Ole Miss Hopes New Minor Will Create Future National Intelligence Analysts

Senator Roger Wicker, left, stands with director Carl Jensen at the opening of the new Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at Ole Miss.

The University of Mississippi hopes its new minor will prepare graduates to be leaders in a post 9-11 world. MPB’s Cari Gervin has the details.

The Center for Intelligence and Security Studies opened Monday at the University of Mississippi with a ribbon-cutting by Senator Roger Wicker.

The highly selective new minor at Ole Miss has a handful of ambitious students, all planning for careers in the FBI, CIA or military intelligence. Director Carl Jensen said the program's future graduates will be well positioned for security work.

“Unlike other Ole Miss alumni who distinguish themselves in law and medicine and in other fields, you may never hear about the accomplishments of our graduates. And yet you can take solace in the fact that you and your loved ones, as you walk the streets of America, will be safer and more secure as a result of their efforts.”

Alex Kynerd is a freshman from Brandon excited about his new minor. He’s double-majoring in Chinese and International Studies, and he said he hopes the new center puts Mississippi on the national security stage.

“We’re at the forefront right now, of this program, so I think it’ll be good publicity for Mississippi. I think that we can get maybe the government involved, maybe up in Washington, and have other programs in other areas.”

The center has also spurred the development of a new Arabic language program at the university – the first in the state.
For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin in Oxford.