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Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a liberal-arts college located in the heart of the Fondren-Belhaven arts district. It was founded by Major Reuben Webster Millsaps, a lifelong Jackson resident, nearly 120 years ago, on what was then the outskirts of town.
Numerous local celebrities have either graduated from or taught at Millsaps, including Eudora Welty, Ellen Gilchrist, and Lewis Nordan. Guest speakers have ranged from Jane Goodall to Frank Melton to Christopher Hitchens to Haley Barbour. Its football team, the Majors, are the current SCAC conference champions.
“The ‘Saps” is almost universally considered to be the most academically challenging and politically liberal college in the state of Mississippi; some state residents consider the latter to be a bad thing. However, the school is an undeniable force within the Jackson community, adding over 1200 college-age souls to the city environment.
The college has a strong Greek Life system and maintains a notable record of community service. It offers Continuing Education classes for Jackson residents and has often hosted interviews, forums, speeches, concerts, film festivals, and other local events.
Millsaps students are often from the white upper-middle-class of the region surrounding Jackson. A majorly significant percentage of Millsapians are from Louisiana, with smaller percentages hailing from Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.
There is a strong sense of proactive ambition on campus, with many students going on to medical or other graduate schools. However, most students get along well (you kinda have to, with a population smaller than many public high schools) and there is little cutthroat competition. Serious coursework tends to promote a mindset of continual studying, given that the school’s writing program ranks within the top 20 colleges in the nation and its level of student-professor dialogue in class ranks within the top 10 nationally.
Social life revolves almost exclusively around Fraternity Row, as the bar and club scene outside of the campus gates is typically abysmal. Regular parties include such gems as Bubble Party, Heaven & Hell, Spring Party (complete with swimming pools) and the winter formal dance.
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