Jim Barksdale has quietly applied to be the next chancellor, according to three sources familiar with the search process.
Barksdale is the chairman of the board and president of Barksdale Management Corporation, which manages philanthropic activities. He served as the president and CEO of Netscape Communications Corporation from 1994-1999.
From 1983 to 1992, Barksdale served as executive vice president and COO at Federal Express Corporation. In August, Federal Express Corporation donated $250,000 to the Science Building Fund in Barksdale’s honor.
The Barksdales established the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the university in 1997.
In 2000, the Barksdale foundation granted $100 million to Mississippi for the creation of The Barksdale Reading Institute, which is located in Oxford and helps children improve their reading skills.
The Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning held their second in-person listening session to gain input from different groups in the UM community earlier this month. The IHL held the first listening session in June at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The first round of interviews will begin on Oct. 2. There will be a second round of interviews mid-October and the IHL hopes to have a candidate in place by the end of the month.
A new chancellor is expected to be named by the end of 2019.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
