In the end, Allegra Brigham got her way.
When she stepped down as interim president at Mississippi University for Women in December, she had hoped to leave with no fanfare. Instead, she was feted with a surprise party.
Now, five months after accepting another role at MUW, she was at last able to make a quiet exit.
Brigham resigned from her post as vice president for university relations and advancement on June 30.
“I just left very quietly,” Brigham said Thursday via telephone. “I’m just retired. That’s what’s next. I love MUW. I think Dr. Borsig will go a great job, and this is a great opportunity for him to expand his leadership team.”
Borsig did not detail the circumstances of Brigham’s departure, saying only that they had a conversation about it and the timing was good.
“I knew that she was not going to be with us for a long time,” Borsig said. “It wasn’t a surprise.”
Brigham, who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MUW, walked onto a troubled campus in July 2010 to serve as interim president. President Claudia Limbert had retired amid controversy, and the alumnae had splintered into two factions, with limited hope of harmony.
For a year and a half, Brigham worked to bind those wounds. Many credit her with easing tensions between the alumnae and paving the way for their eventual reconciliation. When Dr. Jim Borsig was named president in November, she handed over the reins and prepared to return to the off-campus world.
A surprise party was held, with nearly 100 supporters flooding MUW’s Cochran Hall to say goodbye. The tribute was anything but quiet.
Shortly after he assumed his duties as president, Borsig brought Brigham back to campus for a new role in his leadership cabinet.
“I was able to persuade her to delay her retirement until I could get my feet on the ground and get some things done,” he said. “There’s still plenty to do, but I needed Allegra (then) to step in there and serve the university a little while longer, as she always has.”
MUW’s new fiscal year began July 1, and Borsig said he is currently making sure staff resources are allocated efficiently — a process which includes evaluating whether he will fill Brigham’s vacated post.
“Everything she has been asked to do for this university, she has done with excellence,” Borsig said. “I fully expect her to be back at some point in the future as a volunteer.”
He concluded by saying he was grateful for her service, because she made his first six months on campus easier.
Elaine Evans, who serves the MUW Alumni Association as co-president with Andy Thaggard, said via email that Brigham has received much credit for her “tireless efforts” in reunifying the alumnae.
She learned of her departure through an email from Borsig.
“I can’t speak for the alums, but I know Allegra was very dedicated to doing her best and serving the university,” Evans wrote. “Dr. Borsig will be looking for someone who can fit in well with The W community while advancing MUW’s fundraising mission.”
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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