LETTER FROM WILL NORTON, JR. tall distinguishedlooking gentleman met me at the Tupelo airport in May 1973.
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However, Dr. Farrar had the program on the rise, and he had gained national attention. In 1977 Ole Miss could not match an offer he received to become director of the School of Journalism at the University of Kentucky, and he accepted the position.
Jere Hoar was the interim chair of the Department of Journalism. Ron Farrar, the newly named chair, had asked him to interview me for a faculty position.
The momentum he began continued in the years that followed. The department grew and a move was made to Farley Hall. In fact, in 1979 the Radio/Television degree was moved from the Theater Arts Department, and the number of majors more than doubled, but the department gained only three positions in the process. There was no new equipment and no additional operating budget.
I had just flown in from Tuscaloosa where I had been interviewed for a position on that faculty. I had no idea what to expect from my first encounter with Ole Miss. However, as Dr. Hoar and I talked on our ride to Oxford, I became intrigued by his description of the quality of the Ole Miss program started by Dr. Gerald Forbes and developed by Dr. Sam Talbert. It was small and committed to excellence. We talked about a curriculum that was oriented toward media professions and about students who were eager to become great storytellers. We talked about a faculty with significant media experience and about outstanding alumni who were proof of uncommon quality. We also talked about Brady Hall, a rickety venue that had survived the War Between the States. I loved the campus and the down-home feel of the department. I loved the stories and banter of the students and faculty. However, when I returned to the University of Iowa I was offered a considerable salary to be publisher of The Daily Iowan, and I turned down the Ole Miss offer. And I realized I never would be on the Ole Miss faculty. A year later I was finishing my dissertation at Iowa when I answered a phone call from Dr. Hoar and Dr. Farrar. They had interviewed candidates for the still empty position, but had not received any acceptances. Because I had already seen the campus, and they had interviewed me, they wondered if I would accept an offer. I probably was their last resort. I immediately said yes. The fall of 1974 was my first, and the year was incredible. • The staff of The Daily Mississippian was exceptional. • Dr. Farrar obtained accreditation for the school. • The graduating class was filled with journalists who would leave a mark on the profession and on the nation. Dr. Ed Meek, director of public relations at Ole Miss, began pushing for us to be a school, but the budget was minuscule, there were only five faculty, and the university was reeling from one crisis to another. Administrators could not increase our budget or add to our faculty despite great improvement in enrollment.
We hired Neale Copple, dean of the College of Journalism at the University of Nebraska, to help us develop a more integrated curriculum for the two programs. In 1981 the department added Dr. Jim Pratt, and in 1980 Willie Morris began teaching an advanced writing class. In 1984 Service Journalism was created through a gift from the Meredith Corporation because of the leadership of Jim Autry, and Dr. Samir Husni was hired. Minimal opportunities existed to raise funds, but we made every effort we could to do so, and Charles Overby, then vice president for communications at the Gannett Co., Inc., led in obtaining a major scholarship endowment for students of color. Dr. Meek kept pushing for the department to gain school status that would provide opportunities for a professional program like the elite campuses throughout the nation. Unfortunately, his efforts were unsuccessful, and the academic ceiling for journalism at Ole Miss seemed very real. Meanwhile, Dean Copple had liked the excellence he had seen at Ole Miss and nominated me for several positions throughout the nation. Finally, he asked me to apply at Nebraska and, after the usual search process, I accepted. I realized I never again would be on the Ole Miss faculty. I was at the University of Nebraska 17 years when Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat accepted a gift from Ed and Becky Meek, creating a school of journalism and new media. After much thought and discussion, I applied when the Meek School deanship opened. Today, the school’s status has provided national and international exposure for the university, and the possibilities are endless for our students and our faculty. During my four years back at Ole Miss, I have reflected on Dr. Hoar’s description of a program of excellence. I have been grateful for the tenacious perseverance of Dr. Meek, and the selfless contributions of so many others. Similarly, as you read this edition of the Meek School, I hope you will reflect on an excellent education and memories of good times on a campus nestled in the hills of northern Mississippi. Hotty Toddy. MEEK SCHOOL
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