IHL extends contract for Ole Miss Chancellor Boyce

• The IHL Board President says Dr. Glenn Boyce has demonstrated a keen ability to lead the university to new levels of success.

A contract extension for the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi was approved by the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) last month. 

Dr. Glenn Boyce, the University of Mississippi’s 18th Chancellor, received his contract extension to June 30, 2028, during the May 16 IHL meeting.

As part of the contract, Boyce will be paid an annual state salary of $500,000, with a University of Mississippi Foundation supplement of $450,000 per year. If he maintains his employment with the university until June 30, 2026, he will receive a retention payment of up to $400,000 from the Foundation. Upon completion of the full four-year contract, Boyce will also receive a retention payment of up to $400,000 from the Foundation. 

Chancellor Boyce told Magnolia Tribune Wednesday that he’s grateful for the confidence to continue to serve.

“I am most grateful to the IHL trustees, Commissioner Rankins, and our university foundation board members for their vote of confidence in my leadership,” Boyce said. “More importantly, I am mindful that our university is thriving because of the unending commitment of our faculty and staff to deliver on our mission of education, research, service and healthcare each and every day.”

Boyce took over as Chancellor of the state’s oldest university in 2019. As an Ole Miss alumnus, he holds two degrees from the institution, a bachelor’s of education and a doctorate in education leadership. Boyce previously served as Commissioner of Higher Education for the state of Mississippi and as president of Holmes Community College for nearly a decade.

As Chancellor of Ole Miss, Boyce’s accomplishments include launching the Now & Ever campaign to generate $1.5 billion in private support. The university has invested in technology, recruitment and marketing, along with the consolidating admissions and financial aid during his tenure. Ole Miss reached a record freshman retention rate of nearly 90 percent for the fall of 2022, higher than the national average. Boyce also set a series of goals to advance a more diverse and inclusive environment on campus through the Pathways to Equity Strategic Plan.

Under Boyce’s leadership, the university created the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science in Technology and Innovation, which was the largest single construction project in the history of the Oxford campus. In addition, Ole Miss has received record endowments, exceeding $825 million during Boyce’s tenure. 

The university has also won two NCAA championships, one in women’s golf in 2021 and another in baseball in 2022, since Boyce became Chancellor. In 2022, the Ole Miss Athletics Department achieved a graduation success rate of 88 percent.

Bruce Martin, President of the IHL Board of Trustees, told Magnolia Tribune that they are fortunate to have Boyce at Ole Miss.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Glenn Boyce in the role of Chancellor at the University of Mississippi. He has demonstrated a keen ability to lead the university to new levels of success and the renewal of his contract is evidence of the Board of Trustees’ confidence in his work,” Martin said.