MISSISSIPPI, UNIVERSITY OF

byname Ole Miss, public, coeducational institution of higher learning based in Oxford, Miss., U.S., with a medical centre in Jackson and a regional campus at Tupelo. Academically divided into one college and 11 schools, it offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The university manages more than 15 research units; notable among them are the Center for Study of Southern Culture (established 1977), the Center for Telecommunications (1985), the Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics (1986), and the National Food Service Management Institute (1989). The John Davis Williams Library includes the Blues Archive, a collection of black American music. The Oxford campus is noted for its Georgian and Greek Revival architecture. Enrollment at the main campus exceeds 10,000 students. In 1815 and 1819 federal legislation set aside land for the creation of a seminary in Mississippi. Chartered in 1844, the school opened in 1848 with a general curriculum in the liberal arts. The School of Law, established in 1854, is one of the oldest public law schools in the United States. The university was closed during the American Civil War, when it was occupied by federal forces; it reopened in 1865. Women first joined Mississippi as students in 1882 and as faculty members in 1885. Although graduate degrees were conferred in the 19th century, the graduate school was not formally established until 1927. The Medical Center at Jackson, which began enrolling students in 1955, contains schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Health Related Professions. In 1962, over the objection of state officials, the U.S Supreme Court forced the university to accept racial integration and admit black student James H. Meredith. The School of Accountancy, established in 1978, was one of the first schools of its kind in the nation. Notable faculty members included educator Frederick Barnard, who served as president in 185661, and jurist Lucius Q.C. Lamar, who taught law in 186673. Author William Faulkner attended classes at Mississippi, and the university operates his Oxford home Rowan Oak as a museum.