MC to celebrate Founders Day Jan. 23

Mississippi College will celebrate its 199th birthday during a festive gathering along Pedestrian Street on the Clinton campus from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23.

Students, faculty and staff of Mississippi’s oldest institution of higher learning will mark the occasion by enjoying delicious slices of cake decorated in blue-and-gold icing from Meme’s Brick Street Bakery in Clinton and piping hot cups of a special MC blend of coffee from BeanFruit Coffee Company, owned by MC alum Paul Bonds.

“Not everybody can say they’ve celebrated 199 birthdays,” said Lori Bobo, director of university events in MC’s Office of Marketing and Communication. “It’s tradition to have a celebration, and it’s leading to an even bigger celebration next year – MC’s Bicentennial.”

For close to a decade, the MC family has come together on the fourth Tuesday of every January to recognize the institution’s founding with activities for the campus community. This year’s event will be no different, except for the day of celebration: coordinated in conjunction with Chapel services on campus, MC will host the party on a Thursday.

The actual date of MC’s founding was Jan. 24, 1826, when the Mississippi Legislature passed the act establishing Hampstead Academy on five acres of land in Hinds County. In 1827, Hampstead Academy was renamed Mississippi Academy, and in 1830, the institution was renamed Mississippi College.

The first coeducational college in America to grant degrees to women, MC became affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention in 1850. MC is the oldest university – public or private – in Mississippi.

The Christian University known for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ has grown to offer more than 80 undergraduate majors, more than 50 graduate areas of study, three doctoral programs, a law school in Jackson, and one of the state’s leading physician assistant programs.

Mississippi College will mark its 200th birthday in 2026 with an institutional name change to Mississippi Christian University and a slate of bicentennial programming throughout the year.

For more information about Mississippi College, visit www.mc.edu.