Larry Sparks became interim chancellor of the University of Mississippi on Jan. 4, 2019, following his appointment by the Mississippi IHL Board of Trustees.
A native Oxonian, Sparks joined the UM administration in 1997. Before his arrival at Ole Miss, he served 10 years in several positions with the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, including Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Finance and Administration.
Sparks has served as the university’s Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance since 2006, with responsibilities including accounting, airport operations, budget, bursar, campus mail, contractual services (bookstore, food services, ID Center, laundry, licensing and vending), controller and financial operations, facilities management, facilities planning, golf course, human resources, laboratory services, landscape services, parking and transportation, procurement services and sustainability.
Sparks also serves as President of the University of Mississippi Educational Building Corp. and as the university representative on the Joint Committee on Investments, which oversees the endowments for the University of Mississippi, University of Mississippi Medical Center and the UM Foundation. He is a member of the IHL-UMMC Partnership and Affiliation Review Committee and the UM Foundation Audit Committee. In addition, Sparks currently serves on the Executive Council of the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Sparks earned his Bachelor of Accountancy from UM and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College. He is a certified public accountant licensed in Mississippi.