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Thousands rally in support of ousted Ole Miss chancellor

Supporters of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones rally in the Circle on campus, in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, March 25, 2014. Last week, Mississippi's Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning declined to renew Jones' contract, which expires in September. (AP Photo/The Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman) NO SALES Supporters of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones rally in the Circle on campus, in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, March 25, 2014. Last week, Mississippi's Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning declined to renew Jones' contract, which expires in September. (AP Photo/The Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman) NO SALES

By Associated Press March 25, 2015 1 min read

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Supporters of the ousted leader of the University of Mississippi are pressuring trustees to renew his contract.

More than 2,000 supporters of Chancellor Dan Jones rallied on the Oxford campus Wednesday, saying the decision to get rid of him discounts his many accomplishments. The trustees voted him out last week.

They said on Monday they made the decision over accounting and contracting problems at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Their decision is causing turmoil among Mississippi’s tight-knit elite.

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, an Ole Miss alum, says he is acting as an intermediary between Jones and the board to try to iron things out.

Alan Perry, the incoming president of the state’s College Board, says it’s possible that some kind of settlement can be reached.