Nonprofit Mississippi News Many candidates who applied to the University of Mississippi chancellor position believe that Glenn Boyce misled them. Boyce met with several applicants in person earlier this year and discussed his interest in the job. Mississippi Today spoke with five of the seven applicants. They said that Boyce encouraged them to apply. This was at a time when Boyce was a consultant who, according to Mississippi Today’s contract, “solicit input” from University of Mississippi constituents on the qualifications and characteristics needed for the next chancellor. Each of those who spoke to Mississippi Today now wonders if Boyce had his own agenda. They asked not to be identified out of concern that it might harm their business and professional relationships with the university, or hinder their chances of being considered in future university leadership positions. Boyce was described by one applicant as saying, “He assured me that I was qualified and that it would not be a waste of my time to apply.” “I was able to open up to him and we shared our vision for the university. He could have used it for himself at any time later on in the process. If I knew he would become a candidate, I wouldn’t have shared this with him. Never. Boyce stated that he is deeply committed to Mississippi Today and wants to assist the IHL board in understanding the school’s current needs. Boyce stated that he learned everything during the process and communicated freely with those who contacted him about the job. Boyce was appointed by the Institutions of Higher Learning trustees on October 3. Boyce never applied for the job and the IHL board gave him a late interview. It also skipped steps that would have allowed stakeholders from universities to review him and give feedback before making a decision. According to his contract, Boyce worked as an IHL search consultant between January and June 2019. The University of Mississippi Foundation paid Boyce $87,234.85 in total. This fund is used to pay for university administration high-profile searches. The total amount includes a $165 hourly fee and travel expenses. Glenn Boyce-University of Mississippi Foundation contract. Boyce met with influential alumni and donors, sometimes travelling across the country, to ask them what they would like to see in the next chancellor. In addition to compiling a desired candidate profile, the consulting contract calls for consulting and advising on “the transitional period ahead of the selection of a new chancellor,” “UM contextualization and diversity issues/matter/processes,” “UMMC related issues,” and “UM public relations issues.” Boyce used the findings of his consulting work to compile a 10-point profile that later served as the IHL board’s reference point when they began the chancellor interview process, IHL officials and Boyce said in a phone call with reporters on Oct. 4. Ford Dye, an IHL board member and chairman of the chancellor hunt, stated that “as the process continued it became clear (Boyce met that profile better than any other in our search.” “The board unanimously believed he was the best person to lead Ole Miss,” Boyce met with donors and alumni, as well as sought out individuals who had privately expressed an interest in the chancellor role after former Chancellor Jeff Vitter resigned in November 2018. One chancellor candidate told Mississippi Today that Glenn was a consultant when he met with him in spring. “Later, I heard rumors that he was running. I tried to reach him, but he refused. He replied, “I’m not interested.” Boyce encouraged other candidates to apply. He encouraged me to apply after I was open with him about my doubts. A third applicant stated that he was supportive. He said that he was doing consulting work and was trying to help the IHL board identify characteristics for the next chancellor. He said, “I believe you have these characteristics.”” Three candidates stated to Mississippi Today that Boyce had warned them not to lobby for the job through surrogates. Dye, the IHL Board’s search chair, told reporters that Boyce was chosen as the new chancellor because he received “more nominations than any other candidate.” Mississippi Today also learned that Boyce’s intentions were questioned by some candidates who met with him in February. A fourth candidate stated that Boyce must have known he was interested at the time. The candidate said that Boyce had to have known he was interested in the job even though he wasn’t interested when they spoke. Boyce should have picked up the phone and called the other candidates he had spoken to earlier in this year to let us know. Rumours about Boyce’s interest were swirling in Oxford as far back as May. Names of rumored candidates started appearing on sports message boards that are widely read. They serve as virtual trading platforms for Ole Miss gossip and attract a large audience of influencers. Although most users remain anonymous, some appear to have insider information on topics such as Mississippi politics and IHL board deliberations. Boyce’s name was mentioned on these boards, prompting some IHL alumni to warn Boyce against being hired at an IHL listening session in September. Mississippi Today was informed by a source that the names of eight candidates invited to Jackson by the IHL board for formal interviews a week before they began interviewing the finalists. Boyce wasn’t on the list. The IHL board decided to invite Boyce for interview at the end of the second day, Oct. 3. Mississippi Today was told by sources inside the University of Mississippi Medical Center that Boyce arrived about 10 minutes later. Boyce said, “It’s disappointing that my role in this whole process has been misunderstood.” Now, I’m focusing on getting to know the university and moving ahead.” — Boyce’s consulting contract was paid for by the University of Mississippi Foundation. In an Oct. 6 email to 37 foundation board members, Wendell Weakley, President of the UM Foundation, set out Boyce’s timeline for the consulting contract. Jan. 15, 2019, Al Rankins, IHL Commissioner, called Weakley to inform him that the IHL wanted Boyce, the former IHL Commissioner, to be paid by the UM Foundation as a consultant. Weakley sent a letter to the foundation board on October 6. “Dr. “Dr. In an Oct. 6 email, Weakley stated that there was no indication that Dr. Boyce would be or become a candidate for the position of chancellor. It was actually the opposite. He stated that he wasn’t a candidate in my subsequent conversations. He clearly understood that it had changed. Jan. 18, 2019, UM Foundation signed a contract with Boyce to perform the consulting work. He was paid $87 234.85. Weakley stated that he paid Boyce for his work under the contract. “This amount includes his travel expenses…We simply helped facilitate work requested by IHL.” January 18, 2019 – June 30, 2019, Boyce meets university stakeholders to determine the qualities that the next chancellor of University of Mississippi should possess. Weakley stated that some alumni strongly criticised our foundation’s hiring of Dr. Boyce to be a consultant in order to backdoor him into the job as chancellor. This is completely false. We assisted the IHL in its request for input from alumni and friends, but were then excluded from the next search process. These are the only facts I know about all of it.” Oct. 3, 2019, Boyce interviews for the IHL board’s chancellor position and is offered the job quickly. Weakley, Oct. 6: “If he were a candidate, the IHL shouldn’t have recommended him for consulting work nor should we have agreed that they engage him on their behalf.”