Protesters shout down Ole Miss chancellor announcement

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – A news conference that was supposed to name trustees’ choice for a new chancellor at the University of Mississippi never happened, as protesters shouted down the expected announcement of former Mississippi Higher Education Commissioner Glenn Boyce .

After pleading for civility, Trustee Ford Dye retreated from the lectern Friday in an on-campus hotel ballroom in Oxford, as protesters refused to be silent. After police wrestled one protester out of the room to chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” the university’s police chief announced the event was cancelled.

Students and others object to Boyce’s choice, saying trustees moved to hire him without input from campus groups.

Boyce was earlier hired by the university’s private foundation to meet with influential individuals about the search. Boyce denied then he was seeking the job.