
The institution's eighth president will complete her service at the close of the 2026–27 academic
year, the university’s 154th
Blue Mountain, Miss. (September 29, 2026)— Dr. Barbara C. McMillin, the eighth president of Blue
Mountain Christian University (BMCU), has announced that she will retire on June 30, 2027. She will
complete her 15th year of service at the conclusion of the 2026-27 academic year.
The Board of Trustees will share details regarding the presidential search in the coming months.
McMillin came to Blue Mountain Christian University in 2012 from Union University in Jackson,
Tennessee, where she last served as Associate Provost. A native of Falkner, Miss., she holds a bachelor’s
degree in English from Union University and a Doctor of Arts in English from the University of
Mississippi.
“I have always considered my tenure at Blue Mountain Christian University as something entrusted to
my care for a season,” McMillin said. “Whatever has been accomplished during my years here rests on a
foundation that was laid long before I arrived: our Christian mission, a deep commitment to prayer, and
a confidence in the faithfulness of God. My hope is that we have strengthened that foundation and
made our mission so clear that it will continue to shape Blue Mountain Christian University long after my
presidency has ended.”
McMillin’s tenure included several of the most significant developments in the institution’s recent
history:
• Strengthening and clearly articulating the university’s identity as an unapologetically Christian
institution committed to integrating faith and learning.
• Leading the institution through its transition from Blue Mountain College to Blue Mountain Christian
University, reflecting an expanding academic mission while preserving its historic identity and values.
• Expanding academic opportunities and developing new programs designed to prepare students for lives
of meaningful service and professional leadership, including nursing and kinesiology.
• Overseeing significant improvements to the physical campus, including major new facilities,
renovations, and investments designed to serve future generations of students — among them the
Center for Grace and Healing, the university’s new health science facility, set to open in October.
• Strengthening enrollment, fundraising, partnerships, and institutional relationships while guiding the
university through a period of significant change and challenge in higher education.
• Deepening a campus culture centered on prayer, Christian community, personal investment in students,
and confidence in God’s faithfulness.
Blue Mountain Christian University also earned national recognition during these years for academic
quality and affordability. U.S. News & World Report named the institution the No. 1 Best Value among
Regional Colleges in the South in both its 2018 and 2019 editions and ranked it among the top 10
Regional Colleges in the South in three consecutive editions, from 2017 through 2019.
“When I think about legacy, I really don’t think first about buildings we have constructed, programs we
have added, or milestones we have reached,” McMillin continued. “I think about people. I think about
the students who have left this place prepared to see their lives and their work through the lens of a
Christian worldview and to serve Christ faithfully in their professions, churches, families, and
communities.”
The Reverend James Lewis, chair of the Blue Mountain Christian University Board of Trustees, said “Dr.
McMillin has led Blue Mountain with conviction and with care, and she has done so during a period that
has not been easy for any Christian college. She leaves this institution clearer about who it is, better
equipped to teach, and on firmer footing than she found it. The Board is grateful for her faithfulness,
and we begin this year confident about what is ahead for Blue Mountain."
Blue Mountain Christian University will mark McMillin’s final year with a series of programs and events
celebrating the university’s history and the people who have shaped it. Details will be announced
throughout the academic year at bmc.edu.
About Blue Mountain Christian University
Blue Mountain Christian University was founded in 1873 in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, as Blue
Mountain Female Institute by Mark Perrin Lowrey, who taught its first 50 students alongside his two
eldest daughters. The Lowrey family transferred the institution to the Mississippi Baptist Convention in
1920, and it has been affiliated with the Convention since. Fully coeducational since 2005, the university
offers undergraduate and graduate programs grounded in the Christian liberal arts and competes in 18
intercollegiate sports as the Toppers, a member of the NAIA and the Southern States Athletic Conference. Learn more at bmc.edu.










