DEAN OF STUDENTS

DEAN OF STUDENTS MEGAN JAMES TALKS WITH STUDENT LEADERS.

MILLSAPS ALUM RETURNS AS NEW DEAN OF STUDENTS

BY LAUREN SINGLETON ’21

As a Millsaps alumna, Megan James recalls fond memories from her time at Millsaps as she walks the campus today. Though buildings have changed and technology has revolutionized learning, “the commitment shown by students, faculty, staff and alumni to live into the motto of the college still rings true.” Some of James’s most memorable experiences included “hearing Margaret Thatcher and Jane Goodall speak in the Christian Center, having weekly lunches in the Caf with faculty and staff discussing current trends and seeing students walk across the seal during graduation.” She thanks Millsaps for such wonderful opportunities and “for celebrating when we meet marks of excellence, and for our unwavering support of one another.”

James graduated from Millsaps in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology before earning her Master of Education in higher education administration from North Carolina State University. She is an active member of her community, volunteering for St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Jackson and serving as the international fraternity president of Delta Delta Delta fraternity. James previously worked as the assistant dean of students at Millsaps before transitioning to the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Office of Development as an alumni engagement associate.

“I’m thrilled that Megan has come home to Millsaps,” says Millsaps President Robert Pearigen. “This is a critical time in the history of the institution, and Megan is the right leader to be our chief student advocate. Her proven commitment to student success and her unwavering dedication to the college makes her the perfect leader to fill this important post.” Given the changing dynamics in higher education and the coronavirus pandemic, James says people “are questioning the value of a liberal arts education, the purpose of traditional colleges altogether and the inequities of access to and support within historic institutions.” She, however, believes Millsaps to be a special institution that, with appropriate adjustments, will thrive in coming years and adapt as necessary. “The landscape of higher education is rapidly changing, and colleges that will thrive in the future are those that understand how to engage the passion of students, support them in their quest for deep meaning and help them prepare for life after college.” James plans to help Millsaps adjust to modern-day challenges and keep the focus on students, their experience and their success in her role as dean of students.

James began her new role in June and is responsible for creating and maintaining a collaborative campus environment that supports student success both in and out of the classroom. She functions as the college’s primary advocate for students and their experience. Important to James is the need to familiarize herself with the current student body, to figure out what support “they need for their success and to have a full, meaningful collegiate experience.” She also aims to develop relationships with students and get to know the issues and trends that are important to the student body to establish trust and connect with the Millsaps community.

James says that, at the end of the day, “the focus of our college is on the students. Everything we can do to support them in their collegiate experience benefits the entire Millsaps community.”

ELSEWORKS DRIVES ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS STORIES IN JACKSON

For Paul Thomas, working with a startup business in the Midtown neighborhood enhanced his job skills and helped him apply classroom learning to practical situations.

The rising Millsaps College senior tackled diverse projects connected with the innovative ELSEWorks program operated out of the Else School of Management at Millsaps.

“ELSEWorks has been invaluable in furthering my education into the real world of business, as well as giving me lifelong connections and friends,’’ Thomas says.

The 21-year-old Hattiesburg native is part of a dedicated team of Millsaps students committed to the college’s entrepreneurship program. It’s not just a learning exercise; ELSEWorks faculty share their insights with students and community leaders building new businesses in Midtown.

BY ANDY KANENGISER

BY JOHN SEWELL

It’s a case of business students “getting experience and making a community impact,’’ says accounting professor David Culpepper, director of ELSEWorks. Students playing a vital role in Midtown’s urban revitalization are “not doing it to get rich,’’ he says, but rather out of a desire to support resurgence of the community.

“ELSEWorks is the perfect combination of community engagement and practical experience for our students,’’ says Harvey Fiser, interim dean of the Else School. As a result of these efforts, “Millsaps is helping transform the Midtown neighborhood,’’ while students pitch in with the development of businesses in Mississippi’s capital city.

Discussions with ELSEWorks tean member Russell Morrison, an ELSEWorks analyst and 2013 MBA graduate who now works with Merrill Lynch, inspired the concept for the new Midtown Depot Art Park & Beer Garden. ELSEWorks leaders collaborated with Midtown nonprofits and residents to support a trip to gather ideas about similar developments in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, ELSEWorks projects expanded and so did student participation. As America sees the coronavirus crisis fading, Millsaps students expect to step up their role in entrepreneurship projects at the outset of the fall 2021 semester. Millsaps undergraduates serve as interns, while graduate students work as the program’s business analysts.

As an ELSEWorks intern, Paul Thomas helped the Midtown Depot Art Park and Beer Garden raise $10,000 for music and sound equipment. He also developed an effective business plan for Nearview Security, started by John Thomas, a Millsaps campus safety officer who grew up in Midtown. The small company opened in June.

Other ELSEWorks success stories include Coffee Prose, a coffee shop and used bookstore in Midtown. With its transformation of a dilapidated building on North West Street in 2019, Coffee Prose is now a charming, community-friendly business and gathering spot for Millsaps students, Midtown residents and people from around the city.

Another venture birthed in Midtown with assistance from ELSEWorks includes Mississippi Cold Drip Coffee & Tea Company, which expanded its 2021 sales into Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

Culpepper leads an extraordinary team of professors that allow the entrepreneurship program to be a cornerstone of the Else School. Economics professor Blakely Fender makes ELSEWorks an enriching enterprise for Millsaps Majors. “Students are getting such a cool experience that’s far up the learning curve,’’ says Fender.

The learning curve was evident when graduate student business analysts assisted Andy Young of the Pearl River Glass Studio. Their work helped the artist advance his vision of an educational foundation spotlighting glass, clay and the arts. Artists at the business located at 142 Millsaps Avenue produce beautiful stained glass windows adorning churches.

Looking to the future, marketing professor Penny Prenshaw says, “ELSEWorks analysts will design and implement marketing programs to build the Midtown brand.” Fiser is thrilled to see the expansion of entrepreneurship projects. It’s a key piece of the Else School landscape with long-standing programs like the MBA and Master of Accountancy. Focused on strengthening Jackson’s creative economy in neighborhoods enriched by artists and business owners, ELSEWorks programs received significant funding from the Robert M. Hearin Foundation. The private grantmaking foundation in Jackson supports economic development in Mississippi via its educational institutions and public charities. Efforts boosting Millsaps College entrepreneurial efforts also rely on local support from various partners, including nonprofits Midtown Partners, Inc., Business Association of Midtown (BAM) and Midtown Neighborhood Association.

As ELSEWorks grows, Millsaps graduate Jonathan Brandon believes the investment will continue to reap benefits for students, the college and Midtown.

“Alongside wonderful professors and staff, ELSEWorks gives students the opportunity to engage with real life business situations that just can’t compare to a classroom environment,’’ Brandon says.

The Starkville native and now Jackson resident earned his bachelor’s in business administration in May 2020 and his MBA one year later, both at Millsaps.

“I am incredibly grateful for the time I was an analyst in the ELSEWorks program,’’ he said.

Brandon noted his Millsaps education “led to an immeasurable amount of personal and professional development, and at the heart of this experience was ELSEWorks.’’

PROFESSOR HARVEY FISER TO LEAD THE ELSE SCHOOL

With enlarged pictures of the Mississippi Delta, photos taken by his late brother, Professor Harvey Fiser is giving the dean’s office in the Else School of Management a new look. Fiser has been appointed as the interim dean of the Else School, agreeing to serve for the 2021-22 academic year.

A native of Clarksdale, Fiser’s office artwork includes images of the Mississippi River, of the Blues Trail and other local color, revealing his proud Mississippi roots. His office shelves are home to books by Mississippi writers as well as mementos from his international travel. His passion for both the region and abroad are just two of the things he loves about working at Millsaps.

“I left a partnership at a local law firm to join the Millsaps faculty, at the best college in the state, and I never looked back,” Fiser says. He was eager to teach, and he was excited to join the distinguished Millsaps faculty.

Fiser holds an undergraduate degree in communications from Mississippi State and a J.D. from the Mississippi College School of Law. He came to Millsaps as an assistant professor in 2003, was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2009, was appointed as the Richard D. McRae Chair of Business Education in 2017 and was promoted to full professor in 2018. In addition to his classroom instruction, he has served as the pre-law advisor, started the successful Millsaps mock trial program and has provided leadership in the college’s international programs, particularly Millsaps’ program in Yucatán.

Despite his enthusiasm for these parts of his faculty position, Fiser accepted the opportunity to serve when the Else School needed leadership. As his predecessor Dr. Kim Burke accepted a position as dean of the Business School at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, Fiser stepped into the dean’s position at an important time. “Harvey brings a high level of energy and true collegiality to the Else School, both of which are highly valued,” says David Culpepper, professor of accounting and director of the ELSEWorks initiatives, a program about which Fiser already boasts.

“ELSEWorks is a program for our undergraduate and graduate students; it allows students opportunities for entrepreneurial work that intersects with positive social change in the Jackson community,” Fiser explained.

Fiser is already a proud spokesperson for the Else School. Describing the success of the Else School’s Executive Education program, Fiser says, “Continental Tires has engaged us to offer presentation skills training to their engineers and coaching and leadership training to their lead technicians,” noting that the Clinton, Mississippi, plant will create up to 2,500 jobs. “Other high-profile companies — from Trustmark to C Spire — are reaching out to Millsaps and the Else School.”

“And, even during the pandemic, we’ve planned and implemented new programs,” Fiser continued. A data analytics program began during COVID-19 and continues this fall. “This helps with digital fluency as workers increasingly rely on technology,” Fiser said.

Fiser looks forward to building the Else School faculty with some visioning and planning in the coming year. As a scholar, Fiser has published articles in the areas of employment law, family law, and neuroscience and the law. He has collaborated with faculty in the Else School and across the college on this scholarship and on other campuswide projects.

Although Fiser has almost finished moving into the dean’s office, he will keep his faculty office, just down the hall. “I’ll never give up teaching,” Fiser exclaimed. “I love the classroom, and I love Millsaps.”

PLAN TO STRENGTHEN STUDY OF HUMANITIES AT MILLSAPS TEAGLE FOUNDATION GRANT/STRENGTHENING THE STUDY OF HUMANITIES

“The humanities are essential for the health of American civic life,” affirms the Teagle Foundation in its description of a new program, Cornerstone: Learning for Living, intended to foster student development and career success through transformative texts and curricular connections in general education.

Millsaps College has been awarded a $25,000 planning grant to bring this program, which is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to Millsaps. The Millsaps grant proposal focused on how to leverage the college’s historic strengths and heritage within the humanities. The grant will facilitate a curricular framework supporting the college’s new Pathways program. Incoming students in the fall of 2021 will join one of six pathways: arts, culture and communication; business; exploratory; health; law, politics and social leadership; and STEM and data science.

The work of the Cornerstone program at Millsaps will be led by Dr. Laura Franey, associate professor of English and acting director of the Writing Program, and Dr. Holly Sypniewski, professor of Greek and Roman Studies and associate dean of arts and humanities.

“This grant will drive our efforts to identify and infuse transformative texts, with a particular emphasis on amplifying Black voices and experiences, in Millsaps’s required first-year ‘Connections’ seminar,” Franey said. “World-significant texts play a critical role in giving students the analytical tools and historical awareness necessary to question not only themselves, but the culture and society by which we are all partially formed.”

Sypniewski added that the planning grant will enable Millsaps to create valuable interdisciplinary humanities minors that align with the new Pathways. “We have two new minors, one in medical humanities and another in philosophy, law and society,” she said. “The grant will support the development of two new interdisciplinary minors aimed at business and STEM majors.”

The successful proposal submitted by the college to the Teagle Foundation and the NEH clearly outlined the role of the humanities in today’s approach to career preparedness, stating that “technical skills have a significant place in the current landscape of that preparation. Building competencies in our students that enhance their understanding of human intellectual and cultural history, however, is timeless. It remains the vital contribution that a rich humanities experience provides within a liberal arts education.”