Meet the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi

Committed to the Ole Miss Community

After a decades-long career in Mississippi spanning a range of leadership roles in post-secondary and secondary education, Dr. Glenn F. Boyce became the 18th chancellor of the University of Mississippi in October 2019. 

Chancellor Boyce is committed to strengthening how Ole Miss builds leaders, empowers student success, drives progress through research and economic opportunity, and champions communities. He is leading efforts to increase graduation rates, retention rates and to implement a student success model that expands opportunities to support all students throughout their entire collegiate career. 

Under Boyce's leadership, university enrollment has hit record numbers, fueled by freshman class growth of 97% from fall 2020 to fall 2024. The university’s first-year retention rate of 87.2% and six-year graduation rate of 71.7% lead the state’s public universities. Boyce is also committed to enhancing success after military service for the university's more than 2,200 veterans and military-connected students.

As a champion for Mississippi’s future, Boyce promotes entrepreneurship and economic development to bolster communities and forge new opportunities. The Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation, opened in fall 2024 as the university’s largest single construction project, strengthens the university’s capacity to serve the state and participate in spurring growth as a national leader in STEM education. Boyce’s commitment also includes the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which educates and trains the next generation of health care providers, including the almost 1,000 graduates of the Class of 2025.

Boyce has also focused investment on strategic resources to enhance faculty and staff outcomes through a more robust research enterprise. In 2025, the university reaffirmed its Carnegie Classification of “Doctoral/Very High Research Activity” or “R1” category, the highest rank among research universities.

During Boyce’s tenure, the university has benefited from the unsurpassed generosity of its alumni and friends. The university’s endowment has grown to more than $1 billion, placing the institution among a highly select group of peers. Now & Ever, a 10-year campaign publicly launched in 2021, raised $1.75 billion in private funds supporting scholarships, faculty positions, health care initiatives and facilities across all campuses. It was the largest capital campaign in Mississippi history. Also during Boyce’s leadership, the University of Mississippi Medical Center received the single-largest gift in its history, $25 million in support of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute’s campaign to build a new facility to advance world-class patient care and research.

Also during Boyce’s tenure, Ole Miss Athletics has experienced historic attendance and competitive excellence, including two NCAA Division 1 championships (baseball and women’s golf), a men’s golf individual title and a UCA D1A championship in cheerleading. The Ole Miss Academic Progress Rate multi-year average of 993 stands nine points above the national average.

Boyce served previously as Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Mississippi, leading the state’s university system that, at the time, served more than 95,000 students at four research universities, four regional universities and the academic health science center.

Under Commissioner Boyce, the university system set record enrollments, awarded record numbers of degrees, launched a statewide program to increase the number of degree holders in Mississippi, prioritized the needs of business and industry and streamlined operations to increase efficiencies. Boyce joined IHL after serving as president of Holmes Community College for more than nine years. 

A first-generation college graduate, Boyce earned his bachelor’s degree in education and a doctorate in education leadership from the University of Mississippi. He and his wife, Emily, met while undergraduates at Ole Miss.  

The Boyces’ three daughters — Brittany, Danielle and Madeline — also hold degrees from the university. Brittany is a certified public accountant, Danielle is a sales director for a technology company, and Madeline is a physician assistant. Chancellor and Mrs. Boyce enjoy golf, pickleball, snow skiing, working out and family vacations in the mountains, and they have three grandchildren, Lela Marie, Riley and Boyce.