{"id":158875,"date":"2026-05-11T10:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=158875"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:55:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:55:28","slug":"red-and-blue-celebration-honors-staff-graduates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/red-and-blue-celebration-honors-staff-graduates\/","title":{"rendered":"Red and Blue Celebration Honors Staff Graduates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

University recognizes 20 employees who have completed degrees while working<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the University of Mississippi <\/strong>prepares to honor its latest class of graduates, several of that group are dedicated staff members who pulled double duty working and completing degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, the university honored 20 staff members at the ninth annual Red and Blue Celebration of Achievement<\/strong>. The ceremony recognizes staff members who graduated in December 2025 or will graduate in May or August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Each day across our university, we witness how the life-changing opportunities we offer empower success and build leaders,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce<\/strong> said. “Earning a degree while balancing work and personal obligations requires hard work, focus and discipline. What these graduates have accomplished is extraordinary.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Including this year’s class, the event has recognized more than 200 staff members as Red and Blue Graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have seen time and time again how staff are the ones recognized by students as having provided the support that kept them going,” Noel Wilkin<\/strong>, provost and executive vice chancellor, told the graduates during the ceremony. “That empathy comes from lots of places, and it also comes from your pursuit of these degrees.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 honorees featured five bachelors’, eight master’s and three doctoral degrees. The employees came from departments including the schools of Business Administration and Law<\/strong>, student housing, financial aid and admissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Hughes<\/strong>, executive assistant to the provost, is among this year’s cohort of graduates. She said while she was already part of the\u00a0Ole Miss<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>family, now she’s an alumna as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ve wanted to do this for many years and I’m extremely grateful to the university for allowing me the opportunity to make this happen,” Hughes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while it is a lot to work full time and pursue a degree, Hughes advises others not to hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you wait for the right time, you may be waiting forever,” she said. “You are capable of so much more than you think, and you will be successful if you are determined and persistent.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ole Miss staff members eligible to participate in 2026 Commencement are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n