Millsaps College, known for transforming education and community impact through hands-on learning, will take that to the next level thanks to a major investment from the Mississippi Development Authority and Accelerate Mississippi.
With a $1 million grant from the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program, funded by Amazon Web Services, Millsaps will launch Mississippi’s AI & Emerging Technology Center, led by the Else School of Management.
This initiative is built around a powerful idea: give students and communities across Mississippi real-world experience with the tools that will define the future. From consulting with small businesses and nonprofits to delivering executive education for industry leaders, Millsaps students won’t just study AI—they’ll use it to solve real problems in real time.
“This investment affirms what Millsaps does best: prepare people to think, lead and innovate,” said Dr. Harvey Fiser, Dean of the Else School of Management. “We’re embedding AI into everything from student-led business consulting teams to statewide executive training programs. It’s hands-on learning with statewide impact.”
Real Experience. Real Solutions. Real Impact.
The grant will fund key elements of the initiative, including:
- An endowed Chair in AI and Emerging Technology to lead academic and community efforts,
- Expansion of ELSEWORKS, the college’s student-led consulting firm, to offer AI services,
- Executive education courses introducing AI to business and nonprofit leaders,
- Cross-disciplinary AI coursework for undergraduates, connecting liberal arts thinking with tech innovation.
By bridging the classroom and the community, Millsaps ensures students are equipped with both the technical knowledge and strategic mindset to thrive in an increasingly intelligent economy.
“At Millsaps, our students gain cutting-edge skills while learning to think creatively and solve complex problems,” said President of Millsaps College, Frank Neville. “This grant allows us to expand that mission in powerful new ways. Literacy in AI will be necessary in the workplaces of the future. The additional programs and classes we will be able to provide because of this grant will give our students a powerful advantage as they enter the workforce.”
Strategic Partners, Powerful Collaborations
Millsaps will build on partnerships with Amazon Web Services, the Mississippi ITS AI Innovation Hub, the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network and others to bring hands-on, practical AI training to every corner of the state. Support from the R.M. Hearin Foundation and local economic development organizations will help scale these efforts for long-term impact.
“These funds allow us to combine rigorous academic research with real-world results,” said Fiser. “We’re not just preparing our students, we’re preparing Mississippi.”
A Center for AI. A Beacon for the Future
At the heart of the initiative is a belief in people—Mississippi’s people. Students, business owners, nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs alike will benefit from the program’s reach and resources.
“Mississippi’s greatest resource is its people,” said Janet Parker, Vice President of Business Development at Innovate Mississippi. “Millsaps College is developing the next generation of leaders who will apply AI where it matters most—in small towns, community health centers, start-ups and classrooms.”
“This isn’t just a campus initiative—it’s a statewide commitment,” added Dr. Craig Orgeron, Mississippi’s Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of ITS. “The Millsaps project aligns perfectly with the state’s AI strategy and our broader goal of ensuring that every Mississippi community can benefit from intelligent innovation.”
Through this bold initiative, Millsaps College is reinforcing its position as a leader in applied learning, innovation and inclusive economic development—proving once again that meaningful change begins when education meets action.