The University of Mississippi’s new chancellor is up on what gets the attention of college students, and even a lot of adults these days: Twitter.

This week the university announced its incoming leader, Jeffrey S. Vitter, is inviting dialogue via the popular social media engine.

He will be the first chancellor to do so while leading the school, and it does exactly what a news release put out by the school says it will: It will take the school into a new era.

Vitter, who will take over as the 17th chancellor in January, has set up the account @UMchancellor.

The EAGLE is supportive of Vitter’s efforts because it will not only reach students who are hanging out wherever they are hanging out, but also it is a link for alumni, friends, residents and more. So much information can be blasted out to so many people at once, and new followers can be picked up across the country with a click of a button.

“I’ve been an enthusiastic Twitter user because it lets me connect with so many people,” Vitter said. “Thousands of students, faculty, staff and friends of the university couldn’t be reached as effectively and as often any other way.”

It is effective, and Twitter is also effective at prompting communication, just like Facebook debates and other online mediums. People are quick on Twitter to post a comment back or retweet an item, sharing it with all of their friends. The more positive the tweet from Vitter the better.

Vitter said he will share photos, video snippets, comments and links that give followers a front-row seat and insight into his activities as chancellor, and he looks forward to hearing from followers directly.

People tend to connect through social media and it is almost like you can really get to know someone through their posts.  This will enable students to feel a sense of closeness with Vitter and appreciate his efforts as their leader.

Twitter was created in 2006 and it currently has more than 500 million users, of which more than 300 million are active. It’s a force that is not going away and has become a part of our culture. Vitter is coming in on the right foot by using Twitter as a strategy to let everyone get to know him. It’s a great start for a new era, and here at the EAGLE, we intend to follow him with our account, @OxfordEagle.

We welcome you to campus and to Oxford’s Twitter scene, Mr. Vitter.