Get to Know Us
To produce informed, creative-thinking and versatile citizens who are career-ready, civically minded and dedicated to a life of learning, service and meaning.
Millsaps is dedicated to building a sense of community and prioritizing an environment where every member of our community can thrive.
Learn what makes Millsaps one of the nation’s premier undergraduate liberal arts colleges.
Civic engagement and community are deeply embedded in the Millsaps experience
Accolades recognizing our academic excellence, hands-on learning, study-abroad programs and community impact.
Shaping the Future of Millsaps Together
Millsaps College is launching a new strategic planning process to guide our next chapter.
Situated on 100 acres in the heart of Mississippi’s capital city of Jackson, Millsaps College offers students the feeling of a tight-knit community.
Jackson is a nexus for talented people who want to work together, whether they are looking for the next big thing or for an opportunity to contribute.
Our History
Millsaps College was founded in 1890 by Major Reuben Webster Millsaps, whose gift of $50,000 laid the foundation for this institution. Bishop William Belton Murrah was the college’s first president, and Bishop Charles Betts Galloway of the Methodist Episcopal Church South organized the college’s early fundraising efforts. Both men had halls named in their honor. Major Millsaps and his wife, Mary, are interred in a tomb near the center of campus. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Other historic milestones include:
In 1890
Millsaps College was founded by Major Reuben Webster Millsaps.
In 1902
Millsaps purchased the campus from Jackson College (now JSU) for $40,000.
In 1902
Mary Letitia Holloman becomes the first female graduate of Millsaps.
In 1908
Sing-Ung Zung of Suzhou, China, becomes the first international student to graduate from Millsaps.
In 1921
Frank Kirby Mitchell becomes Millsaps’ first Rhodes Scholar.
In 1924
Mack Buckley Swearingen is Millsaps’ second Rhodes Scholar.
In 1931
The first night football game in Mississippi is played on the Millsaps campus between the Majors and Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University).
In 1936
Millsaps College absorbs bankrupt Grenada College during the Great Depression.
In 1943
Johnny Carson attends Millsaps for V-12 naval officer training, entertaining his comrades with a magic and humor act.
In 1944
Louis H. Wilson, who graduated from the college in 1941, received the Medal of Honor for his actions. Wilson became a general and the 26th commandant of the Marine Corps in 1975. He was the first Marine Corps commandant to serve full time on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In 1953
Hugh Gaston Hall becomes the college’s third Rhodes Scholar.
In 1965
Millsaps becomes the first all-white college in Mississippi to voluntarily desegregate.
In 1967
Robert F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign speaks at the college about the obligations of young Americans to give back to their country.
In 1973
Charles Evers gives a speech at Millsaps, expressing appreciation for the institution supporting civil rights.
In 1974
Millsaps history professor, Dr. Charles Sallis, publishes Conflict and Change, with James Loewen and former student and Millsaps instructor, Dr. Jeanne Middleton—the first accurate history of the state’s relationship to slavery, the Civil War and race relations.
In 1975
Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter speaks to Millsaps students about the crisis in the Middle East.
In 1979
The Else School of Management at Millsaps was created.
In 1982
William Bradford Chism becomes the fourth Rhodes Scholar from Millsaps.
In 1988
Millsaps initiates the first campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi.
In 1989
Millsaps becomes the first school in Mississippi to have a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
In 1990
The college celebrates its centennial.
In 1996
Recognized as one of the 44 “Colleges That Change Lives.”
In 2000
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher speaks at a lecture series on campus.
In 2004
Kenneth Townsend becomes Millsaps’ fifth Rhodes Scholar.
In 2016
Ericka Wheeler is Millsaps’ sixth Rhodes Scholar recipient.
In 2018
Noah Barbieri accepted Millsaps’ seventh Rhodes Scholarship. He was also awarded a Truman Scholarship and Schwarzman Scholarship.
In 2019
The new Windgate Visual Arts Center and Selby and Richard McRae Christian Center open on campus.
In 2022
The Millsaps College Board of Trustees approves our strategic plan, Destination 2027: Lighting the Path.
Mission, Vision & Values
Vision
In a campus environment that fosters close personal relationships, an empathetic understanding of others and a deep sense of belonging, Millsaps College produces informed, creative-thinking and versatile citizens who are career-ready, civically minded and dedicated to a life of learning, service and meaning within the state of Mississippi and beyond.
Mission
Millsaps College is dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation, and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region.
Values
Our values are demonstrated by our behaviors. We are challenged to live our values by practicing our five virtues that characterize the Millsaps experience — Integrity, Service, Empathy, Joy and Justice.
Community & Belonging
Millsaps College is committed to cultivating an environment that facilitates a sense of belonging is visibly intertwined with our mission of academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression. Through practices that respect and recognize the inherent value of every member, across all of our communities, we seek to provide opportunities for personal and institutional transformation that extend beyond our campus.
As an institution we are committed to developing and implementing policies and programs that promote the thriving of every member of our community and the communities with whom we engage, so that we can contribute in a meaningful way to dignity, access and civil discourse, both on campus and in every location where Millsaps is represented.
Facts & Figures
One of the Top U.S. Colleges With the Greatest Economic Diversity
Millsaps is one of the Top U.S. Colleges With the Greatest Economic Diversity and showed the largest gain in Pell share percentages since 2011. — New York Times College-Access Index
Average class size
Student to teacher ratio
Millsaps was the first college or university in Mississippi with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
undergraduate students are students of color
graduate students are students of color
students reside in on-campus housing
Student for student, Millsaps is the strongest school in Mississippi for national awards. In fact, our students have received more prestigious awards per capita than many top 20 liberal arts colleges ranked by U.S. News and World Report.
Our students and faculty have been selected for 29 Fulbright Fellowships, seven Rhodes Scholarships, six Goldwater Scholarships, two Truman Scholarships, one Schwarzman Fellowship and one Udall Scholarship.
Commitment to Community
Service is one of the five Millsaps virtues. Being part of the community and giving back is woven into who we are. Service for each other and our surrounding community demonstrates our commitment to helping those in need. Our college’s calling to service draws inspiration from the quotation inscribed on a sculpture of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, which is located on campus. “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” Here are some of the ways Millsaps serves.
1 Campus 1 Community (1C1C)
1C1C was formed in the fall of 2006 as the embodiment of an institutional commitment to long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between Millsaps College and our off-campus neighbors. It is the hub for community engagement, volunteering, community partnerships and grassroots civic engagement.
In conversation with community partners from the Midtown neighborhood, K–12 public schools and throughout Jackson, 1C1C seeks to share resources and respond to identified need, both inside and outside the Millsaps gates.
Email [email protected] to learn about or share volunteer opportunities! Whether one-time events or sustained partnerships, our distribution list is here to connect student volunteers with community action!
Wellspring Program
As part of 1 Campus 1 Community, the Wellspring Living Learning Community is a unique opportunity for students who are interested in volunteering off-campus and want to make it an important part of their life during college. Wellspring volunteer sites are centered in the Midtown neighborhood with community partners who focus on K–12 education and anti-poverty measures.
In the Wellspring intentional learning community, students build relationships by working weekly at community sites and reflecting through discussion and writing on the complex, exciting city of Jackson. Wellspring students are required to complete 20 hours a semester but usually complete closer to 40 hours.
ELSEWORKS
ELSEWORKS is the entrepreneurship program at Millsaps College, a small liberal arts institution in Jackson, Mississippi. For over a decade, ELSEWORKS has played a key role in revitalizing the Midtown neighborhood, adjacent to campus, using a deeply place-based approach. Functioning like a business consultancy, the program is led by faculty, staff, and alumni who mentor student business analysts in delivering high-impact solutions for local businesses and community initiatives.
Through partnerships with Midtown Partners, the Business Association of Midtown, the Midtown Neighborhood Association, and others, ELSEWORKS provides a wide range of business services, including consulting, financial planning, market research, marketing, operations, and community engagement. The program supports both new and established businesses, fosters economic resilience, and equips Millsaps students with real-world experience in entrepreneurship, strategy, and leadership.
More than just an anchor institution, ELSEWORKS is redefining how colleges can drive urban revitalization—not simply through procurement, but by actively fostering entrepreneurship, economic opportunity, and long-term investment in Midtown.
To learn more about our current analyst team and their project, go here – elseworks.org.
#1
#1 best college in Mississippi as ranked by Research.com
#1
#1 liberal arts college in Mississippi as ranked by U.S. News & World Report
ranked #124 of national liberal arts colleges for 2023 by U.S. News & World Report
Recognized for greatest growth in Pell-eligible students in America from 2011 to 2021, according to the College Access Index published by The New York Times and based on a review of the 286 most selective colleges in the country (as ranked by Barron’s)
Rankings & Recognition
- 2024 Best Colleges – by Money Magazine
- #1 Best College in Mississippi by Research.com
- #1 Greatest growth in Pell-eligible students in America by the College Access Index/New York Times
- Ranked by Best College Reviews in top 10 study-abroad programs (for Yucatán)
- Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps ranks as one of 44 Colleges That Change Lives
- Else School of Management ranked among Best Graduate School MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-24
Ranked by Niche.com for multiple topics:
- #1 most diverse college in MS
- #1 among best colleges for biology in MS
- #1 among best colleges for English in MS
- Top 20% of best liberal arts colleges in America
- Top 10% of best small colleges in America
Shaping the Future of Millsaps Together
Millsaps College is launching a new strategic planning process to guide our next chapter.
Millsaps College is launching the next phase of its strategic planning journey, building on the momentum of our current plan and charting a bold path forward. This process begins with listening—through a series of campus conversations focused on our mission, vision, and impact. Your voice matters. Insights gathered this spring will shape the direction of our planning work beginning in summer 2025. Together, we will celebrate our strengths, explore new opportunities, and invest in a vibrant future for Millsaps College.
Listening Sessions:
Our Campus
Situated on 100 acres in the heart of Mississippi’s capital city of Jackson, Millsaps College offers students the feeling of a tight-knit community. The majority of our students make the choice to live on campus, not only because of the convenience of being close to classes and campus facilities, but also because of the opportunity to make the most of their college experience with their friends close by.
The campus location also makes it easy for students to visit the Fondren and Belhaven neighborhoods, areas full of restaurants, retail outlets, music venues and coffee shops.
About Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is a nexus for talented people who want to work together, whether they are looking for the next big thing or for an opportunity to contribute. The metro area has a population of 539,000 people. With more than 35,000 college students, Jackson is a great community for young people who are eager to be involved. Socially networked, dynamic and affordable, Jackson is a city on the move — a place of opportunity that’s always getting better.
Getting here is easy. Jackson is served by five major airlines and is just down the road from Birmingham, Memphis and New Orleans. For Millsaps students — who inevitably fall in love with the place — it’s leaving that’s hard.
Latest News
Millsaps Promotes Chandler Parker MacDonald
Chandler will create opportunities for engagement, philanthropy and impact across the Millsaps community.
Alumni Spotlight: Brittany Wilson
The workshop offered her opportunities to strengthen her writing and develop her personal writing style.
Millsaps Professor Charlton Selected Nielsen Center Fellow
Professor Charlton’s selection reflects both his exceptional promise as an educator and the high caliber of our faculty at Millsaps
Millsaps Institutional Advancement Expands Talent with Key Promotions
Both bring deep Millsaps roots, strong professional experience and a passion for serving the college community.