NEW WELLS TO OFFER WATER RELIEF ON CAMPUS

by John Sewell

Thomas Fuller, a 17th-century clergyman and historian, once said, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”

Four hundred years later, his statement has echoed around the Millsaps campus as the college has dealt with ongoing water challenges brought on by winter weather and infrastructure issues in the Jackson area. Water main breaks off campus often mean a loss of pressure on campus, exacerbated by the fact that the college sits on one of the highest points in the city. And in February 2021, a severe winter storm severely impacted the city and shut down the water system; a mobile shower unit was brought to campus and pallets of bottled water were distributed to students, faculty and staff.

Looking ahead, however, Fuller’s quote will not mean as much as the college prepares to develop its own water source.

Work will begin this spring to dig two wells on campus and construct a 100,000-gallon water tank, ensuring that water issues become a thing of the past. The wells will be dug along the west side of campus, tapping into the Sparta Aquifer located a few hundred feet down. The nearly 200-foot-tall water tank will also be located on the west side of campus.

“This is a critically important project for our campus,” said Dr. Rob Pearigen, president of Millsaps. “We simply must provide this most basic service to students, faculty and staff.”

Pearigen met recently with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to share the plans.

Coleman Bond, director of facilities management at Millsaps, noted the challenges and the benefits of the project as work prepares to get underway.

“We have a lot of work to do in terms of navigating the underground utilities and remaining on schedule with potential weather conditions or national supply chain issues,” said Bond. “In the end, however, Millsaps will have its own reliable, potable water source. The city of Jackson will remain as a secondary source, and the water tank will provide water for two to three days should both the primary and secondary water sources become unavailable.”

The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.5 million and has been approved by the board of trustees. The college has already received a $1.5 million commitment from the Arkansas-based Windgate Foundation, which previously funded half of the new $6 million Windgate Visual Arts Center on campus and, last fall, established a $2 million scholarship endowment. The college must raise a $1 million match to receive full funding from the Windgate Foundation.

“Thankfully, I was meeting with the leadership of the Windgate Foundation in November, just after a city water failure disrupted campus at the beginning of Thanksgiving week,” recalled Pearigen. “I shared with them the challenges we were facing, including the issues resulting from the storm in February 2021. The following day, they called me to talk about the possibility of helping us fund an independent water source, and within a week the foundation board made this new, extraordinary commitment to the college.”

Pearigen said the college already has commitments in hand toward the matching funds and is actively working to solicit support from others. The Office of Institutional Advancement, led by new Vice President Marty Smith, is taking the lead in these efforts alongside the active participation of members of the board of trustees.

“This is an important, visible and tangible project in the life of this campus community,” Smith said. “We are confident we can raise the resources necessary to complete the work and encourage anyone interested in supporting it to contact me directly.”

Smith can be reached by email (marty.smith@millsaps.edu) or phone (601-974-1024).

The project is slated for completion by the late spring or early summer of 2023. However, the new water supply may be in operation once the wells are functional, even if the tower itself is not fully finished.

MILLSAPS.EDU 7

CHINWE EMENIKE | Lagos, Nigeria

Major: Biology

Minor: Health and Fitness

Plans After Graduation: Nursing

School Favorite Restaurant: Picante’s

Grill | Top Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Professors, Community

The first time Chinwe Emenike came to Mississippi was when she flew to Jackson to study at Millsaps College. Upon landing, Emenike and her family were nervous about the sprawling landscape compared with her home in Lagos. “Lagos is not very big in terms of land size,” she said. “It’s very populated but a small state. We were worried when we left the airport and saw tons of trees but no people.”

Emenike soon started building relationships with people in the Millsaps community, including Dr. Elizabeth Hussa, associate professor of biology.

“Dr. Hussa is my adviser. I love her teaching style and how she explains things. She makes sure we understand. She has given me such good advice and helped me with my classes and future plans.”

She also praised Dr. Cory Toyota, associate professor of organic chemistry, saying, “He helped me with registration while I was in Nigeria and makes chemistry fun!”

Emenike has enjoyed the calm and kindness of our community. “I got a lot of help from people here, such as helping me with visas and answering my questions. Millsaps was the best fit for me.”

SERGEY KOLESNIK | Moscow, Russia

Major: Applied mathematics and business administration

Plans After Graduation: Soccer

Management/Operations or Soccer

Data Analysis | Favorite Off-Campus

Restaurant: Aladdin | Top Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Academics, Community

Sergey Kolesnik traveled the world by the age of 18. He specifically chose to attend college in the United States because of the educational system. His criteria for the perfect college? “I wanted a good math department, good business school and somewhere I could play soccer.”

Kolesnik found his match at Millsaps College. He has made the best of the close community at Millsaps by fostering relationships with professors and finding a second family through his involvement in soccer and track.

“The community here is great,” Kolesnik said. “If there is something that is going wrong with your academics or social life, there is always someone who will give you a helping hand.”

Kolesnik grew close to Dr. Alex Rice, assistant professor of mathematics. “Dr. Rice helped me find a path and helped me with a lot of the questions I had, and he helped me figure out what experiences I wanted. Now, Dr. Rice and I are working together on a research project.”

Kolesnik is especially grateful for his academic experience at Millsaps. “I have learned so much here, and I can already start applying what I’ve learned. It has given me a leg up on the competition.”

DANIIL PUGACHEV | Kaluga, Russia

Major: Business administration — entrepreneurship

Plans After Graduation: Return to Russia; Business and Politics |

Favorite Off-Campus Restaurant:

CAET | Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Community, Trust

Daniil Pugachev had completed his first year at a college in Russia when his family moved from Russia to Madison, Mississippi. He decided to join his family to experience different cultures, and after researching colleges in the area, Millsaps College stood out to him as the best option.

He became friends with other international Millsaps students, including another student from Russia, Sergey Kolesnik. He was also able to connect with other students from Russia and the surrounding region. He developed great relationships with his professors, including Dr. Penelope Prenshaw, professor of marketing at the Else School.

“We met with Dr. Prenshaw after the first class to make sure we were on the same page, and I understood the material in the right way. She does a great job sharing her knowledge and experience to get me prepared for future career levels.”

Like Dr. Prenshaw, other Millsaps professors have helped Pugachev transition to the United States’ educational style, including the freedom to explore his interests. “At Millsaps, you can study with a high education pace, lots of teamwork and the possibility to share your own thoughts and come up with the right decisions,” said Pugachev.

He is looking forward to his future and moving on to the next phase of his life and career endeavors.

“I have chosen business administration because I wanted to get a better understanding of business. Millsaps helped me get professional business qualities and improve my personal and professional levels.”

SAKSHI SINGH (LEFT) VISITS NEW ORLEANS WITH HER HOST FAMILY, DIANE AND CLAY ROUSE

ANGELA JIMMY | India and Saudi

Arabia

Major: Psychology and neuroscience (pre-medical) | Minor: Sociology and chemistry

Plans After Graduation: Research; Medical School | Favorite Restaurant:

Keifer’s | Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Connection, Community

Angela Jimmy discovered Millsaps College through the Next Genius Foundation, which connects high-achieving Indian students with scholarships to study in the United States. Right away, the college’s small student body appealed to her. “It mattered a lot to not be just a grade to a professor, but to be an individual to them,” she said.

Angela was also drawn to Millsaps because of the college’s community involvement. She found a real-world connection through her involvement with Millsaps’ “One Campus, One Community” program and taking a course taught by Dr. Louwanda Evans, associate professor of sociology and director of African American Studies.

Angela said, “Dr. Evans’ ‘Many Dimensions of Poverty’ helped me see the world in a sociological perspective that I was able to apply to Mississippi.”

Angela does her best to stay busy. In addition to her studies and community involvement, she currently serves as president of the college’s chapter of the Nu Rho Psi honor society, psychology club and Millsaps International Buddy System (MIBS). She also works in the office of admission and is a chemistry and physics teaching assistant.

Her favorite part about her Millsaps experience has been connecting with the students and professors. “Our professors are really invested in our experience,” she said. “I’ve had fun every day at Millsaps.”

VISHAL BALAJI | Coimbatore, India

Major: Applied mathematics and economics

Plans After Graduation: Career in

Data Analytics | Favorite Restaurant:

Sushi Village | Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Connections, Professors

Vishal Balaji learned about the connections between professors and students at Millsaps College from his brother, Vajresh, a class of 2020 graduate.

Balaji has made the most of those connections by participating in campus activities like Millsaps’ annual Diwali festival and joining the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. “A lot of people see us as nerds, but we also have fun,” Balaji laughed.

Above all, Balaji is a serious student. He is graduating a year early and enrolled in the Else School’s data analytics program. He enjoys his studies and has connected with professors who are invested in his success, such as economics professor Dr. Blakely Fender.

“Dr. Fender’s teaching is extremely good. Her experience and pacing help you not feel overwhelmed while enjoying a high caliber of learning.”

Balaji feels the connections he has made at Millsaps help ease the pressure of being an international student. “I came to Millsaps for the relationships between students and professors,” he said. “You can’t really do that in India. Back home, the class sizes are 150 for one teacher. Here, in every department, I have a least one professor or staff member I can talk to.”

EMENIKE (BACK LEFT) AND JIMMY (BACK RIGHT) ENJOY DINNER WITH FRIENDS.

SAKSHI SINGH | Indore, India

Major: Applied mathematics and economics

Plans After Graduation: Working in economics in the U.S. | Favorite

Off-Campus Restaurant: Thai Time | Reasons to Belong at Millsaps: Opportunities, Community

Like Angela Jimmy, Sakshi Singh discovered Millsaps College through the Next Genius Foundation’s scholarship program. She chose Millsaps based on the college’s small class size, as well as meeting with an international admission officer, along with the president of the college, Dr. Rob Pearigen. “I found it interesting the way President Pearigen represented the college’s values and what opportunities were available in the city of Jackson,” Singh said of the meeting.

Singh has focused on fostering connections and experiences while at Millsaps, including participating in Millsaps’ internship program in summer 2020. Singh said of the experience, “I could apply what I was learning in my economics, analysis and math classes to my internship experience.”

Singh has been able to build relationships with professors who have guided her throughout her Millsaps experience.

“Dr. Fender is my favorite professor. The things she knows and how she explains things — I want to be exactly like her.”

Singh has also enjoyed her time in Mississippi and the friends she has made. “I enjoy being here. I have friends who are like family. When I miss home, I can talk to a friend and feel understood.”