University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Yearbook

“Respect for the past, pride in the present, vision for the future rich in history and steeped in tradition, the University of Mississippi proudly celebrates 140 years of academic achievement by preserving zest for the future, by refusing to rest on past laurels, by leaping with enthusiastic anticipation into the twenty-first century. Born over 140 years ago, the philosophy that is today Ole Miss grew out of the vision of a few leading Mississippians to tie the University and her mission to two revered literary and scholastic traditions those of ancient Greece and Oxford University in England. These men wanted to create a garden, much like the grove where Aristotle taught his students, in which the search for truth, through constant dialectic and inquiry, could flourish. They chose Oxford as the home for the first University building, the Lyceum, in an imaginative endeavor to craft a philosophy for the University founded on ancient Greek and later Enlightenment ideals of scholarship. His- tory tells us that Aristotle would often walk with his students through a grove called the Lyceum, and through questioning them, confronting them with fresh concepts, would encourage their intellectual awak- ening and incite them to deeper self-examination and perception of the world about them. The University, in the minds of her founders, was to be Aristotle ' s grove transplanted to the hills of North Mississippi, a mecca where lofty thoughts as well as practical knowledge challenged her inhabitants. Today, Ole Miss fulfills her charge, her mission to challenge students in every aspect of life by drawing on this rich scholastic heritage as an inspiration for the future. And all this rests on the people, the faculty, staff, administration, students, and alumni who make up Ole Miss. Just as Aristotle walked beside his pupils on their quest for knowledge, so today Ole Miss professors accompany their students on the same journey. These mentors, these modern-day Aristotles, through their constant questions, much-maligned exam- inations, and friendly conversations hold the key to growth not only for the student but also for themselves. Whether in spirited classroom discussions, on leisurely strolls through the Grove, or at local gathering places like the Hoka, students and faculty can be found in discourse, the key to education, the key to youth. And like the groves of ancient Greece, Oxford and the University, though set in the peaks and valleys of North Mississippi ' s hills, stir comparisons to ancient Greek ideals of pastoral beauty. Just as the ancient Greeks were struck by the beauty found in nature, so we are struck by the beauty of the Ole Miss campus the Grove on a cool fall afternoon, the sunlight streaming through the burnished reds and golds of the chameleon-like trees; or the Circle in the spring, fresh, crisp air, lush greens carpeting the ground, brilliant pinks blanketing the trees; and the buildings themselves, the Lyceum, Ventress Hall, the Barnard Observatory, stately and imposing, each suggesting classical Greek architecture. But underneath this philo- sophical tradition and classical beauty lies a University on fire for the future, heading into the twenty-first century as a leader in the worlds of art, medicine, law, science, business, politics, and research of all kinds. Ole Miss is proud to claim a nationally recognized Service Journalism program, the Center for Telecommunications, the National Center for Physical Acoustics, excellent Law and Medical schools, and a new Super Computing System. Ole Miss graduates excel in every walk of life business, education, and politics among others. Their sojourn at the University challenged these men and women to be more, to ask more, to think more. And today Ole Miss persistently pursues this mission as close to 9000 undergraduates experience all that is Ole Miss her history, her beauty, her scholastic tradition. History has not burdene d the University; rather it has nurtured a University where tradition does not limit but instead responds to the demands of modern life. Ole Miss a lifetime of achievement with a vision for the future. ”