Allegra Brigham came to Columbus from Washington County in 1965 as a 17-year-old freshman at Mississippi University for Women.
There, she met her husband, Bill, on a blind date; she fell in love with him and the town and never left.
Now, her career has come full circle as she prepares to serve as the interim president of the university that first began her love affair with the Friendly City.
“I am really excited to get back to the university that brought me back to Columbus in the first place,” Brigham said Friday afternoon. Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds announced the decision at a College Board meeting on the Mississippi University for Women campus late Friday morning.
“She understands the needs of the university, understands its history and understands the challenges moving forward,” Bounds said, touting Brigham”s management and communication experience. He also noted she is CEO of 4-County Electric Power Association, president of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link and a member of the Federal Reserve board.
Brigham will step in as MUW President Claudia Limbert retires at the end of June.
“I think it”s a wonderful choice,” said Limbert, who has been president since 2002. “An absolutely wonderful choice. She”s just exactly what the we need right now.”
Her hope for a permanent president is “that the person who is selected will continue to move us forward.”
College Board members Christy Pickering, Bettye Neely, Aubrey Patterson, Robin Robinson and Scott Ross have been named to the search committee for MUW”s next president.
With searches also under way for presidents of Alcorn State and Jackson State universities, Bounds said the College Board will spend as long as it takes to conduct thorough searches. Brigham said she is prepared to serve as long as she is needed.
“If she”s good with money, I think that”s exactly what we need,” said Alisa Holen, assistant professor of art and ceramics.
“Before I hope for a president, I just hope this university stay what it is — it”s a gem,” Holen added of the search for a permanent president.
“I think she”ll be fine. She”s a very business-minded person,” said Frances Hairston, a 1961 graduate of MUW.
“It”s a surprise, and we hope to work with her in any way we can,” said Beverly Jones, a 1957 alumnus. Jones hopes the next president will “push the mission of The W and publicize The W nationally, as we were doing before.”
“We have a national presence that we”re about to lose,” Jones added.
Holen, Hairston and Jones were three of about 50 people — mostly MUW faculty, staff and alumni — who attended the College Board meeting at MUW Friday morning. The group returned to the Welty Boardroom a dozen or so short, after the board went into an executive session almost immediately after calling the meeting to order.
“I think she”ll make a good one, and I hope she”s fair,” said Sheena Brown, a junior psychology major from Macon. Brown, who was walking in front of Columbus Hall on the MUW campus, also hopes she will reach out to the surrounding community to improve it as well as the university.
“The W has a great leadership team, and I look forward to continuing some of the good work of those who have gone on before me,” Brigham said, noting her management style is based on the team concept and “buy-in from all parties involved.”
Brigham, who planned to begin working with Limbert immediately, said she already has ideas on how to tackle budget woes and recruitment challenges. The W and other seven state-supported institutions of higher learning are facing budget cuts of 25 percent or more.
She declined to comment on those ideas before working with her management team, other than to say, “There”s so many creative things that can be done when you put your mind to it.”
Brigham didn”t plan to from retire 4-County this early, but when Bounds presented her with the idea, she couldn”t resist the challenge.
“I love a challenge, and I look forward to it,” she said, during a short meeting with the media, Friday afternoon.
The usually courtly Brigham stepped away from the TV cameras in a conference room at 4-County”s corporate office, losing a bit of her composure.
Brigham looked nostalgic as she reminisced about the university where she earned her bachelor”s and master”s degrees and worked at public affairs director from 1983-88. She also talked about her long career with 4-County, as director of communications, manager of PR and marketing and, finally, as CEO. It was unclear whether the nostalgia was for the company where she”s worked for 22 years or the college that brought her to Columbus.
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