Dr. Frances Lucas-Tauchar, the president of Millsaps College in Jackson, returned to Cleveland Thursday to speak to the Cleveland Exchange Club. Lucas-Tauchar, whose father Aubrey Lucas was a former president of Delta State University, said she was delighted to be back in Cleveland and especially to be back at the country club.

"This room (the dining hall) brings back a lot of memories of dad's inaugural dance - with lots of polyester," Lucas-Tauchar said. "It's a wonderful trip back in time," she added.

Former State Sen. Bill Alexander introduced Lucas-Tauchar and said he had been trying to get her as a guest speaker for the exchange club for a year. She was a page when he was in the state senate. Lucas-Tauchar is also a graduate of Cleveland High School. She has been president of Millsaps for a little over a year.

"It's really special to be back in the state," she said.

Before taking on the role of president at Millsaps, she worked at other higher education institutions in Ohio and Georgia.

"I was kind of intimidated seeing all of these Delta State people here. I don't think they came as guests but as spies," she said.

She warned the Delta crowd she was going to talk about Millsaps, and suggested that former Delta State President Dr. Kent Wyatt, who was a guest at the Exchange Club, should just go ahead and take a sedative.

She then went on to say everyone who had children and grandchildren under the age of 17 should send them all to Millsaps. During her speech, she talked about the joys of working with her faculty at Millsaps, the uniqueness of the college and the new faith-based initiative and the Renaissance M.B.A. program.

"Ninety-nine percent of the faculty has top degrees in their field," she said. Lucas-Tauchar added that she really likes how the students and professors know each other and how some continue to correspond even after graduation. She told about a new program in which students get the opportunity to study in Mexico.

"Students are getting to dip into other cultures and learn about the land at the same time," she said. She said the students also really enjoy the heritage classes.

Another feature Lucas-Tauchar was proud of was the faith-based initiative offered, where students are learning how to use faith in their professions. The new Renaissance M.B.A. program is another program she is excited about. The program integrates liberal arts into the masters of business program.

"CEOs of companies love to hire liberal arts majors, while the recruiters bring in business majors," she said. The program ties art in with business, and she said she believes it was the first time in history the faculty voted unanimously on a curriculum change.

Lucas-Tauchar discussed the rigorous academics at the college and how the faculty is preparing students to work in a global economy. Before a student can graduate, he or she has to combine four years of learning into a senior comprehensive presentation. She also talked about the diversity of her students.

"We are a centerpiece of social justice," she said.

She said she eats in the cafeteria once a week with three different students who she doesn't know, and usually after lunch her students are off to volunteer at places that either involve working with AIDS victims, tutoring students in the city or helping out at soup kitchens.

"We are a very altruistic school," she said. "We celebrate all of God's children," she added.

Lucas-Tauchar said the minority rate at the college was 18 percent, and she wants those numbers higher.