The 12 member college board of the 12 states made the controversial decision to not renew Dan Jones’ contract as Ole Miss Chancellor. The board decided not to renew Jones’ contract because of issues with the operation of the University of Mississippi Health Center. This decision was condemned by all political parties – both Republicans and Democrats, as well as multiple conservatives and libertarians. At the time, there was discussion – particularly by Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), an influential state senator – about changing the governance structure for Mississippi’s eight public universities. Kevin Frye (a Lafayette Democrat) recently proposed IHL governance reforms similar to those proposed by Tollison in 2015 and 2016. Tollison had suggested that universities have independent boards to supervise issues like the hiring and firing key administrators. To deal with issues such as funding state funds, dividing them up and preventing duplication of programs, the semblance to the College Board, which is already enshrined into the state Constitution, would not be altered. Tollison’s 2015 session saw 38 of the 52 members of the Senate sign up to be co-sponsors. Boyce was a key player in the state’s higher educational circles, despite the controversy surrounding the future of the state college boards. The IHL board, just like this year in 2015, shortened the official search process to name Boyce commissioner of higher education. Three years later, Boyce was resigned as commissioner. Boyce was re-elected when the college board cut short the 20-step process of searching for the new Ole Miss chancellor. Boyce had not applied for the position and had been hired to assist in the search process. Protests have prevented a news conference from being held to announce Boyce’s appointment. This decision has been widely criticized by the many faculty members at the state’s most prestigious university. The IHL board had originally appointed Jim Borsig (then-president of Mississippi University for Women) as its commissioner in 2015. Borsig chose to return to MUW despite the controversy surrounding Jones’ decision to not renew his contract. The board made a decision to not go through the normal 20-step process of searching for Boyce and instead name Boyce, a deputy Commissioner. Aubrey Patterson, the former president of IHL, admitted that the board could have pursued a larger national search at the time, but said that he didn’t want to comment on how the current board hired Boyce. He said Boyce did a great job as commissioner. Patterson sent a letter to universities following the 2015 appointment of Boyce to the IHL board. He stated that “our policy allows us either to use a 20-step process which takes many months or, at our discretion interview candidates that we know to the Board and decide if they should be considered for an expedited search.” These candidates could be internal candidates from one or more of the universities. When the board named Boyce, the search for the next Ole Miss chancellor had already begun. Boyce will replace Jeffrey Vitter who was elected chancellor under Boyce’s IHL commissioner tenure. Vitter held the position until early 2019. Boyce was Holmes Community College President before he joined IHL in 2014. This was another position that Boyce was appointed to under extraordinary circumstances. Holmes President Starkey Morgan was found guilty of embezzling school funds in 2006. Boyce was a vice-president on the Ridgeland campus of the school and was named first as interim president. He was later appointed by the Holmes Board of Trustees to be the next president. He held that position until 2015, when he was appointed deputy commissioner at IHL. Hank Bounds was the previous commissioner. Bounds resigned just before Jones’ non-renewal controversy erupted in order to become president of the University of Nebraska. Boyce was a deputy superintendent with the Rankin County Schools District before he accepted a position at Holmes.