Chancellor Glenn Boyce will no longer use the UM Chancellor Twitter account as the primary way for the chancellor’s office to communicate to the university community.
The university still owns the @UMchancellor Twitter handle, which was created in September 2016, but it is no longer active.
In a statement to The Daily Mississippian, a university spokesperson said that Boyce considered which social media platforms would help him most actively engage with the largest number of university community members and settled on Facebook, citing a study from the Pew Research Center.
The study found that 71% of U.S. adults use Facebook, and 65% of that number are under the age of 35. The study did not gauge college students’ use of social media.
In a teleconference after his announcement as chancellor in October, Boyce said, “I will tell you also that first and foremost, I’ve always been a student-centered individual, and I don’t say that lightly.” He continued: “Lots of people use that term. And I don’t say that lightly. So I will be incredibly engaged with our students highly visible with our students.”
The university spokesperson also said that Facebook would allow Boyce to share longer-form content. Former Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter shared long-form content on Facebook and Twitter through screenshots of statements.
UM Communications did not say if Boyce would run the account himself but did say that posts from Boyce will be signed. Former Chancellor Jeffery Vitter used both Facebook and Instagram during his tenure as chancellor and signed messages from himself on Facebook.
“University Marketing & Communications works closely with the Office of the Chancellor to manage the chancellor’s public profile page. Personal posts from Chancellor Boyce on the new page will be signed,” Boyce said in the statement.
