As a female, I bring a circular style of communication. Women pull groups into circles more than men do. Men are socialized more to use hierarchy. And I think that circular communication and teamwork at liberal arts colleges are much more effective than linear lines of communication because everybody knows everybody, and there’s an opportunity at small places to obtain the best of everybody’s mind.

As to being Millsaps’ first female president, I can never underestimate what it will do to provide a role model for young women, many of whom are going on to medical school, law school, professional school. My presidency tells them that you can have a very satisfying, wonderful career and also have a family. You have to be smart about time-management, but you can do it. My presidency also models well for young fathers because we are looking at the world of careers differently today. The old idea of the woman doing everything at home, and the man bringing home the bacon is still a viable model, but it’s not as economically viable for young families. So I think it is important for young fathers to see how their wives can share in the career-track journey as well.

What challenges face liberal arts colleges over the next 10 years?

The biggest challenge will be correcting the big sin of the 1990s: discounting tuition. We got into a discounting game, even for wealthy students. And it’s a game that has had an unethical twist that none of us like, which is instead of using financial aid dollars for students from poor and modest backgrounds, we are using those aid dollars for really wealthy students. And I think all of us look back in retrospect and realize that a coupon discounting game that started to one-up each other has gotten out of control.

All of us in higher education have made the great error of using our financial aid dollars for some students who don’t need them. We did so to race to the top of exterior magazine polls that often use ridiculous criteria to determine excellence.

A quarter of Millsaps students come from families whose annual income is $25,000 or less; two-thirds of our students are needy. And these are often the brightest and best students, so we have to continue to raise the money to support them. The only way to better our society is to pay attention to those who need the help. In Mississippi, that’s especially important because our state needs continuous economic stimulus, and the only way to catch up is to educate our youth and then find a way to keep them here after graduation.

It can be a struggle to admit the number of students we want, of the quality we want, given the financial aid they need. Do you plan to change our enrollment philosophy?

We are going to make every attempt to educate the brightest students, even if they can’t afford to attend Millsaps without financial assistance. We will definitely continue that important mission.

I don’t know that we are going to grow. I was handed the goal to grow the enrollment when I arrived, but after studying it my first year, I have decided that I don’t want a volume business. I think that would be a strategic error. But we must develop a strategic plan based on our current enrollment that allows us to continue to offer a top-of-the-line, nationally renowned academic experience.

Right now I think we’ll stay flat in enrollment, or we may even deliberately shrink a little to get the quality we want and to continue our mission of offering one of the best academic products around.

Can you speak about Millsaps’ role in Mississippi beyond education?

Millsaps has always been a strong voice in the state of Mississippi for progressive thinking and social change. I was very proud of our trustees for taking leadership in calling for the new state flag. They did that internally before the other eight institutions of higher learning did.

At one time, college presidents were the moral consciences of our states. They spoke out on issues of social justice and other issues of importance. They were the opinion leaders in civic life. But in recent years, the competition for fund-raising dollars and for students has lessened that voice. Now few presidents have the courage to take a position on much of anything politically. It’s very sad because college and university presidents are some of the most well-developed minds in the country, and they should be speaking out on issues that matter. And my intention is to do just that.

I would rather be a president for a short while and be completely true to my honor and the values I believe in, than be a president for decades and sell out constantly to the whims of public opinion. I won’t do that.

Internally, what needs to be done to make Millsaps a better place?

The work to be done at Millsaps College regards infrastructure. We have the two most important things that any national liberal arts college needs to succeed: a great faculty and great students. We have these two things going for us and historically have always had them. To keep them at a stellar level, we must have a sound, strong infrastructure. We have to come up with a financial aid plan that fits our values. We have to support the College with institutional advancement, which includes fund-raising, in very strong ways. We need to continue to look at the new facilities we might need. We need to continue to create one of the most efficient management teams in order to support the living learning environment.

You have traveled to dozens of cities to meet alumni, parents, donors, and prospective students. What have you learned from them?

When I arrived, I expected to find stellar faculty and smart students. And I have. The great, wonderful surprises have been in the stories of the alumni. And probably the most common story is: “Millsaps changed my life.”

I hear it in every city I visit. Millsaps alumni faced some of the biggest challenges of their lives in our classrooms, but they were braced by kind and loving support. And our alumni have shared that story over and over, no matter what age, no matter what city, no matter what profession. So a big part of my challenge is to make sure we continue to have the intellectual excitement around here necessary to change lives and to strengthen young minds. I cannot say enough how impressed I am with the Millsaps faculty and students. Our faculty go way beyond the call of duty to make sure that our students are having terrific learning experiences.

And our students are some of the most “other-centered” people I have ever met in my life. I am startled and amazed by the numbers who go to work in homeless shelters, AIDS homes, battered women shelters, and on Habitat projects. The amount of service hours done by our students is powerful and touching – equally so, of our alumni. Wherever I go in Jackson or in other cities, it is immediately obvious that the Millsaps alumni are the ones who are leading whatever philanthropic projects that might be going on in that town.

Our alumni and students are very concerned about this world. And they are quite intentional about changing it for the better. I think that this difference places our alums and students markedly and measurably above students and alums who I have met at other places. It is something that I can put my finger on that distinguishes a Millsaps graduate from other graduates. That is not to say that other graduates don’t have an altruistic bent, they surely do, but Millsaps graduates have it as a part of their core.

The new $1 Million Lilly Grant, which will focus on bringing together faith and work, is an excellent example of establishing the infrastructure to support our students and their service to others.

I would like for our students to feel called to their professions, and I think they do. “Faith and work” – it’s more than picking a career. It’s deciding where you are needed in life. When I talk with our students, I ask them three questions: what makes you happy, what are your talents, and what needs to be done. And I think the Lilly Grant will help us answer that last question. It will help our students decide how to build a life – not just a career but a life – that is a calling. It will help them to do something important, to make a difference, whether they become physicians or attorneys or teachers.

When I talk with students, I tell them that they should do something with their lives that is deeply meaningful to them. And certainly I have followed that advice myself. In fact, it is what brought me to Millsaps College.

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Millsaps Magazine  |  Millsaps | Last Edited April, 2001