Chancellor’s Letter: Fostering Communication, Connection and Conversation

I can hardly believe it, but today marks six months on the job as chancellor of the University of Mississippi. The first part of 2016 has been a whirlwind of getting to know the great people of this amazing university and the transformational role you all play in education, innovation, health care and community engagement.

Through all my meetings, events, activities, and interactions, I am perhaps most pleased with how people have responded to my commitment to clear communication and transparency. So in keeping with this theme, today seemed like a fitting day to debut a redesigned website.

You will find that the new chancellor.OleMiss.edu website is a virtual hub of communication — from letters and news items to numerous interactive elements including videos and social media highlights. You will also find easy one-click links to key leaders and offices, such as UMMC, senior leadership team, and regional campuses. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I have adopted this platform as one of the most direct ways to connect with the Ole Miss family. The redesign of the chancellor’s office website now showcases featured tweets in the sidebar throughout the site.

And since we are on the topic of Twitter, I thought it would be fun to share some popular tweets from the last six months:

Looks like the @olemissphoto team was out early this morning. Two iconic images of our beautiful campus. pic.twitter.com/kboPDsPzV3

— Jeff Vitter (@UMchancellor) January 22, 2016

Not many @BradPaisley concerts start like this! pic.twitter.com/mWGWbajv9E

— Jeff Vitter (@UMchancellor) January 25, 2016

UM in HIGHEST RESEARCH ACTIVITY category in Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Ed! #TheNewNormal https://t.co/6eDXBUuG5a

— Jeff Vitter (@UMchancellor) February 6, 2016

Our university will continue to support all members of our diverse community and uphold our Creed. Full statement — https://t.co/mLtkF2JxAI

— Jeff Vitter (@UMchancellor) April 6, 2016

Enjoyed incredible panoramic view to welcome @TomBrokaw & our new class of @OleMissAlumni! #Congrats #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/75JKZscEYP

— Jeff Vitter (@UMchancellor) May 14, 2016

The new website also features an informal mode of communication — blogs — through which we can engage in shared conversation about all things UM. Say someone asks me what I did this summer, I might share these recent snapshots:

As a general principle, I think it is important to communicate and keep people engaged and informed. Not only does it build trust, positive relationships, and lead to the best solutions, I also absolutely enjoy it! So in addition to communicating via this website, I will continue cultivating conversations via social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I am really pleased with the connectivity to the UM family that these platforms provide.

As we move forward into the rest of the summer and the start of the new academic year in August, I will continue to share various activities, thoughts, and musings with you via this blog. Watch for posts hot off the presses, and if you are not already on our email distribution list, please subscribe — you never know what you might miss! And mark your calendar for Monday, August 29 for our inaugural, university-wide interactive Town Hall meeting!

Hotty Toddy!

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