Thanks to a $5.3 million gift from alumni Ed and Becky Meek, The University of Mississippi plans to ask the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to approve the creation of a new School of Journalism, Marketing-Communications and Technology.
The school will be based in newly renovated Farley Hall, also home to the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. The announcement was made Oct. 19, officially kicking off the public phase of MomentUM, the university's capital fundraising drive.
"The concept for the school is so exciting," Ed Meek said. "It's going to create an academic program in journalism that stays ahead of the curve, looks into the future and returns to the curriculum an interdisciplinary approach that will give students a wide range of options."
The new school will benefit students in countless ways, said Samir Husni, journalism department chair. "This is a giant step forward," Husni said. "A school devoted specifically to journalism puts us on the same playing level as other universities in the nation."
A UM journalism graduate, Meek helped shape the university's public image. He is a former assistant vice chancellor for public relations and marketing and associate professor of journalism. He retired in 1998 to focus on other business interests he built, including Oxford Publishing Inc. and the Tupelo Furniture Market.
"While we in the College will miss our colleagues in journalism, the creation of this school is an important step forward in the evolution of journalism at UM," said Dean Glenn Hopkins. "This generous gift from Ed and Becky Meek will enable our journalism program to stand as an equal with other journalism programs across the nation and will make possible many new opportunities for our students. It is truly an exciting time for journalism at UM."