MC at a Glance

• Mississippi's oldest institution of higher learning, established in 1826 as Hampstead Academy.
• With nearly 4,900 students, MC is the state's largest private university.
• MC is the nation's second oldest Baptist college.
• The first coeducational college in America to grant degrees to women, with two graduating in 1831.
• U.S. News & World Report's 2010 America's Best Colleges guide ranks MC No. 11 among "Southern universities - Master's Level" in the category of "Great Schools at Great Prices.''
• Forbes magazine lists MC as one of the nation's top 25 "Best College Buys" in its August 2009 edition. It considers student/faculty awards, faculty salaries,graduation rates and academic quality when weighing affordability.
• In recent years, about 73 percent of MC students who have applied to medical school have been accepted to exceed national averages.
• The School of Law's new executive law program allows working professionals to earn their degrees in five years instead of the traditional three.
• The M.B.A. program in the School of Business is the oldest and largest such program in metro Jackson. It offers a concentration in management information systems as well as finance and accounting.
• MC began its engineering/physics program in 2008.
• MC fielded an equestrian team for the first time in 2007 with senior Meredith Guider of Utica ranked as the fourth best collegiate rider in the nation.
• A new on-line nursing program allows students to work full-time while pursuing a nursing degree.
• Fifteen students are enrolled in the university's first doctorate in education leadership program.
• The United States Water Fitness Association has awarded MC's aquatic program its number one ranking among U.S. colleges for more than a decade.
• In the winter of 2009, Mississippi College announced the establishment of the state's first physician assistant degree program, a partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center and federal clinics. The program will enroll its first students in 2011.
• More than 30 students are now enrolled in the university's first doctorate in education leadership program.
• A new Flowood Center hosting its Accelerate Degree Program designed for working adults. Students can earn degrees in business administration, accounting, marketing, public relations, and sociology. Located at 115 Laurel Park Cove, the center is adjacent to the Flowood Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.
• Expansion of MC's Clinton campus due to the purchase of the former Clinton Junior High property fronting Clinton Parkway and College Street. The 17.5-acre property provides much-needed room for MC to grow.

Distinguished alumni include

• Five governors
• Flight Director of two Apollo missions
• Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant
• Three former chief justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court and the current chief justice
• Presidents of several Southern Baptist College seminaries
• Six Southern Baptist Convention Presidents
• WLBT-TV 3 news anchor Maggie Wade, meteorologist Barbie Bassett and general manager Dan Modisett
• Pearl River Community College President Dr. William Lewis
• Mississippi High School Activities Association Executive Director Dr. Ennis Proctor
• Johnny Franklin, education advisor to Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour
• George Dale, who recently stepped down as Mississippi insurance commissioner since the mid-1970s, and was the longest tenured insurance commissioner in the nation
• Mike Kent, superintendent of the 11,500-student Madison County public schools
• Dr. Milton Baxter, executive director of the Jackson-based Mississippi Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
• Peggy Carlisle, a Pecan Park Elementary teacher in Jackson, who was the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club 2007 National Teacher of the Year
• Third District Congressman Gregg Harper of Pearl
• All-American receiver Jake Allen, who now is a member of the NFL's Cleveland Browns
• University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Dan Jones, former vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine
• Mississippi Superintendent of Education Tom Burnham, former dean of the University of Mississippi School of Education
• Former director of the International Mission Board
• Carson-Newman College President Dr. J. Randall O'Brien