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William Magee Institute

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William’s Story

William Magee
William Magee’s UM Track Team Photo

William Magee was an exceptional student at the University of Mississippi in many ways, participating in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, the Croft Institute for International Studies, a social fraternity, and Ole Miss Athletics, lettering for the track team as a sprinter in the 400 hurdles. William was also shy and suffered from anxiety, and he used substances first in high school and continuing in college as a means of coping and trying to join in.

By his junior and senior years in college, William was over his head, wanting to quit alcohol and other drugs. He assumed he could quickly stop. He was always known for toughness, reaching the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 400 hurdles, and earning A’s amid a rigorous schedule. But, this substance use was much more difficult to quit than he thought. William graduated from Ole Miss and went directly into a rehabilitation center, spending months in treatment. He told us during that period he wanted to help others one day, so they might avoid his fate.

William relapsed and died of an accidental drug overdose before that could happen. He was found by his father, who three years later wrote a newspaper column titled “For Ole Miss freshman: My Son William’s Story” that was read online by more than 1 million people. With the help of many caring people, including students, alumni, faculty staff, and friends of the University of Mississippi, a grassroots movement to help others ensued, and the William Magee Institute opened on campus in September 2019 to change and improve lives with education, research, and support.

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Dedicated Email: wmi@olemiss.edu

What we Learned

Here is what we’ve learned from William’s story:

  • • William died of a disease that affects millions of young adults, as well as those who love them, every day.
  • • William’s struggles began before he entered college. Twenty percent of eighth graders surveyed in 2020 reported alcohol use in the previous year. That number soared to more than 50% of 12th graders surveyed (1).
  • • Services and resources exist to help young people like William but too often students (and their parents) don’t know how to ask or where to go for help. Stigma worsens this problem. Of the 5.1 million young adults with a substance use disorder in 2019, 9 out of 10 did not get treatment (2).

(1) National Institute on Drug Abuse. Monitoring the Future Survey Results, 2020.

(2) SAMHSA. Mental Health and Substance Use in Young Adults, 2021.

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