Video: Vitter Unanimous Choice for Chancellor’s Post at the University of Mississippi

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OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) -The University of Mississippi officially has a new chancellor. In a unanimous decision, trustees of the IHL voted to name Dr. Jeffrey Vitter the 17th Chancellor of Ole Miss.

WCBI’s Alyssa Martin  caught up with Dr. Vitter and shares with us his plans and vision for the future of the university.

In front of a large crowd, it was made official. Dr. Jeffrey Vitter will be the new Chancellor at Ole Miss. Currently he serves as the Provost and Vice Chancellor at the University of Kansas, but he has family ties in the South.
“I’m excited coming back home to the south is just a great combination of my academic career, and I look forward to to working with the entire Ole Miss community.”

While Vitter is looking forward to this new journey at Ole Miss, he says there are some challenges to overcome….including fighting for funding.

” That’s a fundamental challenge to maintain affordability and excellence at the same time. I’ve worked a lot in those realms in my current role at KU. We’ve been able to partner with the state realizing that we cannot count on the state for increase support, and we have to be innovative in new ways that we reallocate and save our funds, but find new sources of revenue, and I’m really looking forward to doing that exactly here at the University of Mississippi.”

While Vitter visited with student groups on campus, he was often asked his thoughts on the university removing the Mississippi flag.

He says diversity is key.

“And I really respect I have to say the process that the students led and the staff and faculty followed as well was very impressive and it was a civil discourse dealing with difficult issues, but using the fundamental coral values of the institution as a embodied in the UM creed to shine the light forward and that process was heartening to me because it means that this is a community that cares and that follows through in a respectful and correct way.”

For the students of Ole Miss, this is a new beginning.
“First of all since he has a technical background in the sciences, I’m a Computer Science major myself so I’m looking forward to see what plans he has in mind for the Engineering department.”
“Because we are going to be here for like so many years to come to see what changes he’s going to make to the university is pretty cool.”

Before Dr. Vitter takes over office as Chancellor, he hopes to spend a few extra weeks on campus networking with students and faculty. Reporting in Oxford, Alyssa Martin WCBI News.