University of Mississippi Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter will deliver the keynote address at tonight’s fall convocation to his first freshman and transfer class since landing the job in October 2015.

Vitter’s role as the 17th chancellor of the university leaves him with a line of big shoes to fill, particularly those of his immediate predecessors, Dan Jones and Robert Khayat.

Chances are, he’s ready for inevitable comparisons as the student body and university community wait to see what his tenure will yield.

One thing that already sets him apart?

His social media presence.

Because unlike a lot of people in high-ranking public roles, he understands the value of social media as a way to communicate with students and the community.

In other words, he gets it. And it’s arguably the best way to keep up with the ongoing conversation about life at Ole Miss.

Case in point: When a student recently took issue with what he felt was a lack of student representation on the new Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context, he tagged Vitter in a Facebook post. Vitter responded, opening a conversation about his decision-making that otherwise would be lost or trapped on an editorial page with no open dialogue.

Opening that direct line of communication is unprecedented at Ole Miss. And we hope it’s indicative of what’s to come as the university moves forward and Oxford moves right along with it.