"We have reason to celebrate today," said Amy Whitten, chair of the University of Mississippi Board Search Committee. "I am confident the Board has found the right person to take this great American public university to the next level of excellence."

Dr. Jones offered the following comment, upon being named chancellor: "With gratitude and joy, I am pleased to accept the position of chancellor of the University of Mississippi. I love Mississippi and Ole Miss; for a person with those sentiments, there is no higher privilege than serving as the chancellor of this university. Thank you. We work from a strong base of achievements, but there is much yet to accomplish. We have a large responsibility to see that we are successful as a university, but that the state benefits from our work."

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.

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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