Back to News 
By Curtis Carden, ESTAR staff writer
There’s nothing wrong with getting your hands a little dirty.
Milligan College faculty, staff and students carried that attitude into Friday during the campus’ annual work day to put the final pieces of beautification in place before students arrive on site next week.
A sense a pride and ownership goes into the day, according to Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer, as ’Buffs joined the campus’ physical plant staff on different projects.
“I joked with them this morning that I appreciate their patience as all the amateurs join together to help out,” Greer said with a smile Friday outside the Little Hartland Welcome Center. “We have a fantastic physical plant team. Our faculty, staff and students are proud to be part of this type of community.
Milligan is ranked nationally for its beautiful campus and that really draws a strong sense of ownership for everyone on campus. I think that’s why so many people come out for our work day. This is our chance to thank our housekeeping, landscaping, maintenance and physical plant staff.”
The day kicked off with a breakfast inside Milligan’s McCormick Dining Center in Sutton Hall. Following the get-together, individuals broke off into several groups and completed a checklist of indoor and outdoor projects that ranged from landscaping to cleaning. The day concluded with an employee lunch. Work took place on Milligan’s home campus and on Emmanuel Hill.
“We have more campus than I remember,” Greer joked. “We have about 240 acres to keep beautiful. There’s always mowing, trimming and shrubs to spruce up. There’s mulching and painting to do. Pressure washing, limbs and gardens … there is a lot of work that goes into this but that’s why the campus comes together to put the final touches on everything before students come back.”
Keeping up with tradition is nothing new for Milligan. Following up a successful 2016-17 school year, excitement is brewing for the upcoming school year.
“There’s lots of exciting things going on at Milligan,” Greer said. “We’re really looking forward to a strong year. We’ve been running ahead in terms of our applicants and deposits for admissions. We look to have a good, strong year and a strong class of new and returning students coming back to campus.”
One of the more visible increase in students is atop Emmanuel Hill, according to the president.
“The seminary that we made part of Milligan a couple of years ago is expecting one of its largest classes in many years,” Greer said. “I think that’s a reflection in the confidence that people have in the quality of education here and the quality of the student experience at Milligan.”
Greer added excitement is also brewing for mechanical and electrical engineering classes for the year. Another addition is the physician’s assistant classes starting up in January.