getting Down to Work

Dr. Dan Jones is settling into his new role as chancellor of Ole Miss.

After a busy start to his job, the new chancellor of the University of Mississippi took time on Thursday to answer a few questions. MPB’s Cari Gervin has more.

After a week in office, Dr. Dan Jones is finally getting the hang of things.

He’s already taken a trip to Washington to meet with Mississippi’s federal legislators. Just as importantly, he’s unpacked his office and settled into his new digs at the president’s house in Oxford.

Jones laughed and said it was a relief that he started his new job with a budget, even if a little more legislative funding would have been ideal.

“But I’m confident that in a good-faith effort that they’ve made the best decisions they can about funding for higher education. And I’m pleased that our initial funding for this year will be near last year’s funding. So we’re going to do what we can with what we have.”

Jones is also excited about Ole Miss’s new residential college, which will house its first students in August.

On Wednesday the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions for Higher Learning approved the bonds for the second phase of construction. Jones said he wants to get started right away, so the dorm will be ready for the fall of 2010.

“We believe it’s going to change the atmosphere of the university. We believe that the student’s life will be enhanced by having a good, safe place, a modern place, to live on campus. It’s going to make us a stronger and healthier university.”

The first phase of the residential college can house 466 students. The next phase will have space for an additional 633.

For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin in Oxford.