Why is the University of Mississippi called Ole Miss?

Answer 1

In the early decades of the twentieth century, a cadre of New South boosters lobbied for reconciliation with the North in an effort to propel economic advancement in the still-crippled region. It has been noted that one of the best creations of the New South was the Old South, a suggestion that reflects those New South boosters' attempts to mitigate their supplication of the assistance of the North by hearkening back to a nostalgic, if illusory, "moonlight and magnolia" time under slavery. During this time period, the university became known as "Ole Miss," a moniker used by slaves to describe the wife of the plantation owner.

Additionally, the University got its nickname "Ole Miss" via a contest in 1897. That same year, the student yearbook was being published for the first time. As a way to find a name for the book, a contest was held to solicit suggestions from the student body. Elma Meek, a student at the time, submitted the winning entry of Ole Miss. This sobriquet was chosen not only for the yearbook, but also became the name by which the University is now known.