June 2009
2009 Commencement Coverage
The College’s 115th commencement ceremony was a success with a total of 221 undergraduates receiving degrees and another 48 graduate students receiving degrees as part of the Class of 2009.
Marian Wright Edelman, a lifelong advocate for disadvantaged Americans and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, gave the commencement address.
Edelman suggested graduates "wander off the beaten career path," and asked how they could lose themselves in service to others. She instructed graduates to work hard, take nothing for granted, continue learning and never be afraid to take risks.
Video: Marian Wright Edelman's Commencement speech
During the ceremony, Edelman was awarded a doctor of public service for her work as an advocate for children and families.
Two Faculty Named to Interim Positions
Two Millsaps faculty members have been named to interim positions until the College completes a search for a new senior vice president and academic dean. Dr. David Davis, current associate dean of Arts & Letters and associate professor of history, will serve as the interim vice president of academic affairs. Dr. Elise Smith, current professor of art history, will serve as interim associate dean of Arts & Letters.
"I have had the opportunity to work closely with both David and Elise over the nine years that I have been at Millsaps. They are both brilliant, student centered and highly respected by everyone at the college. I can’t think of better people to provide the leadership in their respective interim positions than these two," said Dr. Todd Rose, vice president for campus programs and alumni.
Dr. Richard A. Smith, senior vice president and academic dean, will leave Millsaps at the end of the summer for a position at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
Millsaps Faculty Member Publishes New Book
A new book by Dr. Kristen Tegtmeier Oertel, associate professor of history, offers a fresh, multifaceted interpretation of the quintessential sectional conflict in pre–Civil War Kansas. In Bleeding Borders: Race, Gender, and Violence in Pre-Civil War Kansas, published by Louisiana State University Press in April, Oertel explores the crucial roles Native Americans, African Americans and white women played in the literal and rhetorical battle between proslavery and antislavery settlers in the region.
"In this innovative, sensitive and insightful study, Kristen Oertel probes many of the meanings of race - red, black and white - gender, and violence, as competing Americans sustained assault and experienced change under warlike conditions. Particularly original are her analyses of the often brutal redefinitions of manhood and womanhood, and the ways in which, political differences notwithstanding, both sides shared a vision of a white America."
- Michael Fellman, author of The Making of Robert E. Lee
Explore the Mediterranean with Millsaps Alumni
The Millsaps Alumni Association has started a new alumni travel program. The first trip, scheduled for April 10-21, 2010, is a river cruise down the legendary Danube in Eastern Europe. Our second trip will be September 12-24, 2010, and is an ocean cruise in the Mediterranean Sea along the coasts of Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia.
The Legendary Danube: The Office of Alumni Relations and Avanti Travel invite you to join us on a journey through some of the oldest and most beautiful cities of Eastern Europe. See Prague, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau-Linz, Melk, Vienna and Budapest as we make our way to the Danube River and follow its course across four countries. Experience a blend of classical and modern Europe in a revitalized east that is extraordinarily rich in culture and history.
Mediterranean Tapestry: The ports of the Mediterranean provide the opportunity to discover all the Old World has to offer. Where else can you experience so much history, natural beauty, rich culture and tradition? There is no better way to discover all these treasures of the past than on a cruise. The incredible ports of call and exciting shore excursions offer gothic cathedrals, medieval palaces, and ruins that predate the written word.
Get details and register online today!
Summer Fun at Millsaps
Looking for something for your children to do this summer? Consider summer enrichment classes at Millsaps College. Classes for children from ages 7-13 range from acting to cheer basics. Classes for students in grades 7-12 range from beginning guitar to digital photography. For more information or to register, phone the Office of Continuing Education at 601-974-1130 or visit the Summer Camps for Kids Webpage.
Have News? Let Us Know!
Please share your news whether big or small, personal or professional, with Millsaps Magazine. Photographs are also welcome. We’d like to hear about what you’ve been up to and where you’ve been. Fill us in on any awards or honors you’ve received and any community service you’ve done. Bring us up to date with news of weddings, births or adoptions.
The magazine only prints information sent in specifically for Class Notes/Major Notes. To protect the privacy of alumni, the magazine does not glean information about alumni from newspaper clippings or other sources.
Send your information to Nell Floyd, Millsaps College, 1701 N. State St., Jackson, MS 39210-0001. Fax: 601-974-1456 Phone: 601-974-1089 or 1-86-MILLSAPS (1-866-455-7277) Or email: communications@millsaps.edu.
Upcoming Alumni Events
New York City Area Alumni Gathering - June 13, 2009
Join fellow Millsapians for the 30th Annual Mississippi in the Park Picnic on Saturday, June 13 in Central Park's East Meadow on 5th Avenue and 97th Street, directly across from Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York. Please join the Office of Alumni Relations from 1 to 3 p.m. An alumni photo will be taken at 2:30 p.m.Washington, DC Area Alumni Gathering - June 20, 2009
The Mississippi Society of Washington invites you to the 19th annual Mississippi on the Mall on Saturday, June 20 at the Old Folk Life Festival Site 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW on the NE side of the Washington Monument (near the Smithsonian and Federal Triangle Metro Stops). Come enjoy catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, banana pudding, soft drinks, beer, watermelon and children's games. All participants must register in advance because money cannot be accepted at the event. Cost is $20 for Millsaps College alumni. Make checks payable to Mississippi Society of Washington and mail to Mississippi Society of Washington, P.O. Box 15106, Washington, D.C. 20003. Email questions to mississippisociety@yahoo.com. Please join the Office of Alumni Relations from 3 to 5 p.m. An alumni photo will be taken at 4:30 p.m. After Mississippi on the Mall, join us at 6 p.m. at Johnny’s Half Shell, 400 North Capitol Street N.W. in Washington, D.C. (202-737-0400). There will be a cash bar and appetizers.Millsaps Lawyers' Club Jackson Area Alumni Event - June 23, 2009
The Millsaps Lawyers' Club will host a Millsaps Happy Hour to honor Millsaps law students clerking in Jackson on Tuesday, June 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Que Sera Sera, 2801 North State Street in Jackson. There will be a cash bar. All Millsaps graduates who are attorneys or currently attending law school are invited to attend. For more info contact Mark Herbert at mherbert@watkinsludlam.com or Ryan Beckett at Ryan.Beckett@butlersnow.com.For the latest event updates, be sure to visit the alumni events calendar.
Countdown to Homecoming: October 23–25, 2009
Campus wide events, an exciting football game, as well as reunion activities for the classes of 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, and 1999. Save the date!
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