Opinion: Who will be the new president of The W?

Noah Chism
Writer

In Columbus, Mississippi, there is an important presidential search that most outside of the university would never know about. That’s because when most people hear the phrase, our minds turn to that of the national election, prompting images of yard signs, rallies and an election day.

This is very different, but for students, faculty and alumni of The W, also very important.

There are no rallies and ballots, because this is for the future president of Mississippi University for Women.

With the Mississippi Institute of Higher Learning starting its search for a new president, at least three names have been mentioned as leading candidates for the role left behind by former president Nora Miller. Two of the three emerging candidates are alumna from The W — medical scientist Dr. Doris Taylor and former state senator Sally Burchfield-Doty. Current interim President Dr. Scott Tollison has also been mentioned as a possible candidate. So far, it is unknown if the IHL has opened the process for potential candidate submissions, but here is more information about these three possible candidates.

• The first candidate to know about is Dr. Doris Taylor. She has an incredibly lengthy background in medical research that was inspired by watching her family struggle with medical issues.  These experiences led her to pursue two bachelor’s degrees from The W in Biology and Physical Science before she earned a Doctorate in Pharmacology from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Taylor has since spent time as a professor at Duke University, the University of Minnesota, as well as being with the Texas Heart Institute for a number of years. In 2009, TIME Magazine nominated her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Currently, she is openly positioning herself for the role of MUW president. 

• The second candidate is former state senator Sally Doty. Earning her undergraduate degree from The W, Burchfield-Doty subsequently earned a Juris Doctorate from Mississippi Christian University School of Law. She served in the Mississippi Senate for eight years. While in the senate, Doty was on several committees including Finance, Economic Development, Public Health and more. After she resigned from the senate, she was appointed by Gov. Tate Reeves to be the Director of the Office of Broadband, where she currently works. Burchfield-Doty's candidacy has been supported by local politicians, District 39 Rep. Dana McLean and District 17 Sen. Chuck Younger, at an IHL hearing in the spring. 

• The last candidate is Interim President Dr. Scott Tollison. He earned his bachelor's, master’s, and doctorate degrees from Mississippi State University. In 2004, Tollison became an instructor at The W and worked his way up, serving in many roles, including as the Dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies, until he became the Provost, which is the chief academic officer on campus. Tollison has taught various graduate and undergraduate courses in computer systems, programming, electronic commerce, and healthcare information technology. Tollison became the Interim President of the university on July 1 after Miller’s retirement. 

Each of these three candidates would be an incredible choice and would steward our university well as we step into a new chapter in its history. I personally predict that Tollison will become the next president for the university. But what about you? Who do you think is the best option for The W? 

Editor's Column: Find your own hope and happiness

Merry MacLellan
Editor

There’s something about making it to the middle of the semester, stuck with endless busy work and the looming fear of finals sinking in that can make it difficult to push through the days. It so often seems like wherever you look, something bad is happening. On the news and in our lives, something goes wrong and it’ so easy to become filled with gloom and dread.

This year’s speaker at the Welty Gala, Elizabeth Smart, has a lot of reasons to know about despair. She is famously known across the country for being the girl who was kidnapped and spent nine months with her captors before finally escaping and returning home. However, the moment I met her before the gala and the moment she started to speak, it was hard to even believe that.

She greeted everyone with a smile, told her own life story with humor and never flinched away from talking about the hardships she went through. Instead, Smart took the deliberate time to tell us how she braved the hardships with one main piece of advice for anyone listening to know: find or make your own hope and happiness.

“There is nothing more important than having hope in difficult circumstances,” she said.

From anyone else, it would be easy enough to dismiss that message. It’s constantly being sold on motivational mugs and signs, it’s on the internet and coming from miscellaneous motivational speakers. Hearing that from her was different. Enough so that I perked up in my seat and not just because I needed something to write about for this column (I had something else entirely planned out).

“Always keep reaching for hope and happiness,” Smart said.

Because without hope, what do we have? For Smart, hope kept her alive during the worst moments of her life. It’s what makes us put one foot in front of the other and keep going even on our hardest days.

These past few days I have been so busy, it would be so easy for me to do it all out of obligation, without any care or heart. Instead, I’ve been guided by a small voice that has enticed me with the great possibilities that might occur.

Hope has led me to interview the most incredible people and attend the most interesting events with the possibility that it will change my life (it has). Hope is what motivates me to take the time piecing together this edition of the Spectator, because I hope that these stories might change someone’s life. At the very least, I hope that it’s an interesting read.

“It’s easy to get caught up on these things,” Smart said. “But never surrender, never give up hope.”

Staff Streaming Picks

Poster courtesy of Warner Bros.

ER

If you (like me) are counting down the days until the next season of The Pitt, then go back to the original inspiration and appreciate Noah Wyle’s portrayal of a younger, much more awkward med student!
Available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max
Abbey Thornton

Poster courtesy of HBO Max

Sharp Objects

Over the summer, I watched “Sharp Objects” and fell completely in love with its atmospheric, broody tone. Its got heart, grit and a spellbinding story to tell.
Available to stream on HBO Max
Emma Stapp

Poster courtesy of Apple TV+

Schmigadoon!

It’s a comedy show about a couple who get stuck in a musical and must find their way out. It has wonderful songs and will make you giggle for a bit. I highly recommend it. 
Available to stream on Apple TV+
Kameron Gibson 

Poster courtesy of Avalon Television

Taskmaster

Taskmaster is non-stop laughs, the comedians in every season are truly hilarious and very committed to the competition. If there's ever been a show that perfectly combines competitive games and petty point-giving, then it's this one!
Available to stream on YouTube
Kay Keeton

Slowing down and shutting up: an editor's column

Merry MacLellan

Editor-in-Chief

One of my favorite songs by King Princess is the song, “Slow Down and Shut Up.” And while I don’t listen to the song as much as I did upon its initial release, the chorus has come back to me frequently over the past weeks. My schedule has been busier than ever this semester and sometimes I wish someone would say those words to me.  

“Slow down and shut up.”  

Harsh? Maybe. But sometimes necessary when you’re the type of person who overthinks everything without the actual time in my days to be overthinking.  

If I opened my daily planner, you would understand where this desire to slow down is from. There’s always a class to attend, an assignment to turn in or an appointment that’s taking up more hours than necessary. There’s always something to do and the result of that busyness is that things become a mess. My emotions, my assignments, nothing is going smoothly and everything is on fire because there’s only so long that the human body can go at 100% before it breaks down.  

Already this semester I have been reaching my limits, stressing myself out with endless engagements, pushing myself to get everything done as best as I can, and I’m so tired. And we haven’t even made it to midterms.  

This month of September proved to be a trial, testing me to see who will come out on top. My schedule, or me. While the winner has yet to be announced, my optimism was beginning to wane until a friend reminded me that I didn’t need to rush, and a professor told me to slow down.  

It is so common to get caught up with all of the deadlines and things that we have to do. It’s practically second nature for me to try and get it all done as fast as I can to move onto the next task, only to find that I’ve made mistakes and have to start my task all over again. In the haste to have it done, I don’t have it done well. And in that hurry to get it over with, I say all the wrong things.  

So, I’ve been forced to slow down, to remember what my friend, my professor and King Princess have said. In the act of slowing down, everything becomes clearer. All the outside noise, chaos, and obligations slow down with me as I take a step back.  

Then I can shut up for a moment. I’m not racing to finish my sentences before I’ve even finished my thoughts. It is incredible how much strife can be avoided in your life when you’re taking the time to be quiet for a moment. Let yourself listen to the world as it moves by, listen to whoever is talking to you before jumping to a response.  

If you ever find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of things that need to be done, just take a moment. Slow down and shut up; that might be all you need to lighten the load and change your perspective.