A trip to Milligan in the 1980s through the eyes of President Bill Greer

Below is a feature story I wrote interviewing Milligan’s President Bill Greer reflecting on his time at Milligan as a student from 1981-1985 compared with 2023(his last full calendar year as Miligan’s president).

As the torch of leadership is passed from one hand to another, a unique connection to the past is lost. Milligan University will be losing such a connection to student life in the early-mid 1980s when President Bill Greer, 61, retires at the end of the spring 2024 semester.

Mountain City native Greer was a student at Milligan College from 1981-1985 graduating with a degree in accounting and business administration with a minor in computer science. Greer latter taught business and economics at Milligan before becoming president in 2011 with a ceremony attended by US Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Phil Roe. Greer has some fond memories of his time as a student as well as an account on how Milligan has changed between the 1980s and the present.

“When I was a student in the ‘80s, I had great friends and great professors,” said Greer. “You could pursue a variety of majors from the Christian liberal arts perspective just as you can now.”

Interestingly Greer believes that Milligan and its students are not very different today from when he was a student despite some changes in technology, chapel, campus size and Wonderful Wednesday. Milligan was smaller when Greer was a student and in his words “the cafeteria wasn’t as nice or the food as good as now.” Chapel was in the style of a more traditional church service with attendance being taken from the balcony through assigned seats. According to Greer however, the students are in many ways the same as when he was a student with most of the difference being the use of social media.

“Negatively, I think students today let social media and influencers influence their opinions on themselves,” said Greer. “But I think that Milligan students are still committed to their faith, their calling and their lives of service; that is just as true now as in the ‘80s, and I think that’s good.”

According to Greer, Milligan life in the 1980s centered on Wonderful Wednesday, creeking, and pranks, though “buff runs” were rare if they happened at all. While pranks are less common than in the ‘80s, Wonderful Wednesday and creeking remain a part of Milligan life, though now women are getting creeked. Greer has been always been enthusiastic participant on Wonderful Wednesday and particularly enjoys being able celebrate it as a part of a community though the event is now a much bigger deal than in the 1980s. Today Wonderful Wednesday is centered on enjoying food and games as a community as in the ‘80s, but has seen the addition of inflatables.


“One nice thing about being president is I know when they are going to be,” said Greer “I enjoy the waterslide and activities as much as the students do.”

While pranks were an important part of Greer’s Milligan experience, he typically doesn’t go into specifics of them. “I learned some time back not to recount old pranks, lest they get recreated by current students today,” said Greer. “But for anyone who saw the buffalo on top of the Faculty Office Building this week, I’ll just say that it brought back a lot of memories.”

Highlights of Greer’s life as a Milligan student include meet his wife, and 1984 alumni Edwina, on a T.W.I.R.P. week date; taking a part in theatre productions; and enjoying fellowship and meals at faculty homes.

Greer’s T.W.I.R.P. week date with Edwina was a contemporary Christian concert in Seeger chapel though neither of them can remember the artist despite being “pretty famous” at the time. “I guess we were too focused on each other that we can’t remember,” he said. Bill and Edwina were married on December 20th, 1986. 


Of the meals Greer shared at faculty homes, some of the more interesting were at President Marshall Leggett’s house in Little Hartland where Greer’s future office would be. Little Hartland was the president’s home from its construction in 1977 until 2006 when it was converted into office space which includes Greer’s office today.

Despite his fond memories of his time as a student, Greer admits that Milligan has made improvements in every area since his time as a student in the 1980s. Aside from new and expanded academic programs, athletics and the food in the cafeteria are some of the more notable improvements to Milligan.

“Athletic performance today is way beyond my days as a student,” said Greer. “Not to slight our coaches or athletes back then but our teams today are on a different level and the results speak for themselves.”

During Greer’s time as a student there were several complaints about the food in the Stampede, Milligan’s student run newspaper. However, Greer honestly didn’t think the food was in his words “that bad” but noted there wasn’t much variety either. Meals usually consisted of a meat and two or three vegetables but today’s specialties, daily pizza, sandwich bar and a separate salad bar were not present. “We had two choices, take it or leave it,” said Greer. “But at the same time we all loved to hang out in the caf; it was the main place for fellowship and spending time together.” In addition, the cafeteria was only open for meals in the ‘80s, where today it is open all day.

As president Greer’s favorite thing is being able to distribute diplomas.

“It puts a bow on things and fulfills our mission,” Greer said. While he still enjoys life at Milligan his perspective as president as being more appreciative after becoming aware of the business challenges of running a Christian university.

Technology is one of the biggest dividing factors between Greer’s time as a student and today. As a student Greer saw the personal computer revolution, while his last few years as president he’s seen an AI boom. Greer remembers the first computer lab coming in. “There was nothing scary about it,” he says. “While AI might have some exciting aspects it is also a bit scary.” Despite his concerns Greer believes “we have to live with it and use it for the best and not be afraid of it because it’s coming whether we want it to or not.”

While much as improved between Greer’s time as a student and the end of his presidency, he believes what hasn’t changed about Milligan is as important as what has changed. “A deeply committed faculty, the close-knit community of students and a focus on the mission of Christian higher education and preparation for lives of service are still the same,” said Greer. “And that’s the underlying foundation of Milligan University and what needs to be preserved and perpetuated.”