Biography
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.
As chancellor, Dr. 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.
Dr. Boyce upholds the university's foundational mission of broadening access to higher education by strengthening the university’s accessible, service-minded and welcoming environment for all members of the campus community. These efforts focus on outcomes such as graduation, retention, tenure, employment and advancement with the university’s first year retention rate of 88% and six-year graduation rate of 68.5% leading the state’s public universities.
Under Dr. Boyce’s leadership, the university has hit record enrollment levels. Over the last four years, Ole Miss has had a nearly 14% growth in total enrollment and a 72% increase in the freshman class. Notably, in fall 2022, the freshman retention rate reached a new all-time high of 89.3% which far exceeds the national average.
Dr. Boyce is deeply committed to transformational facility improvements across our campus. One key milestone in those efforts is the opening of the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation, the university’s largest construction project ever. The life-changing impact of this $175 million, 202,000-square foot facility will produce graduates who drive economic advancement in the state of Mississippi and across the country. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the addition of the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children’s of Mississippi more than doubled the square footage of the state’s only children’s hospital, providing significant renovations and updates to spaces dedicated strictly to pediatric care.
The university reaffirmed its Carnegie Classification of “Doctoral/Very High Research Activity” or “R1” category, the highest rank among research universities. Dr. Boyce has focused investment on strategic resources to enhance faculty and staff outcomes through a more robust research enterprise. Additionally, Dr. Boyce promotes entrepreneurship and economic development to champion Mississippi, bolster its communities, and create fulfilling jobs for Ole Miss graduates.
During his tenure, the university has benefited from the unsurpassed generosity of its alumni and friends. The university’s endowment has grown to more than $925 million, the largest endowment for any Mississippi university and the largest in university history. Now & Ever, the largest comprehensive capital campaign in the history of Mississippi universities launched in 2021, eclipsed its goal of $1.5 billion in private support a full year ahead of schedule.
Dr. 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.
Education
B.A. Secondary Education, The University of Mississippi (1981)
Ed.D. Education, The University of Mississippi (1996)