The University of Mississippi recently released a statement that confirmed UM Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter has approved the request from administrative councils to take longtime donor Ed Meek’s name off the School of Journalism and New Media building. The media advisory came just after 2 p.m. Oct. 9.
The statement from Vitter read as follows:
“The proposal to change the name of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media has cleared all administrative steps required on our campus to change the name of an academic program. The faculty in the school voted to approve a request made by Dr. Ed Meek to remove his name from the school. The proposal was subsequently approved by the Undergraduate Council, the Graduate Council, and the Council of Academic Administrators. Shortly thereafter, I submitted the proposal to the IHL Board for expedited consideration at its October meeting.”
The IHL Board will consider the name change at its Oct. 18 meeting in Jackson.
The request is the result of the backlash from Meek’s now deleted social media post, which referenced two black females and had alleged racial undertones. Meek, a School of Journalism and New Media donor, deleted the post, but not before it went viral sparking rage from the LOU community.
In September, Meek offered an apology and requested that his name be removed from the school.
At the time the media advisory was issued, no emails notifying faculty, staff or students were sent.
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