Millsaps College names its 12th president. See who it is
The Millsaps College Board of Trustees has named Frank Neville as its 12th president, according to a statement from the school.
Neville was selected by the 17-member search committee, which consisted of trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and students. On Jan. 15, the Board of Trustees voted to elect him as the college’s next president.
Board Chair John Lindsey said in a statement, “Frank Neville distinguished himself throughout the selection process with a combination of experience, skills, and innovative thinking. These exceptional characteristics, together with his passion for liberal arts education, will be essential to Millsaps’ future.”
Millsaps' Indiana Jones: NatGeo documentary to highlight Millsaps groundbreaking work in Yucatan
Small colleges facing tall task: How Mississippi's small colleges are working to ensure their viability amid challenges
Neville steps into a situation at Millsaps having the challenge of turning around a declining student population. Millsaps has an endowment of around $100 million and fewer than 700 students. Millsaps enrolled around 160 freshmen this fall. According to U.S. News data, Millsaps has 637 undergraduate students as of 2022.
Millsaps has long been ranked as one of the better liberal arts colleges in the country, currently ranked No. 124 by U.S. News. That ranking was tops in Mississippi.
Neville currently serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff at Georgia Tech. His background includes strategic planning, implementation, and executive management. Neville brings more than 35 years of experience to his new role.
At Georgia Tech, he developed and implemented their strategic plan; led efforts to improve administrative services; implemented a culture change program to align leadership, performance, and policies with their strategic values; as well as co-leading the design of the Tech Square real estate expansion and creating the Arts Square programmatic plan.
“I am absolutely thrilled to join the Millsaps community. I am tremendously inspired by Millsaps’ student-centric, mission-driven philosophy and look forward to moving the college resolutely forward Ad Excellentiam,” Neville said in a statement.
He is a cum laude graduate of Carleton College in political science, and he holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
One of the biggest hurdles the search committee encountered during the hiring process was the negative publicity that Jackson has received in the past couple of years, such as the water crisis, crime rates and the garbage collection crisis.
Prior to Georgia Tech, Neville served as chief of staff and vice president of communications and marketing at George Mason University. Neville was vice president for global communication and public affairs at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University before joining George Mason. His responsibilities included managing a diverse portfolio of global outreach and business development and maintaining the school’s global reputation.
As well as his work in higher education, Neville was a career diplomat for the State Department. He served in Taipei, Chengdu, Guatemala City, Beijing, and Nogales.
“I have been impressed by the energy and creativity of the Millsaps community. Millsaps is clearly a special place that prepares students for a life of learning, service and meaning,” Neville said.
Neville succeeds Robert W. Pearigen, who resigned in January of 2023 and left the school that May of 2023 to serve as president for The University of the South. Keith Dunn has served as interim president after Pearigen.
A native of Memphis, Pearigen is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of the South, where he earned a bachelor of arts in political science.
Pearigen made the move to cut three majors and downsize others in 2019 at the liberal arts school that was founded in 1890.
In a 2019 interview with the Clarion Ledger, Pearigen said the cuts were about "right-sizing" programs and staffing levels to the national average for liberal arts schools. He said Millsaps is staffed for a population of 1,000 or more students.
Neville will begin his duties on June 17.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Millsaps names new president, names Frank Neville of Georgia Tech
