By Laura Kate Tutton, junior journalism major, Meek School of Journalism and New Media
The University of Mississippi has announced 151 new members of the 2013 Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities and bestowed its highest award –– induction into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame –- on ten other students in a recent campus ceremony.
The Provost of the University of Mississippi, Morris Stocks, and Dean of Students Sparky Reardon announced the 151 Who’s Who of America inductees at a ceremony attended by family and friends of the honorees held at the Ford Center on January 25.
“Central to the success of our University is the success of our students,” Stocks said in his introductory remarks to the crowd.
The students lined up alphabetically and wore huge smiles as they walked across the stage to receive their certificates and a congratulatory handshake from Stocks.
“I was surprised when I was nominated for this honor. I simply got an email about applying. I thought I would never get it,” said Kasey Mauney, a senior Engineering major. Mauney was overwhelmed with the crowd that showed up for the event.
Junior Victoria Vosburg attended the ceremony to support a friend.
“This is a great honor, and I felt like I should be there to support Liz.” Liz Roland was one of the 151 students in this year’s class.
The Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities has been around since 1934. Each year, the honor is bestowed on college students from 2,800 different schools across the country.
The number of students nominated is determined by the school’s enrollment.
“The Who’s Who organization lets the University recognize the top one percent of the graduating class,” Dean of Students Sparky Reardon said in his presentation to the 2013 class. Each student is nominated by a professor and then voted on by the Who’s Who organization.
From the Who’s Who class, a committee for the Hall of Fame elects the 10 individuals that will join the most elite group at the University.
Stocks went on to describe the importance of the Hall of Fame achievement. “Since 1930, induction into the Hall of Fame has been recognized as the highest honor a student can receive at the University of Mississippi,” he said.
The students chosen for this prestigious honor were announced with their accomplishments and respective achievements from the previous four years. Since the beginning, the Ole Miss Hall of Fame honor has been awarded to students with the highest academic standing and level of community involvement.
Margaret Ann Morgan of McComb, Miss., was one of the last recipients announced. When asked if she was surprised, Morgan said, “Well I knew something had to be up when my best friend Tweeted, ‘Can’t wait to come to Oxford, so proud of you,’” but Morgan said she was still shaking from nerves and excitement when her name was called.
To be considered for the Hall of Fame is an honor in itself, Mauney added. “To just be able to be in the same graduating class as this group of people is a privilege.”
After the ceremony, there was a small reception where family and friends gathered to congratulate the individuals.
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