Editing University of Mississippi (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of the University of Mississippi}}

===Founding and early history===
{{multiple image
| align = left
| total_width = 400
| image1 = Frederick Augustus Porter Bernard cph.3b31295.jpg
| alt1 = Frederick A. P. Barnard, a spectacled and bearded man
| image2 = 1861 Lyceum.jpg
| alt2 = The Lyceum in 1861
| footer = [[Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard|Frederick A. P. Barnard]], the last [[Antebellum South|antebellum]] chancellor, and the [[Lyceum (Mississippi)|Lyceum]] in 1861
}}

The [[Mississippi Legislature]] chartered the University of Mississippi on February 24, 1844<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS DATE!!!-->.<ref name="Fowler 1941, p. 213">[[#Fowler|Fowler (1941)]], p. 213.</ref> Planners selected an isolated, rural site in [[Oxford, Mississippi|Oxford]] as a "sylvan exile" that would foster academic studies and focus.<ref name="cohodas5">[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 5.</ref> In 1845, residents of [[Lafayette County, Mississippi|Lafayette County]] donated land west of Oxford for the campus and the following year, architect [[William Nichols (architect)|William Nichols]] oversaw construction of an academic building called the [[The Lyceum (Mississippi)|Lyceum]], two dormitories, and faculty residences.<ref name="Fowler 1941, p. 213"/> On November 6, 1848, the university, offering a [[Classics|classical]] curriculum, opened to its first class of 80 students,<ref name="cohodas5"/><ref name="history"/> most of whom were children of elite slaveholders, all of whom were white, and all but one of whom were from Mississippi.<ref name="cohodas5"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Andrews|first=Becca|date=July 1, 2020|title=The Racism of "Ole Miss" Is Hiding in Plain Sight|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/racism-university-mississippi-nickname-ole-miss-confederate-history-elma-meeks/|work=Mother Jones|access-date=August 1, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709002552/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/racism-university-mississippi-nickname-ole-miss-confederate-history-elma-meeks/|url-status=live}}</ref> For 23 years, the university was Mississippi's only public institution of higher learning<ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.olemiss.edu/info/history.html|publisher=University of Mississippi|access-date=December 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404053703/http://www.olemiss.edu/info/history.html|archive-date=April 4, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and for 110 years, its only comprehensive university.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/university-of-mississippi-main-campus/?sh=1210fd8365a7|title=University of Mississippi Main Campus|website=Forbes|access-date=June 28, 2021|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629020429/https://www.forbes.com/colleges/university-of-mississippi-main-campus/?sh=1210fd8365a7|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1854, the [[University of Mississippi School of Law]] was established, becoming the fourth state-supported law school in the United States.<ref name="law">{{cite web|url=https://law.olemiss.edu/about/history/|title=History|website=School of Law|publisher=University of Mississippi|access-date=July 4, 2021|archive-date=July 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703014433/https://law.olemiss.edu/about/history/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Early president [[Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard|Frederick A. P. Barnard]] sought to increase the stature of the university, placing him in conflict with the more conservative board of trustees.<ref name="Cohodas 1997 pp. 6">[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], pp. 6–7.</ref> His hundred-page 1858 report to the trustees on his proposals resulted in little besides the university head's title being changed to "chancellor".<ref>[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 7.</ref> Barnard's northern background—he was born in [[Massachusetts]] and graduated from [[Yale]]—and [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sympathies resulted in heightened tensions: a student assaulted his slave and the state legislature investigated him.<ref name="Cohodas 1997 pp. 6"/> Following the presidential election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860, Mississippi became the second state to secede, with the [[Mississippi Secession Ordinance|articles of secession]] drafted by the university's mathematics professor [[Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar]].<ref>[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 8.</ref> Students organized themselves into a military company called the "University Greys", which merged with the [[Confederate States Army]].<ref name="cohodas9">[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 9.</ref> Within a month of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]'s outbreak, only 5 students remained at the University of Mississippi, and, by fall 1861, the university closed. In its final action, the board of trustees awarded Barnard a [[Doctor of Divinity|doctorate of divinity]].<ref name="cohodas9"/>

Within six months, [[Confederate States of America|Confederates]] converted the campus into a hospital. It was evacuated in November 1862 as General [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s [[Union Army|Union forces]] approached. Although Kansan troops destroyed much of the medical equipment, a lone remaining professor persuaded Grant against burning the campus.<ref>[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 10.</ref>{{efn|group=note|Chancellor Barnard's friendship with General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] may also have helped save the campus.<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], p. 112.</ref>}} After three weeks, Grant and his forces left, and the campus returned to being a Confederate hospital. Throughout the war, over 700 wounded died and were buried on campus.<ref name="cohodas11">[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 11.</ref>

===Post-Civil War===
[[File:SarahMcGeheeIsom.tif|thumb|upright|alt=A woman in collegiate garb|The University of Mississippi was the first college in the Southeast to hire a female faculty member: [[Sarah McGehee Isom]] in 1885.]]

The University of Mississippi reopened in October 1865.<ref name="cohodas11"/> To avoid rejecting veterans, the university lowered admission standards and decreased costs by eliminating tuition and allowing students to live off-campus.<ref name="history"/> The student body remained entirely white: in 1870 the chancellor declared that he and the entire faculty would resign rather than admit "negro" students.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roland |first1=Dunbar |title=The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, Volume 4 |date=December 11, 2023 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLC0kgvJJG4C&dq=jess+stockstill+picayune&pg=PA912 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110200610/https://books.google.com/books?id=pLC0kgvJJG4C&dq=jess%20stockstill%20picayune&pg=PA912 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1882, the university began admitting women<ref>[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 18.</ref> but they were not permitted to live on campus or attend law school.<ref name="history"/> In 1885, the University of Mississippi hired [[Sarah McGehee Isom]], becoming the first [[Southeastern United States|southeastern US]] college to hire a female faculty member.<ref name="history"/><ref name="isom">{{cite web |url=https://sarahisomcenter.org/about-1 |title=History |website=Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies |publisher=University of Mississippi |access-date=July 24, 2021 |archive-date=July 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724182727/https://sarahisomcenter.org/history |url-status=live }}</ref> Nearly 100 years later, in 1981, the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies was established in her honor.<ref name="history"/><ref name="isom"/>

The university's byname "Ole Miss" was first used in 1897, when it won a contest of suggestions for a yearbook title.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Elliott C. |date=July 27, 2021 |title=The Battle over Ole Miss: Why a flagship university has stood behind a nickname with a racist past |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/27/us/ole-miss-university-mississippi-name-controversy/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204060212/https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/27/us/ole-miss-university-mississippi-name-controversy/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The term originated as a title domestic slaves used to distinguish the mistress of a plantation from "young misses".<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], pp. 168–169.</ref> Fringe origin theories include it coming from a diminutive of "Old Mississippi",<ref>[[#Cabaniss|Cabaniss (1949)]], p. 129.</ref><ref>[[#Eagles|Eagles (2009)]], p. 17.</ref><ref name="sansing168"/> or from the name of the "Ole Miss" train that ran from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to [[New Orleans]].<ref name="cnn"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Elmore |first=Albert Earl |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Scholar Finds Evidence 'Ole Miss' Train Key in Establishing University Nickname |url=https://www.hottytoddy.com/2014/10/24/scholar-finds-evidence-ole-miss-train-key-in-establishing-university-nickname/ |work=Hotty Toddy |access-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030185645/https://www.hottytoddy.com/2014/10/24/scholar-finds-evidence-ole-miss-train-key-in-establishing-university-nickname/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Within two years, students and alumni were using "Ole Miss" to refer to the university.<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], p. 169.</ref>

Between 1900 and 1930, the Mississippi Legislature introduced bills aiming to relocate, close, or merge the university with [[Mississippi State University]]. All such legislation failed.<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], Ch. 8.</ref> During the 1930s, the governor of Mississippi [[Theodore G. Bilbo]] was politically hostile toward the University of Mississippi, firing administrators and faculty, and replacing them with his friends<ref name="barrett23" /> in the "Bilbo purge".<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], p. 240.</ref> Bilbo's actions severely damaged the university's reputation, leading to the temporary loss of its accreditation. Consequently, in 1944, the [[Constitution of Mississippi]] was amended to protect the university's board of trustees from political pressure.<ref name="barrett23">[[#Barrett|Barrett (1965)]], p. 23.</ref> During [[World War II]], the University of Mississippi was one of 131 colleges and universities that participated in the national [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]], which offered students a path to a Navy commission.<ref name="list-of-v-12">{{cite web |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/115-8thND/115-8ND-23.html |title=U.S. Naval Administration in World War II |publisher=HyperWar Foundation |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112105122/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/115-8thND/115-8ND-23.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Integration===
{{Further|Ole Miss riot of 1962}}
[[File:James Meredith OleMiss.jpg|thumb|alt=James Meredith accompanied by federal officials on either side before the columns of the Lyceum|[[James Meredith]] accompanied by federal officials on campus]]

In 1954, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] in public schools was unconstitutional.<ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], pp. 61–62.</ref> Eight years after the ''Brown'' decision, all attempts by African American applicants to enroll at the University of Mississippi had failed.<ref name="bryant60">[[#Bryant|Bryant (2006)]], p. 60.</ref><ref>[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 114.</ref> Shortly after the 1961 inauguration of President [[John F. Kennedy]], [[James Meredith]]—an African American [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] veteran and former student at [[Jackson State University]]—applied to the University of Mississippi.<ref name="cohodas112">[[#Cohodas|Cohodas (1997)]], p. 112.</ref> After months of obstruction by Mississippi officials, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Meredith's enrollment, and the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] under Attorney General [[Robert F. Kennedy]] entered the case on Meredith's behalf.<ref name="bryant60"/><ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], p. 276.</ref> On three occasions, either governor [[Ross R. Barnett]] or lieutenant governor [[Paul B. Johnson Jr.]] physically blocked Meredith's entry to the campus.<ref>[[#Heymann|Heymann (1998)]], p. 282.</ref><ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], p. 288.</ref>

The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] held both Barnett and Johnson Jr. in contempt, and issued fines exceeding $10,000 for each day they refused to enroll Meredith.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=November 7, 1987 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/07/obituaries/ross-barnett-segregationist-dies-governor-of-mississippi-in-1960-s.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |title=Ross Barnett, Segregationist, Dies; Governor of Mississippi in 1960's |access-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203209/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/07/obituaries/ross-barnett-segregationist-dies-governor-of-mississippi-in-1960-s.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 30, 1962, President Kennedy dispatched 127 [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]], 316 deputized [[United States Border Patrol|U.S. Border Patrol]] agents, and 97 federalized [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] personnel to escort Meredith.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2012/093012.htm |title=U.S. Marshals Mark 50th Anniversary of the Integration of 'Ole Miss' |website=U.S. Marshals Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |access-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523031013/https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2012/093012.htm |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After nightfall, far-right former Major General [[Edwin Walker]] and outside agitators arrived, and a gathering of segregationist students before the Lyceum became a violent mob.<ref>[[#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], p. 302.</ref><ref name="roberts292">[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], p. 292.</ref><ref>[[#Scheips|Scheips (2005)]], p. 102.</ref> Segregationist rioters threw [[Molotov cocktail]]s and [[Acid attack|bottles of acid]], and fired guns at federal marshals and reporters.<ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], pp. 291–292.</ref><ref>[[#Scheips|Scheips (2005)]], p. 105.</ref> 160 marshals would be injured, with 28 receiving gunshot wounds,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rateshtari |first1=Roya |title=The U.S. Marshals and the Integration of the University of Mississippi {{!}} U.S. Marshals Service |url=https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/us-marshals-and-integration-of-university-of-mississippi |website=www.usmarshals.gov |date=June 17, 2020 |access-date=August 31, 2024 |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329001244/https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/us-marshals-and-integration-of-university-of-mississippi |url-status=live }}</ref> and two civilians—French journalist [[Paul Guihard]] and Oxford repairman Ray Gunter—were killed by gunfire.<ref>[[#Wickham|Wickham (2011)]], pp. 102–112.</ref><ref name="Time"/> Eventually, 13,000 soldiers arrived in Oxford and quashed the riot.<ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts & Klibanoff (2006)]], p. 297.</ref> One-third of the federal officers—166 men—were injured, as were 40 federal soldiers and National Guardsmen.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine |title=The States: Though the Heavens Fall |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829233-5,00.html |access-date=October 3, 2007 |date=October 12, 1962 |archive-date=October 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014014142/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829233-5,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> More than 30,000 personnel were deployed, alerted, and committed in Oxford—the most in American history for a single disturbance.<ref>[[#Scheips|Scheips (2005)]], pp. 120−121.</ref> Meredith enrolled and attended a class on October 1.<ref>{{cite news |title=1962: Mississippi race riots over first black student |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/1/newsid_2538000/2538169.stm |access-date=October 2, 2007 |date=October 1, 1962 |archive-date=October 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005031808/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/1/newsid_2538000/2538169.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1968, Ole Miss had around 100 African American students,<ref>[[University of Mississippi#Sansing|Sansing (1999)]], p. 321.</ref> and by the 2019–2020 academic year, African Americans constituted 12.5 percent of the student body.<ref name="demo">{{cite web |title=Fall 2019-2020 Enrollment |url=https://irep.olemiss.edu/fall-2019-2020-enrollment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214300/https://irep.olemiss.edu/fall-2019-2020-enrollment/ |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=June 2, 2021 |website=Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning |publisher=University of Mississippi}}</ref>

===Recent history===
[[File:Rowan Oak.JPG|thumb|alt=A white house set among trees|The university owns [[Rowan Oak]], former home of [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]]-winning writer [[William Faulkner]] and a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite journal |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: William Faulkner Home, Rowan Oak |url={{NHLS url |id=68000028}} |date=March 30, 1976 |author=Polly M. Rettig and John D. McDermott |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 20, 2022 }}</ref>]]

In 1972, Ole Miss purchased [[Rowan Oak]], the former home of [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]]–winning writer [[William Faulkner]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rowanoak.com/about/history/ |title=History |website=Rowan Oak |publisher=University of Mississippi |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310085413/https://www.rowanoak.com/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Luesse |first=Valerie Fraser |date=September 25, 2020 |title=The Haunted History of William Faulkner's Rowan Oak |url=https://www.southernliving.com/travel/mississippi/rowan-oak |work=Southern Living |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225053719/https://www.southernliving.com/travel/mississippi/rowan-oak |url-status=live }}</ref> The building has been preserved as it was at Faulkner's death in 1962. Faulkner was the university's postmaster in the early 1920s and wrote ''[[As I Lay Dying]]'' (1930) at the university powerhouse. His Nobel Prize medallion is displayed in the university library.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boyer |first=Allen |date=June 3, 1984 |title=William Faulkner's Mississippi |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/travel/1984/06/03/william-faulkners-mississippi/79c5a57b-af93-47ec-a5e5-1bebedd45468/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=June 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625173035/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/travel/1984/06/03/william-faulkners-mississippi/79c5a57b-af93-47ec-a5e5-1bebedd45468/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The university hosted the inaugural Faulkner and [[Yoknapatawpha County|Yoknapatawpha]] Conference in 1974. In 1980, [[Willie Morris]] became the university's first writer in residence.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/university-of-mississippi/ |title=University of Mississippi |website=The Mississippi Encyclopedia |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813102848/https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/university-of-mississippi/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2002, Ole Miss marked the 40th anniversary of integration with a yearlong series of events, including an oral history of the university, symposiums, a memorial, and a reunion of federal marshals who served at the campus.<ref name="Byrd">{{cite news |first=Shelia Hardwell |last=Byrd |title=Meredith ready to move on |agency=Associated Press |work=Athens Banner-Herald |url=http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/092102/new_20020921041.shtml |date=September 21, 2002 |access-date=October 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016065534/http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/092102/new_20020921041.shtml |archive-date=October 16, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Halbfinger |first=David M. |date=September 27, 2002 |title=40 Years After Infamy, Ole Miss Looks to Reflect and Heal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/27/us/40-years-after-infamy-ole-miss-looks-to-reflect-and-heal.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423161142/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/27/us/40-years-after-infamy-ole-miss-looks-to-reflect-and-heal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, the 44th anniversary of integration, a [[Statue of James Meredith|statue of Meredith]] was dedicated on campus.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=October 2, 2006 |title=Ole Miss dedicates civil rights statue |url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/2/19977165/ole-miss-dedicates-civil-rights-statue |work=Deseret News |access-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311211541/https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/2/19977165/ole-miss-dedicates-civil-rights-statue |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two years later, the site of the 1962 riots was designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nhlnom">{{Cite book |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/Fall07Nominations/Lyceum.pdf |title=National Historic Landmark Nomination: Lyceum |date=January 23, 2007 |first1=Gene |last1=Ford |first2=Susan Cianci |last2=Salvatore |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226084158/http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/Fall07Nominations/Lyceum.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2009 }}</ref> The university also held a yearlong program to mark the 50th anniversary of integration in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |first=Campbell |last=Robertson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/university-of-mississippi-commemorates-integration.html?ref=universityofmississippi&_r=0 |work=The New York Times |title=University of Mississippi Commemorates Integration |date=September 30, 2012 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203136/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/university-of-mississippi-commemorates-integration.html?ref=universityofmississippi&_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> The university hosted the [[United States presidential election debates, 2008#September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi)|first presidential debate of 2008]]—the first presidential debate held in Mississippi—between Senators [[John McCain]] and [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Dewan |first=Shaila |date=September 23, 2008 |title=Debate Host, Too, Has a Message of Change |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/us/24miss.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429181411/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/us/24miss.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |via=McClatchy newspapers |date=September 22, 2008 |title=Debates give University of Mississippi a chance to highlight racial progress |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/22/uselections2008.race |work=The Guardian |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429181411/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/22/uselections2008.race |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ole Miss retired its mascot [[Colonel Reb]] in 2003, citing its Confederate imagery.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Michael |date=February 25, 2010 |title=Ole Miss Retires Controversial Mascot |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124081743 |work=NPR |access-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203206/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124081743 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although a grass-roots movement to adopt ''[[Star Wars]]'' character [[Admiral Ackbar]] of the [[Rebel Alliance]] gained significant support,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Malinowski |first=Erik |date=September 8, 2010 |title=Ole Miss' Admiral Ackbar Campaign Fizzles |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/09/ole-miss-admiral-ackbar/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130212446/https://www.wired.com/2010/09/ole-miss-admiral-ackbar/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Larry |last1=Hartstein |first2=Ty |last2=Tagami |date=March 1, 2010 |title=Admiral Ackbar for Ole Miss mascot spurs backlash |url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/admiral-ackbar-for-ole-miss-mascot-spurs-backlash/mLpbHwbEjzarKjx17EMyzN/ |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=August 29, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605024512/https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/admiral-ackbar-for-ole-miss-mascot-spurs-backlash/mLpbHwbEjzarKjx17EMyzN/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Rebel Black Bear]], a reference to Faulkner's short story ''[[Go Down, Moses (book)#The Bear|The Bear]]'', was selected in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stevens |first=Stuart |date=October 31, 2015 |title=Between Ole Miss and Me |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/between-ole-miss-and-me |work=The Daily Beast |access-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701193349/https://www.thedailybeast.com/between-ole-miss-and-me |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="shark"/> The Bear was replaced with another mascot, [[Tony the Landshark]], in 2017.<ref name="shark">{{cite news |date=October 6, 2017 |title=Ole Miss adopts Landshark as new official mascot for athletic events |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20939377/ole-miss-rebels-retire-rebel-bear-mascot-replaced-landshark |publisher=ESPN |access-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211133810/https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20939377/ole-miss-rebels-retire-rebel-bear-mascot-replaced-landshark |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Maddie |url=https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2018/08/11/ole-miss-unveils-its-landshark-mascot-meet-rebels-day/966506002/ |title=Ole Miss unveils its Landshark mascot, a melding of Rebels history and Hollywood design |work=The Clarion Ledger |access-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203207/https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2018/08/11/ole-miss-unveils-its-landshark-mascot-meet-rebels-day/966506002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Beginning in 2022, football coach [[Lane Kiffin]]'s dog Juice became the de facto mascot.<ref>{{cite news |last=Suss |first=Nick |date=August 12, 2022 |title=How Lane Kiffin's dog, Juice, has become the face of Ole Miss football |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lane-kiffins-dog-juice-become-175246429.html |work=USA Today |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240903080850/https://sports.yahoo.com/lane-kiffins-dog-juice-become-175246429.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=King |first=Ben |date=October 5, 2022 |title=Lane Kiffin's Dog 'Juice' Agrees to NIL Deal With The Grove Collective |url=https://www.si.com/college/olemiss/football/ole-miss-rebels-nil-deal-juice-kiffin |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113190816/https://www.si.com/college/olemiss/football/ole-miss-rebels-nil-deal-juice-kiffin |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, the university removed the [[Flag of Mississippi|Mississippi State Flag]], which included the Confederate battle emblem,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/us/ole-miss-confederate-state-flag-removed-campus/index.html |title=Ole Miss removes state flag from campus |date=October 26, 2015 |first=Eliott C. |last=McLaughlin |publisher=CNN |access-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203122/https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/us/ole-miss-confederate-state-flag-removed-campus/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2020, it relocated a prominent Confederate monument.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pettus |first=Emily Wagster |date=July 14, 2020 |title=Ole Miss moves Confederate statue from prominent campus spot |url=https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-oxford-mississippi-ms-state-wire-d5824d7b24b9d7af5976da60741d4a28 |work=Associated Press |access-date=August 2, 2021 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602175814/https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-oxford-mississippi-ms-state-wire-d5824d7b24b9d7af5976da60741d4a28 |url-status=live }}</ref>