Inauguaral event to be held at the University of Mississippi in April
By Jack Criss
On Saturday, April 9 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. the campus of the University of Mississippi will host the first annual “Mississippi Day” in the Grove. There is no cost to attend the family-friendly event.
Dr. Noel Wilkin, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, as well as professor and research professor at Ole Miss, is spearheading the exciting event.
“This day will be a true celebration of our state and the University’s connection to Mississippi,” he notes. “We are so much more than just a big school. We offer research, teaching, service, engagement with the community and the state, and this is a way for us to show people everything we do. The planning for Mississippi Day actually started back in 2019 and we were slated to hold the event in April, 2020. Of course, we all know now why that wasn’t possible. We’ve gone on since that cancellation to plan for the day to be even bigger and better.”
Wilkin says the University of Mississippi lifts up the state in a myriad of important ways. “One of the many goals of Mississippi Day is to make citizens of the state proud of our accomplishments and confident in the contributions we’ll all make in the future—and I’m not talking only about graduates of Ole Miss,” says Wilkin.
“We are proud to be the public flagship institution of the state of Mississippi here at Ole Miss,” says Wilkin. “Mississippi Day will celebrate the state of Mississippi and the many ways in which our university enhances the life of our state—learning, discovery, the arts, service, and economic development. The goal, ultimately, is to help our fellow Mississippians of all ages better understand the university, its programs, and how we create new ideas and knowledge.”
Wilkin says on Mississippi Day, an array of interactive activities for kids of all ages will be available for utilization. “We’ll also have students and faculty in booths and tents who can discuss the full breadth of how their work serves our state. Over sventy programs will be participating by offering a wide range of hands-on activities organized along six tracks: Driving Discovery, Changing the World, Supporting Healthy Lives, Creating the Arts, Sharing Knowledge, and Caring for Others,” he says. The nursing program of University of Mississippi Medical Center will also be represented at the event, according to Wilkin, and a “Visit Day” will be held for high school students who attend.
The weekend of Mississippi Day is an especially exciting stretch on campus as Ole Miss Baseball will host Alabama starting at 2:00 p.m. for a three-game series that weekend and a concert in the Grove on Saturday night. “It will be a great weekend to meet people from all over Mississippi and our concert artist will be announced soon,” says Wilkin. “We’ll also have a wide array of food and live music performances. The event will go on, rain or shine.”
In summary, Wilkin says, “Mississippi Day will be a great opportunity for Mississippians to get to know their university and come to learn about all the great things happening here in Oxford on America’s most beautiful campus all while celebrating our great state.”
For more information, visit mississippiday.olemiss.edu.