Engaged Students

Milligan College prepares students to change lives and shape culture through a commitment to Christian leadership and service. Central to Milligan’s liberal arts curriculum is its unique humanities program. Whether students are studying science, education or ministry, the humanities program provides the foundation for a lifetime of finding meaning in the past, making informed judgments on the present and preparing for a meaningful future. While Milligan’s classroom experiences provide powerful preparation for students, the college offers many opportunities for students to learn outside the confines of the classroom and laboratory.

• Hands-on Humanities: Each summer, many Milligan students attend class in museums, cathedrals and castles. It’s all part of the annual Milligan humanities European study tour. Led by Milligan humanities faculty, this unique four-week, 10-city summer tour of Europe offers a unique opportunity for students who are interested in getting an up-close look at the historical and cultural sites they learn about in class.

• Healthcare Hub: Milligan sits in the middle of one of the fastest-growing healthcare hubs in the eastern U.S., providing its students in health-related programs opportunities to work with several major medical centers, smaller urban hospitals, modern rural hospitals, primary care clinics, home health programs and parish nursing programs at local churches.

• Shaping Culture Abroad: Milligan offers a number of off-campus learning programs, many through the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). Students have the opportunity to study abroad in places such as Australia, China and Europe. But students also learn to shape culture in every aspect of American society—from politics to Hollywood. The American Studies Program (ASP) in Washington, D.C, allows students to explore pressing national and international issues. On the West Coast, the Los Angeles Film Studies Center is designed to train students to serve in various aspects of the film industry with both professional skill and Christian integrity. Students live, learn and work in the L.A. area near major studios.

• A World of Possibilities: Whether they are presenting research at a national conference or interning at a Fortune 500 company, Milligan students have many opportunities to meet leaders in their fields and prepare for their careers and ministries. Milligan has internship relationships with more than 100 businesses, organizations and churches throughout the country. Some of these include the Disney College Program, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Eastman Chemical. For students interested in the ministry, the college offers Semester in Ministry, a unique partnership between Milligan and Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland. This program allows students to go beyond a typical summer internship and instead serve on the staff of a church for an entire semester, while staying on track toward their anticipated graduation date.

Great Teaching

Students who want to be more than a number in an anonymous sea of faces in the classroom will find what they are looking for at Milligan College. The faculty and student relationships at Milligan are one of the college’s greatest resources for students. In fact, faculty are so important at Milligan that the college has the rare distinction of being named not for its founder or location, but for a teacher. Josephus Hopwood, founding president of Milligan College, chose the name to honor one of his own professors, Robert Milligan, who “modeled the virtues of Christian discipleship and intellectual formation.” Professor Milligan taught his students that learning should be used to develop the potential of Christian men and women to serve Christ around the world.

Milligan’s ratio of faculty to students is just 12:1. The small class sizes allow faculty to interact with students and provide individual guidance as they explore God’s call for their lives. At Milligan, the professors know their students by name, and the students know their professors care about their success and are wholeheartedly committed to their development both inside and outside the classroom.

Milligan faculty also cultivate strong mentoring relationships with students. New students are paired with a faculty or staff mentor, based on their academic interest. These mentors help guide students through the core curriculum and career assessments to help them discern God’s call. Students also meet regularly with their mentor on campus. In addition to these meetings, mentors frequently have students over to their homes for dinner, games, movies, Bible study and worship time. After their first year on campus, students then work closely with an academic advisor in their major, who leads them through to graduation.

Vibrant Community

Every aspect of the Milligan College experience is designed to encourage students to think about what it means to be “called” to lives of service—in their careers, communities, families and in their examples to others. With more than 40 campus clubs and 80 percent of its students living on campus, the Milligan campus is a close-knit community filled with arts, spiritual life, athletics and academic events.

• Spiritual Life: Nationally and internationally known speakers, authors and scholars visit campus each semester to speak in chapel and convocation services and lectures. From the poignant stories of a Holocaust survivor to the gripping narrative of missionaries in the Middle East, these speakers enrich, enlighten and inform the campus community. The spiritual formation program at Milligan also draws students deeper into Christian community through small groups, Bible studies and student-led vesper worship services.

• Fine Arts: With its beautiful facilities and top-tier fine arts program, there is always something on the arts calendar at Milligan. In addition to the student-produced plays, exhibits and concerts throughout the year, the Milligan Arts Council hosts a variety of free musical and cultural events featuring best-selling authors, world-renowned musicians and critically acclaimed artists.

• The Servant-Leadership Experience: Milligan’s Institute for Servant Leadership helps students explore their vocational choices from the perspective of a calling to a ministry. To equip students for lives of service, the college provides opportunities to reach beyond the campus community and make a difference in others’ lives. Milligan students volunteer in local nursing homes and hospitals, provide support for community centers and outreach programs, and sponsor food drives and collection efforts for organizations around the world.

• A mountain-top experience: With the beautiful mountains of Northeast Tennessee at its doorstep, Milligan College is surrounded by natural beauty and plenty for students to see, do and explore. A hike to a waterfall, a trek along the Appalachian Trail, a visit to a city art gallery or an excursion to one of the many historic sites in the area are all within a short drive from Milligan’s campus.

Successful Outcomes

Milligan’s program, people and purpose reflect its mission—to honor God by educating men and women to be servant-leaders. Students learn that real leadership is about service. That’s why everything done at Milligan—in the classroom, dorm room, or on the athletic field—is designed to encourage students to reflect on how their faith is related to their career choice and what it means to be “called” to lives of servant-leadership.

At Milligan, students receive the strong academic preparation they need for their futures. Each year, many Milligan graduates advance to prestigious and high quality graduate schools and programs. Milligan’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing classes have consistently maintained a near 100 percent pass-rate on their NCLEX-RN exams. Alumni serve in more than 35 countries across the globe.

Whether students come to prepare for lives of service in the operating room, the classroom or the mission field, Milligan’s conviction is to mold both mind and spirit to develop servant leaders who will engage the culture for Christ. This measure of success is rooted in service.