Thousands of supporters of ousted Ole Miss chancellor rally, tell trustees to keep him on

Supporters of University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones rally in the Circle on campus, in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, March 25, 2014. Last week, Mississippi's Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning declined to renew Jones' contract, which expires in September. (AP Photo/The Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman) NO SALES (The Associated Press)

Phillip Waller, communications director of the Students for Chancellor Jones organization, speaks during a rally at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, March 25, 2015. Turmoil continued at the University of Mississippi, as students, faculty, alumni and others tried to force trustees to retain Chancellor Dan Jones, whose contract is set to expire in September. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) (The Associated Press)

In this Friday, March 20, 2015 photo, University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones speaks during an interview in his office on the campus in Oxford, Miss. A foundation that’s pledged $20 million toward a new science building at the University of Mississippi says it won’t give the money unless the College Board retains Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones. Anthony Papa, president of the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, made the pledge Monday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, highlighting continuing backlash to the board’s decision to not extend Jones’ contract past September. (AP Photo/The Daily Mississippian, Thomas Graning) (The Associated Press)

Supporters of the ousted leader of the University of Mississippi are pressuring trustees to renew his contract.

More than 2,000 supporters of Chancellor Dan Jones rallied on the Oxford campus Wednesday, saying the decision to get rid of him discounts his many accomplishments. The trustees voted him out last week.

They said on Monday they made the decision over accounting and contracting problems at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Their decision is causing turmoil among Mississippi's tight-knit elite.

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, an Ole Miss alum, says he is acting as an intermediary between Jones and the board to try to iron things out.

Alan Perry, the incoming president of the state's College Board, says it's possible that some kind of settlement can be reached.