John R. Neff, associate professor of history and director, Center for Civil War Research, gives the keynote address at the UM History and Context Plaques Ceremony. Photo by Kevin Bain/University Communications Photography
Community Engagement
The University of Mississippi held a ceremony March 2, 2018 to unveil six history and context plaques, which contain wording recommended by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context following months of study and feedback from hundreds of stakeholders.
The ceremony took place at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Plaques were unveiled for Barnard Observatory, Lamar Hall, Longstreet Hall and George Hall; another recognizing the university’s enslaved laborers in the construction of Barnard Observatory, the Old Chapel (now Croft), the Lyceum and the Hilgard Cut; and a plaque for the stained-glass Tiffany windows in Ventress Hall recognizing the University Greys, a Civil War company of primarily UM students that suffered 100 percent casualties – killed, wounded or captured.
The ceremony included:
- Welcome remarks by Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter
- Keynote address by John R. Neff, associate professor of history and director, Center for Civil War Research
- Introduction of plaque readings by Katrina Caldwell, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
- Reading of the plaques by student ambassadors
- Closing remarks by Alice M. Clark, interim vice chancellor for university relations
- A reception, which was held in the rehearsal studio following the ceremony. Shuttles from the Ford Center to the plaque sites were available after the ceremony. Student docents and a member of the CACHC greeted visitors at each plaque.
Logistics and planning for the March 2 event were led by a committee of Oxford campus community members:
- Katrina Caldwell, co-chair, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
- Alice Clark, co-chair, interim vice chancellor for university relations
- Don Cole, assistant provost and associate professor of mathematics
- Jennifer Ford, head of archives and special collections and professor, J.D. Williams Library
- Jeff Jackson, associate professor of sociology
- Dion Kevin III, Associated Student Body president
- Amy Lewis, external affairs director, University Relations
- John Neff, associate professor of history
- Ethel Young Scurlock, associate professor of English and African American studies and senior fellow of Luckyday Residential College
- Deetra Wiley, applications analyst and business communications specialist, Office of Information Technology, and marketing coordinator for UM Staff Council
Click here to see the event poster
Save the Date Announcement: Contextualization Plaque Unveiling Event
December 5, 2017
Please make plans to attend the event on March 2, 2018, on the Oxford campus for the unveiling of contextualization plaques recommended by the CACHC for Barnard Observatory, Lamar Hall, Longstreet Hall, George Hall, and a plaque recognizing the university’s enslaved laborers in the construction of Barnard Observatory, the Old Chapel (now Croft), the Lyceum, and Hilgard Cut.
Additionally, after receiving positive public input, Chancellor Vitter has accepted the further recommendation from the CACHC to add a contextualization plaque of the stained-glass Tiffany windows in Ventress Hall recognizing the University Greys. This plaque will be included in the ceremony along with the five plaques listed above.
Stay tuned for additional details including program and venue information from the event planning committee:
- Katrina Caldwell, co-chair, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
- Alice Clark, co-chair, interim vice chancellor for university relations
- Don Cole, assistant provost and associate professor of mathematics
- Jennifer Ford, head of archives and special collections and professor, J.D. Williams Library
- Jeff Jackson, associate professor of sociology
- Amy Lewis, external affairs director, University Relations
- John Neff, associate professor history
- Ethel Young Scurlock, associate professor of English & African American studies and senior fellow of Luckyday Residential College
- Deetra Wiley, applications analyst and business communications specialist, Office of Information Technology (marketing coordinator for UM Staff Council)
- Dion Kevin III, Associated Student Body president
Be sure to visit context.olemiss.edu/implementation/ for more information about the implementation status of the plaques. This site includes renderings of the plaques as well as maps and photos of where they will be placed.
Commendation of the work of the CACHC by the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning
Click here to read the IHL Board’s resolution.
September 21, 2017
Chancellor Vitter’s Letter Announcing the CACHC Final Report and the University Action Going Forward
Click here to read Chancellor Vitter’s letter
July 6, 2017
CACHC Final Report
Click here to view final report submitted by the members of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context.
July 6, 2017
Chancellor Vitter’s Letter Clarifying Misperceptions about Work of CACHC
Clarifying Misperceptions about Work of CACHC
March 9, 2017
Statement from the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context: Completion of Phase I and Multiple Mechanisms for Community Engagement for Phase II
February 23, 2017
On February 22, 2017, Chancellor Vitter reviewed and finalized the recommendations from the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context (CACHC) on Phase I of our charge:
“…recommend which additional physical sites (monuments, buildings, street names) on the Oxford campus (beyond those already completed) should be contextualized, so as to explain the environment in which they were created or named.”
We encourage you to read the chancellor’s remarks in full which provide a summary of the completion of Phase I. We now turn our work and focus to Phase II of our charge:
“…design content and format to contextualize the designated sites.”
Community engagement and public input is an integral part of the CACHC. One of our steps to engage the UM community in Phase II is through an online form on the context.OleMiss.edu website. We encourage you to use this form to submit your ideas about important facts or other information to be considered in the design and/or format of content. All ideas will be considered by the CACHC members. Ideas should be submitted no later than March 31, 2017.
In order to fully engage the community, we will also be hosting two CACHC listening sessions:
- March 6, 2017, 3–5 p.m., The Inn at Ole Miss
- March 23, 2017, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Location TBA
As we continue our work, we encourage you to check the context.OleMiss.edu website. In addition, you can contact us via email at context@OleMiss.edu. We urge you to stay engaged in this process.
Sincerely,
Donald R. Cole and Rose Jackson Flenorl
Co-chairs
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Chancellor Vitter’s Remarks to the CACHC Completing Phase I and Launching Phase II
February 22, 2017
Statement from the CACHC: Committee Charge and Community Engagement via Online Submission Form
August 23, 2016
On August 16, 2016, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context held its first meeting and received its charge from Chancellor Vitter. We encourage you to read the chancellor’s charging remarks in full which provide a summary of contextualization efforts on campus and the process of determining the composition of the CACHC as well as the specifics of the charge including a timeline.
Community engagement and public input is an integral part of the CACHC. We are now focused on the first part of our charge to recommend which additional physical sites (monuments, buildings, street names) on the Oxford campus (beyond those already completed) should be contextualized, so as to explain the environment in which they were created or named.
One of our first steps to engage the UM community is the establishment of an input mechanism on the context.OleMiss.edu website. We encourage you to use this form to submit your ideas about which campus sites should be recommended for contextualization. All ideas will be considered by the CACHC members (see bios here) when determining the recommendation list to be submitted to the chancellor. Ideas should be submitted no later than September 9, 2016.
Once the recommendations have been reviewed by the chancellor’s office later this semester and the list of sites is finalized, the committee will then proceed with the second part of our charge of designing content and format to contextualize the designated sites. At that point, we will inform you of the mechanisms we intend to employ to garner your input on this part of our charge.
As we continue our work, we intend to keep you updated on the context.OleMiss.edu website. In addition, you can contact us via email at context@OleMiss.edu. We urge you to stay engaged in this process.
Sincerely,
Donald R. Cole and Rose Jackson Flenorl
Co-chairs
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Remarks from Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter
August 16, 2016
Letter from Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter
July 28, 2016
Letter from Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter on the Revised Contextualization of the Confederate Statue, Update on Implementation of the 2014 Action Plan, and Reaffirmation of the Name Ole Miss Rebels
June 10, 2016
Summary of University Community Meetings to Determine Criteria for CACHC Membership
Spring 2016
As part of the process of establishing the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context (CACHC), Chancellor Vitter recognized the need to engage with a broad range of constituency groups. To that end, over the course of several weeks, Chancellor Vitter met with numerous groups representing students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as other valued members of the university community. The conversations were focused around four key questions:
- What do you think is important criteria for the expanded committee members?
- What would you consider is optimum size for the committee?
- What other groups should I ask for advice?
- What are other ways to engage the community?
The response in these meetings was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Key themes emerged from these conversations that will shape and guide the CACHC composition, which is the key factor in its ability to accomplish its charge.
The committee will be asked to keep the community engaged through various mechanisms such as public forums, listening sessions, and online feedback forms. As projects are scheduled or under consideration they will be posted so the CACHC can hear input from the community.
The community has suggested that the committee have expertise in areas such as history, sociology, English, law, and race relations, that it represent broad perspectives and understand deeply the UM community and culture, that it is to be unifying while addressing potentially divisive issues, and that it operate in an inclusive, respectful, civil, candid, and transparent manner that honors the UM Creed. The committee will consider the addition of ad hoc expertise as needed on a project-by-project basis, and will keep the community informed of the status of projects under consideration.
It is important to acknowledge that no single committee member will possess all the suggested expertise, characteristics, and qualifications that are considered important; rather, it is the committee as a composite that will possess these qualities and ensure that all input is considered.
Chancellor Vitter’s Letter Announcing the Creation of Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Click here to read Chancellor Vitter’s letter
March 29, 2016