MILLSAPS COLLEGE
Jackson, Mississippi
The College
Founded in 1890, Millsaps College is a private, four-year, residential, coeducational, selective national liberal arts college. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church and ecumenical in spirit and practice, Millsaps has an enrollment of 1,300 students and is characterized by its high academic standards and close mentoring relationship between its faculty members and students.
In 1988, Millsaps became the first college or university in Mississippi to earn a chapter of the prestigious honorary Phi Beta Kappa.
Millsaps College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the chemistry department by the American Chemical Society, the education department by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Else School of Management by AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Millsaps is home to 1,191 undergraduate students, representing twenty-five states and eleven countries; 48 percent are men and 52 percent are women. For the 2002–03 freshman class, 20 percent are members of minority groups, midrange ACT scores are 23–29, and the middle 50 percent of SAT I scores are 1120–1290. The average age of a Millsaps student is 20.
Millsaps College is home to more than seventy-five student clubs and organizations, including six national fraternities, six national sororities, and three student publications. Students also compete in intramurals and in intercollegiate athletics. Millsaps College is a member of NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Men's varsity sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's varsity sports include basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, fast-pitch softball, tennis, and volleyball.
Students also enjoy a $17-million Campus Life Complex, with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, aerobic and dance studios, racquetball and squash courts, and an outdoor pool.
Millsaps residence halls are designed for traditional double-style, apartment-style, and suite-style living. All rooms are designed for double occupancy, and each residence hall provides laundry facilities, snack machines, meeting rooms, and study areas for student use. The majority of students live on campus all four years.
Millsaps students have two options for on-campus meals. The main dining hall serves three meals a day, seven days a week. Students enjoy high-quality meals in a comfortable atmosphere. The Kava House provides students with a café-like atmosphere to enjoy sandwiches, coffee, ice cream, pizza, and burgers.
The Career Center offers a variety of services and programs for students and alumni in the areas of academic and career development. The primary areas of focus are career/major exploration, internships, graduate school advisement and preparation, student employment, and job-placement assistance.
Religious life at Millsaps centers on the churches, synagogues, and other faith communities in Jackson and the campus ministry program, which is coordinated through the Campus Ministry Team and the Office of the Chaplain. The campus ministry program provides experiences that explore the meaning of a life of faith for a college community.
Through academic classes and mentor-based internships in the Jackson community, the Millsaps Faith and Work Initiative provides students with a guided exploration of the vocational possibilities that can arise from a deep sense of social responsibility.
Location
The capital city of Mississippi, Jackson is the cultural and economic center of the state and is home to more than 500,000 people in its metropolitan area. Millsaps students enjoy Jackson and the many opportunities it offers them for internships, employment, recreation, and entertainment. Jackson has a symphony orchestra and opera company, Delta blues joints and contemporary music clubs, investment firms, state government offices, a world-class medical center, an international airport, independent book and music shops, ethnic restaurants, old-time soda fountains, film festivals and museums, outdoor concerts, political rallies, professional baseball and hockey, and waterskiing, boating, and fishing in the Ross Barnett Reservoir.
Majors and Degrees
Millsaps College confers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Liberal Studies, and Bachelor of Science degrees.
Majors offered at the College include accounting, art, biology, business administration, chemistry, classical studies, computer science, economics, education, English, European studies, French, geology, German, history, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology-anthropology, Spanish, and theater.
Interdisciplinary concentrations are offered in the areas of American studies, Christian education, environmental studies, European studies, human services, and women's studies. Millsaps also offers 3-2 engineering and 4-1 M.B.A. dual-degree programs. Preprofessional programs are offered in dentistry, law, medicine, ministerial studies, and social work.
Special opportunities and customized programs are offered in the following: Faith and Work Initiative, Ford Fellows, Honors Program, individually designed programs, internships, and undergraduate research.
Academic Program
A total of 128 semester hours is required to earn the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, or Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree. At least 120 semester hours must be letter-graded academic credit. All Millsaps students must complete ten core courses specifically designed to develop the general abilities of a broadly educated person.
The Millsaps liberal arts education is intended to develop abilities related to reasoning, communication, quantitative thinking, historical consciousness, aesthetic judgement, global and multicultural awareness, valuing, and decision making.
In addition to taking the prescribed work for a degree, a student must major in a particular area. To qualify for a minor, a student must have a minimum of 16 semester hours in a department, at least 8 of which must be taken at Millsaps. A portfolio of writing completed during the first two years is assessed by the end of the sophomore year to determine writing proficiency. Demonstration of writing proficiency through this portfolio is a graduation requirement.
Off-Campus Arrangements
Based on the belief that international experience is vital to successful leadership in all academic and professional fields, the Center for International Initiatives (CII) is dedicated to the promotion and development of international cocurricular opportunities for all members of the Millsaps community. A student may arrange to study abroad for a semester, year, or summer. Millsaps offers unique study-abroad programs in China, Costa Rica, France and other European countries, and Mexico. In particular, the Millsaps-supported Kaxil Kiuic biocultural reserve in Yucatan, Mexico, is nationally acclaimed for its hands-on exposure of students to archeology, conservation, environmental science, and related topics.
Academic Facilities
Millsaps College is made up of thirty-four buildings set on a 100-acre landscaped campus. The school's library collection includes 185,000 volumes, 90,000 multimedia and microform units, and 4,000 print and electronic journal subscriptions, all of which are available to students seven days a week. Computing resources include seven labs equipped with more than 100 PCs. All residence hall rooms are wired for Internet and campus network access.
Costs
Undergraduate tuition for the 2003–04 academic year is $17,346 for full-time students. Room (base rate), board, and comprehensive fees for full-time undergraduate students are $7836, which makes the total cost for the academic year $25,182. Miscellaneous costs, including books ($800) and personal expenses ($900), are estimated at $1700. Undergraduate tuition for the 2003–04 academic year is $540 per semester hour for part-time students. Fees are an additional $28 per semester hour for part-time undergraduate students.
Financial Aid
Millsaps College is committed to joining its resources with family contributions to make a Millsaps education affordable. In fact, more than 90 percent of Millsaps students receive aid in the form of grants, loans, and/or scholarships. Millsaps administers need-based institutional, federal, and state grants; loans; and scholarships.
The only document necessary to apply for academic scholarships at Millsaps is the Application for Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships. All students submitting this document by the appropriate postmark deadlines are considered eligible for scholarships.
Mississippi residents are encouraged to complete the MTAG/MESG Application by the Millsaps priority deadline of March 1.
To apply for need-based financial aid at Millsaps, students must file both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Millsaps Application for Financial Aid. The Millsaps Application for Financial Aid is available online at http://www.millsaps.edu/finaid; the Millsaps school code is 002414. The FAFSA can be filed online at http://www.fasfa.ed.gov. It is recommended that each of these forms be completed soon after January 1 of the senior year and before the Millsaps priority financial aid filing date of March 1. Need-based aid recipients must reapply and requalify each year.
When considering scholarship candidates, Millsaps looks at the big picture, not just a few numbers such as GPA or test scores. Scholarships are based on in-class and out-of-class activities and achievements.
On-campus jobs are available for students who wish to test out a particular field of interest while gaining valuable work experience. Compensation comes in the form of pay or academic credit.
Faculty
The faculty of Millsaps College is made up of 89 full-time tenure-track members, 99 percent of whom hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field. Though often nationally recognized as scholars and researchers, Millsaps faculty members are devoted to the belief that a professor's first responsibility is to teach well. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1 and the average class size is 16.
Student Government
All regularly enrolled students of Millsaps are members of the Student Body Association (SBA). Those taking at least three courses and part-time students who pay the Student Body Association fee have full power of voting. The SBA is governed by the Student Senate, the Student Judicial Council, and the SBA officers.
The Student Senate is composed of 36 voting members elected from the Millsaps SBA. The Student Senate exercises legislative power over those areas of collegiate activity that are the responsibility of the students and speaks for the SBA on all matters of student concern. The Judicial Council is composed of 11 voting members, and it generally has jurisdiction over student disciplinary cases. Limitations of its authority are outlined in the constitution of the Millsaps College SBA, which is printed in the student handbook.
Admission Requirements
For the Millsaps student body, the ACT midrange is 23–29, and the middle 50 percent on the SAT I is 1120–1290. While a student's academic record is important, it is just one of many factors that Millsaps considers in the admissions process. Extracurricular activities and community service are also important factors.
Application and Information
Students applying to Millsaps as first-time freshmen may choose to be Early Action or Regular Decision candidates. The deadline for submitting Early Action applications is December 1. The deadline for submitting Regular Decision applications is February 1. Transfer student applications received after March 1 are considered on a space-available basis.
For more information about Millsaps College or to apply, prospective students should contact:
