MUW president stepping down
The Mississippi University for Women will see a leadership change in the coming months.
In his January letter to the university community, MUW President Jim Borsig announced he would be stepping down effective June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. In his letter, Borsig said it was up to a college president to know when to step down, and he felt his time was now. Borsig also announced his decision to the MUW faculty at its spring semester convocation.
Under Borsig’s administration, the university has attained the highest degree completion rate of all state universities in Mississippi. MUW has also made The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of greatest colleges to work for five years in a row.
Borsig further explained his reasons for stepping down to the SDN.
“I had this growing sense that the things I had thought it was important to help the university do when I was named, had been done, and that this was a good point to make this transition,” Borsig said. “Also, there are things that I would like to do myself and service others through some nonprofit work. This was a good time to do it. I don’t know that there’s ever a perfect time to do it, but this was a good time to do it.
Borsig named uniting the MUW community early on in his presidency and helping the faculty keep its curriculum vital and growing.
“The university is financially sound, our enrollment strong, and the future bright,” Borsig said. “Serving as president of The W is without question the highlight of my career, and I am grateful for every day I have worked with you to change the lives of our students.”
However, Borsig emphasized there was still work to be done.
“I am confident in your ability to seize new opportunities, so I look forward celebrating The W’s future accomplishments as you successfully navigate these
changing times in higher education,” Borsig said.
Borsig said he would live in Maine after leaving The W, but said he and his wife, Kate, would remain involved in the Columbus area through the nonprofit organization Global Connections.
“We have a place in Maine, and we enjoy the out-of-doors, but we also have strong ties here, and the nonprofit my wife and I both volunteer with is headquartered in Columbus, and I’ve got family here, so we will be back and forth,” Borsig said.
Borsig said the search for a successor would be the responsibility of the IHL Board.
In February 2015, Borsig was announced as the commissioner of higher education by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher
Learning, and in April 2015 declined the position to stay at The W. Borsig was named president of The W in November 2011 and took office in February 2012.
Prior to his time at The W, Borsig served as an associate commissioner for
the IHL Board of Trustees. He has also served in several other capacities in the fields of higher education and municipal government.
“This is a great place with good people, and it has been a pleasure to serve this university,” Borsig said.