Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — University of Mississippi supporters are seeking to raise $1.5 million to honor outgoing Chancellor Dan Jones.

Sanda Guest, vice president of the university's foundation, said Tuesday that the push was announced last week at a board meeting of the fundraising body.

She says more than $300,000 has already been raised toward creating an endowed chair that would help supplement the salary of a professor on the Oxford campus.

Guest says supporters approached her about finding a way to express their appreciation for Jones, who is being forced to step down after the end of the summer after the College Board refused to renew his contract.

The chair will not be designated for any one department or academic discipline. Instead, university officials will choose beneficiaries, who could change over time.