The Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees voted to extend the contracts of both Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum and University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Glenn Boyce at last month’s meeting.
The two contracts have been extended to June 30, 2028. Both Keenum and Boyce will receive a state salary of $500,000 per year and salary supplements of $450,000 per year, each from their respective university foundations.
Boyce will also receive a retention payment of up to $400,000 from the University of Mississippi Foundation if he maintains employment with the school until June 30, 2026. Keenum will receive a retention payment of up to $800,000 as his current contract expires this week, and he will receive another retention payment of up to $600,000 when he completes his new contract.
Keenum was named Mississippi State’s president in 2009 and has since led the university to new heights. MSU has seen record enrollment numbers under his leadership, along with the completion or initiation of capital improvement totaling $1.2 billion. The university has also been ranked a top research institution by the National Science Foundation under Keenum.
Boyce is the greener of the two with four years under his belt. But as the University of Mississippi’s 18th chancellor, the alumnus has led the university through an impressive stretch. Under Boyce, the “Now & Ever” campaign launched and generated $1.5 billion in private support, along with growing enrollment numbers, and record endowments exceeding $825 million.
