John Holleman, a longtime University of Mississippi faculty member and administrator, will retire at the conclusion of the 2020 Spring Semester.
As director of graduate studies and a clinical associate professor at the UM School of Education, Holleman oversees the school’s Graduate Studies Office and has been a longstanding advocate for graduate student success.
Holleman holds an undergraduate degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, a master’s degree and doctorate from Texas A&M University at Commerce, as well as an education specialist degree from the University of Memphis. Holleman also completed a master’s degree in English as a second language from UM in 2002 and has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 1993.
Higher education graduate assistant Veronica Crawford recently met with Holleman to talk about his career in higher education, international travels and more.
Q. What was your first job in higher education?
My first job in higher education was when I was an undergraduate student at my institution in Texas as a resident assistant (RA) in the mid-70s. It was a part-time student job, which served as a springboard to pursue graduate work in education. My early career work began as a
Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas, serving in a combination of agency and group practice settings.
My service at the University of Mississippi began in 1998 as the director of MBA administration and corporate relations in the Ole Miss School of Business. Many tasks I’ve performed in the School of Education were similar to duties completed while in the School of Business Administration. While serving the School of Business, our unit was the first at Ole Miss in 2004 to launch a fully online-delivered program. As program coordinator for the MBA Program from 1998 to 2008, I led the development that resulted in the launch of the online, Professional MBA Program, a program that continues today and has grown steadily. Many similarities exist between my current service and my earlier service in the School of Business – interfacing with the graduate school, serving as a program coordinator, and launching the online M.A. in Higher Education in 2012.
Q. What are one or two of your proudest professional accomplishments?
I enjoyed branching out into expanded settings several years ago. In 2005, I was afforded the opportunity to serve as an English Language Specialist for the United States Department of State consisting of a two week appointment in Tunisia, teaching English speaking skills to ESL students using business cases. For several years, I served the Educational Testing Service as a Score Leader for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), operating remotely through an online scoring platform. I also served as an advisor to the Open University of China from 2012-14, providing input and recommendations on effective distance learning practices.
Through my service with the UM School of Business, I enjoyed participating on a university delegation to Beijing, China, in 2005 to explore collaborative opportunities with several Chinese universities. Interestingly, in 2012 I was invited to travel to North Korea where I served two weeks as a visiting instructor at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. While North Korea is generally regarded as a mysterious place in which many things are clouded in secrecy, I experienced the people of Pyongyang, North Korea as gracious and kind. I learned a lot in this visit to a country not many Americans are allowed to visit.
Q. What are your fondest memories in the School of Education?
The opportunities to travel abroad and do the work in North Korea, and launching new online program opportunities – MBA, MA, and EdD – have been gratifying and interesting. I think expanding our offerings, our programs to help serve unmet needs whether doing it online or through hybrid doctoral programs have been valuable undertakings in efforts to advance the School of Education.
Q. What is your favorite quote?
As a person of faith, I like to think of myself as a “Matthew 25 Christian.” This passage in the New Testament suggests that being close to Christ means serving the needs and being close to the poor. I’d like to think of this being as being an important driver in my life.
Q. What books have you authored, co-authored?
As a clinical faculty member, my academic service has not emphasized research and scholarship. My publication activity has consisted two books published in China relating English language proficiency for second language learners – these books are “American English Idiomatic Expressions in 52 Weeks: An Easy Way to Understand English Expressions and Improve Speaking” published by The Chinese University Press in 2006 and “Understanding American English Idioms Using Word Puzzles” published by the Commercial Press in 2009.
Q. What will you miss the most?
A. I’ll miss working with so many great folks in the entire Ole Miss community – students, staff and faculty. In the SOE, we all recognize it’s not the building, the classrooms; rather, it’s the people in which we all work among along with students. We have a strong sense of collegiality among our SOE family students, staff and faculty – and I’ll very much miss this dynamic.
Q. What is the legacy you wish to leave behind?
To be student-centered, I believe a valuable service I’ve tried to fulfil is to help students navigate the wide range of administrative processes that mark the pursuit of a graduate degree. I’ve had the opportunity to work with students as they approach their comprehensive exams, dissertations and classes. As the program coordinator, I’m involved in multiple dimensions – teaching classes, administering deliverables such as the comprehensive exams, portfolios and dissertations and, in these capacities, I’ve worked to assist students to meet deadline requirements like program applications and ensuring graduation forms are submitted. Since an institutional bureaucracy can sometimes be unforgiving in terms of deadlines, I’ve always thought it’s important for my position to assist students in making sure that deliverables are submitted correctly and on a timely basis.
Q. What are your plans for retirement?
I enjoy volunteering to advance prison reform initiatives with the faith community context. I volunteer as a justice ambassador with Prison Fellowship, a non-profit organization working to improve conditions in state and federal prisons. I believe prison and justice reform is important and something that I am looking into being an advocate for and doing some volunteer work. Advocacy concerning criminal justice issues, prison reform initiatives, serve as a motivator for me as a Christian to reach out to folks whom are incarcerated. Also, I may return to conducting part-time, counseling work with clients, along with some international work, particularly again in East Asia.
Of course, I have a new career opportunity as “Poppy! Vickie and I are always looking for opportunities to spend time with our grandkids. Locally we look forward to spending time with our seven month old granddaughter, Betsy, baby girl of our daughter Connie Jo and her husband Penn in Oxford. We also look forward to spending more time with John, our 2-and-a-half-year-old grandchild, who lives with our son, Clate and his wife, Virginia, in Jackson.
So, “Poppy-hood” awaits as we begin the new phase of life! I realize that the initial period will involve continued social-distancing in this new era we’re experiencing.
By Veronica Crawford
