Vitter preferred Ole Miss chancellor candidate

The University of Kansas' provost and the brother of a U.S. senator is the preferred candidate for University of Mississippi chancellor.

The Clarion-Ledger confirmed the decision Monday morning through multiple sources that Jeffrey Vitter is the top choice to replace former Chancellor Dan Jones. State College Board President Alan Perry and Institutions of Higher Learning Commissioner Glenn Boyce later revealed the decision in a news conference in Oxford.

Vitter, a 59-year-old New Orleans native, earned a bachelor's degree in math from Notre Dame in 1977 and a doctorate in computer science from Stanford in 1980. He earned a Master's in Business Administration from Duke University in 2002. Prior to assuming the provost's post at KU, Vitter was vice president of research at Texas A&M from 2002-2008. Vitter has held faculty and administrative positions at Purdue University, Duke and Brown University.He is the brother of David Vitter, a U.S. senator from Louisiana who is running for governor of that state. Vitter was also a finalist in a search for a new chancellor at the University of Arkansas.

“(A resume) isn’t enough by itself," Perry said. "He has the other skills that we think are necessary; he’s an experienced administrator; he has an MBA; and he is a good people person. I think he can fit into this culture well, and all of that together, the whole package, made him look like an outstanding candidate to the entire board."

Vitter was among the candidates who interviewed Tuesday, he said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. He spent Wednesday and Thursday at Arkansas before returning to Mississippi and meeting individually with College Board members over the weekend.

"I grew up in the South and in the SEC and know of the great tradition Ole Miss has and incredible pride the alumni display for the institution," Vitter said. "There's an infectious sense of pride that came across in the interviews."

Should the College Board appoint him, Vitter said his goals the first 100 days will be simple: "Visit, get to know people. What we’ve done at KU is engage the entire community to develop true shared vision and that’s what I want to have happen at the University of Mississippi."

One issue that will demand attention immediately is the Mississippi state flag. The Associated Student Body will vote Tuesday night on a resolution that calls for its removal from campus. Last week, students rallied to remove flag, which features the Confederate emblem in its upper left corner. They were opposed by groups that included some who identified themselves as members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Vitter would not say if he supported the resolution student government leaders will consider Tuesday. "I’m really happy that the students are taking up this issue," he said. "As a new person, I need to talk with people and really understand what the situation is. I look forward to that."

Trustees spent Tuesday and Wednesday last week interviewing eight potential replacements for Jones, out of 50 who applied. Perry said then that a handful of candidates would be invited back in the next couple weeks for a second round of interviews. It was unclear Monday morning what happened to expedite Vitter's selection as the preferred candidate. Trustees will still have to vote to appoint Vitter to the position. Vitter is scheduled to visit Ole Miss' campus Oct. 29.

"If they felt like he was the guy, I’m glad they made that decision," said state Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, an Ole Miss alumni who chairs the Senate Education Committee. "In my mind urgency was certainly important. If they felt that confident about his selection as a preferred candidate, I see no reason not to act."

One advantage Vitter has, Tollison said, is his background in computer science.

"Technology is such a big part of our economy now," Tollison said.

Michael Barnett, an associate professor of lighting and design in Ole Miss' theater department and chair of the faculty senate, said Vitter's rising through the faculty ranks is "a huge positive." Barnett served on the Campus Search Advisory Committee, made up of Ole Miss stakeholders, that assisted the College Board with the search, including participating in last week's interviews. "The campus committee had him ranked very highly on paper and following interviews, we found him to be a very strong candidate," Barnett said of Vitter. "The board really listened to that, which we certainly appreciate."

The College Board voted in March to begin preparations to find Jones’ successor, essentially not renewing his contract, which expired Sept. 14. Trustees cited contract management issues at UMMC and Jones’ reluctance to correct them, as reasons for the nonrenewal.

Jones now works for UMMC’s obesity research center, a job he began the day after his chancellor’s contract expired. Provost Morris Stocks currently serves as interim chancellor.

Netscape founder and Ole Miss alumni Jim Barksdale was among the most vocal Jones supporters last spring. Barksdale, whose donation in the late 1990s established Ole Miss' honors college, urged trustees to renew Jones' contract. Negotiations to do so eventually stalled.

"I don't know anything about him," Barksdale said of Vitter. "I know who his brother is. But I'm sure he's a fine candidate or they wouldn't have selected him. I hope he's a good one and I hope he does a great job at Ole Miss.I hope he will move toward getting the IHL satisfied with the performance of whatever it is they were concerned about with the medical center."

Boyce said that Vitter being neither an Ole Miss alumnus nor a Mississippian played a role in  Vitter’s selection. Boyce said that being an alumnus of Ole Miss wasn’t an essential to the selection. “The most critical thing was, once again, does this person have the qualifications, experience, academic credentials, and so on, to lead this institution.”

Also, the committee refuted suggestions that Vitter might use the Ole Miss chancellor position as a stepping stone, saying that Vitter had no higher position in mind at other institutions. According to the committee, Vitter said he’d be committed to serving the university, if appointed.

“I wholeheartedly believe that he’s not a climber, that’s something that was made very clear, that he feels passionately about the University of Mississippi, and I believe that this is the destination for him. I really do,” said Rod Bridges, the president of the Associated Student Body, the school’s student government.

Sen. David Vitter invoked Ole Miss' rivalry with LSU in a statement congratulating his brother.

“We're so proud of and excited for Jeffrey and Sharon. At the same time, I'm reminded of his tormenting me as my older brother growing up. So there's going to be payback every time the Tigers whoop Ole Miss in the SEC!”

To which Jeffrey Vitter responded: "I will not be disappointed at all once Ole Miss stomps the LSU Tigers."

Clarion-Ledger correspondent Royce Swayze contributed to this report.

Contact Clay Chandler at (601) 961-7264 or cchandler@gannett.com. Follow @claychand on Twitter.