6/2/2009 - Jackson, Miss.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) announced in a press conference today that Dr. Dan Jones, current vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is the preferred candidate for the position of Chancellor at the University of Mississippi (UM). The announcement was made following a meeting of the Board of Trustees and search consultants with Parker Executive Search.

"The Board and the Search Advisory Committee have searched nationally to identify the best candidate to lead the University of Mississippi.  It is a testament to the quality of leadership in our universities that we found the right candidate among our own people," said UM Board Search Committee Chair Amy Whitten.

In addition to his role as vice chancellor and dean, Dr. Jones is also the Herbert G. Langford Professor of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  He is the Med Center's chief executive officer, overseeing five schools and the health system.  A native Mississippian, Dr. Jones graduated from Mississippi College and earned his M.D. and completed residency training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  He had a private practice in Laurel, Mississippi until he went to Korea in 1985 as a medical missionary. In 1992, he returned to the University of Mississippi Medical Center as a faculty member, and has been there ever since. Dr. Jones is actively involved with the American Heart Association and served as the organization's national president for 2007-2008.  He has been named one of the "Best Doctors in America".  He and his wife, Lydia, live in Hazlehurst and are the parents of two children. A biographical sketch and photo of preferred candidate Dr. Jones may be found here.

On Monday, June 15, Dr. Jones will participate in open, day-long interviews on the University of Mississippi campus with various university and community constituency groups (schedule forthcoming). Individuals attending the open interviews will be given the opportunity to provide feedback to the Board of Trustees regarding their impressions of Dr. Jones. At the end of the day, the Board will announce either that Dr. Jones will be the next Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, or that the search will continue.

IHL's institutional executive officer search process allows Mississippi to be on the consideration list of the highest caliber professionals in higher education. The process is open, transparent and representative-based, and works in accordance with today's recruitment standards for high-level institutions of higher learning. For more information on IHL's institutional executive officer search process, including search-specific timelines of events, visit www.mississippi.edu/ieo. 

The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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