President

The Milligan University Board of Trustees announces the search for the 16^th president of the university and invites nominations and expressions of interest in this distinctive opportunity for engaged leadership. Milligan’s next president will accept responsibility for a premier Christian liberal arts university with a rich heritage committed to the mission of Christian education as the hope of the world. Milligan’s current president, Dr. Bill Greer, has added to the accomplishments of this rich heritage, and his 13-year tenure strengthens the platform of significant achievement from which the university’s next president will be expected to exercise strategic and visionary leadership. Dr. Greer has announced his retirement from the presidency effective summer 2024.

Founded in 1866, Milligan University is a Christian liberal arts university nestled in the heart of the Tennessee Appalachian Mountains. With students from 40 states and 27 countries, the university has enjoyed record enrollments in recent years, reaching an all-time high of 1,347 students in the fall of 2020. The university offers 40 undergraduate majors, 10 master’s degrees, one specialist degree, two doctoral degrees, and several adult degree completion programs. The university’s mission is to honor God by educating men and women to be servant-leaders. For more than 150 years, Milligan has been committed to ministering to the whole person, fostering development of intellect, body, and spirit, with a devotion to personal attention and Christian liberal arts education.

Milligan employs nearly 500 people, with an annual operating budget of $46 million. Academic programs are lauded by accrediting agencies and national organizations. Consistently recognized for quality and value, Milligan is ranked No. 12 among “Best Regional Universities” in the South in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue and No. 2 among its “Best Value Schools.” In the past decade, Milligan also has been ranked as the 20th best Master’s University in the South by Washington Monthly; No. 2 best college in Tennessee, behind Vanderbilt, by BestColleges.com; and a Military Friendly® School by ViQtory Media.

The president is the chief executive officer of the university. As the chief executive officer, the president plans, directs, and monitors the activities of the university and ensures that these activities serve to promote the achievement of its mission and the fulfillment of its vision, and that all business is conducted in accordance with its values.

Qualified candidates should demonstrate an understanding of the academic decision-making processes, consensus building, and the nature and requirements of effective teaching, research, and service; abilities in administrative and fiscal planning, budgeting, financial management, fundraising, and human resources selection and utilization; skill as an effective leader and communicator with various levels and types of individuals; an understanding of and deep commitment to the university’s mission and to a Christian liberal arts education; and personal qualities of character, integrity, and high ethical, moral, and professional values.  In addition, the candidate should demonstrate a commitment to Christ and His Church, to the inspiration and authorization of Scripture for faith and practice, and commitment to and association with the Stone-Campbell/Restoration Movement and possess a terminal degree from a regionally accredited higher educational institution or exceptional nontraditional experience in lieu of an earned doctorate. A complete presidential prospectus, with information about Milligan University and the desired attributes for the President, may be found at www.milligan.edu/presidentialsearch.  

Nominations, expressions of interest, and applications are invited. Prospective candidates should submit a letter of interest, to include his or her understanding of the importance of a Christian liberal arts education, along with a curriculum vitae, to the following address: Milligan University, Attn. Presidential Search, P.O. Box 1, Milligan, TN 37682. Materials may also be emailed to presidentialsearch@milligan.edu. The new president is expected to begin work on or about August 1, 2024.

Milligan University Presidential Search
Attn: Dick Phillips, Board Chair
Email: presidentialsearch@milligan.edu
Web: www.milligan.edu/presidentialsearch