At Millsaps College, success is not built alone. It is cultivated through a close-knit community that challenges and supports its students every step of the way. A place where meaningful relationships are formed, and opportunities often begin with a simple connection.
For Dorothea Staursky, who received both a bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA from Millsaps, those connections didn’t just shape her college experience; they became the foundation of a career path toward purposeful leadership and lifelong impact.
Today, Dorothea serves as the Director of Oncology Navigation and Support Services at UAB Medicine’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she leads a team dedicated to guiding patients and families through one of the most difficult journeys of their lives.
But her story began at Millsaps, where the connections she built and the education she received became the foundation for everything that followed.
While pursuing her MBA at the Else School of Management, Dorothea secured her first role at the University of Mississippi Medical Center through a Millsaps job board posting. The work, data entry for a cardiovascular study, may have seemed modest at the time, but it opened the door to a career in hospital administration.
Soon after, another Millsaps connection, her economics professor, Dr. Blakely Fender, helped lead her to her first full-time role in healthcare.
“These weren’t coincidences,” Dorothea said as she reflected. “They were the result of real relationships built over time in a close-knit community.”
That sense of connection is at the heart of the Millsaps experience. Combined with a rigorous and well-rounded education, Millsaps equips students not only with knowledge but with the confidence, adaptability and perspective needed to lead in meaningful ways.
As an accounting major who later earned an MBA, Dorothea’s path could have taken many directions. Yet, it was her liberal arts education that proved most transformative. Through courses that explored culture, religion and the arts, she developed a deeper understanding of people, an essential skill in her work today.
“Millsaps challenged me to think critically, to write with purpose and to engage with ideas beyond my major,” she said. “Those experiences helped me connect with people from all walks of life.”
In her current role, no two days are the same. Dorothea works at the intersection of patient care and leadership, collaborating with physicians, nurses, administrators and policymakers while also supporting patients and families directly. Her team ensures that care is not only efficient and coordinated but also compassionate.
The balance of excellence and empathy has been a constant throughout her journey.
As captain of the Millsaps women’s soccer team, Dorothea developed leadership, resilience and teamwork skills that continue to shape her approach today.
Balancing athletics with rigorous academics taught her how to lead under pressure, communicate effectively and work toward shared goals, skills that now translate seamlessly into coordinating multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Even her experiences as an athlete, getting injured and spending time as a patient herself, gave her a unique perspective, reinforcing the importance of empathy and connection in healthcare.
At the core of Dorothea’s leadership philosophy is a principle she first embraced at Millsaps: Ad Excellentiam – toward excellence.
“Millsaps College’s motto, Ad Excellentiam – toward excellence – is something I carry with me every day as a driver in my personal and professional life,” she said. “In healthcare, and especially in oncology, excellence is not only measured by outcomes, but by how we care for people in their most vulnerable moments.”
Her team measures success not only through improved access to care and reduced time to treatment, but through the voices of patients who feel supported, understood and cared for. For Dorothea, those moments are the most meaningful.
Looking back, she sees Millsaps as more than just a place where she earned a degree; it was where she found direction, built lasting relationships and discovered her purpose.
For prospective students, her message is clear: “Millsaps gives you more than an education, it gives you the confidence to lead, the perspective to connect with others and the foundation to pursue meaningful work,” she said. “If you’re willing to invest in the experience, it will open doors you didn’t even know existed.”
Dorothea encourages students to stay grounded in their “why,” to seek mentorship, and to embrace every opportunity for growth. Whether their path leads to healthcare, business, service or beyond, she believes the Millsaps experience prepares students to make a lasting impact.
“Use your time to grow, to serve and to challenge yourself,” she said. “Strive to leave every place better than you found it. That’s how you build a life of purpose.”
For Dorothea, that journey began at Millsaps, and it continues to guide her every day as she leads with excellence and serves with compassion.