Ole Miss chancellor reports cancer-free tests

After being diagnosed with lymphoma in November, University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones' condition is steadily improving as he completes weeks of chemotherapy.

Jones, who has been the university's top official since 2009, is being treated at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, and recent scans do not show any cancer. He will complete the month left of his scheduled chemotherapy treatment.

"We have been very happy to get good reports," Jones said Tuesday. "We continue living a hope and belief that we're on our way to a full recovery."

The chancellor has been living at his home in Hazlehurst, just 35 miles south of Jackson. He is still serving as the university's chief from an office in Jackson, but many of his regular duties have been delegated to other officials back in Oxford.

Ole Miss Provost Morris Stocks has carried the bulk of the leadership, Jones said.

"I'm talking to other leaders at the university several times a day, mostly by phone," Jones said. "My physical presence (in Oxford) is not critically important, but I'm trying to stay informed and updated of the major issues."

Jones' legacy on the university has been a well-noted one. For consecutive years, the university has boasted its highest attendance in school history. Additionally, Jones has led the way on numerous fundraising charges, most recently landing a $20 million grant for the university.

Jones has also faced harsh scrutiny from pundits of his leadership. During his first year as chancellor, the school song "From Dixie With Love" was banned. He has dealt with multiple racially-charged incidents and pushed for multiple reviews of the campus' racial climate.

In the wake of the incidents and reviews, he led the charge on the adoption of several policies and changes regarding diversity on campus.

University officials said that he started treatment Nov. 6, the same day his diagnosis was announced. In addition to his weekly chemotherapy treatments at UMMC, where he was previously dean of the UM School of Medicine, Jones said he visits different clinics two or three times a week for additional medical support.

"It's been good to stay in Jackson because of the immediate access to the physicians," he said. "It has also been very advantageous to have the home in Hazlehurst."

Jones said he has about a month remaining of chemotherapy treatment, and the support he has garnered has been very encouraging to he and his wife Lydia.

"It's humbling to learn how many friends you have that are willing to pray for you and encourage you," Jones said. "The treatment is tough, but we are definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

Contact Adam Ganucheau at (601) 961-7303 or aganucheau@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @GanucheauAdam on Twitter.