COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Mississippi University for Women’s interim executive director of University Relations has been named to the job permanently. Anika Mitchell Perkins had served in the role on an interim basis since Oct. 1, 2017. She joined The W staff in 1999.
A veteran communications professional, Perkins is an alumna of The W, earning her journalism and public relations degree from The W in 1993. In December 2017, she obtained her master’s degree in journalism and mass communication with a concentration in public relations from Kent State University.
W President Jim Borsig said, “I am delighted Anika Perkins has agreed to become the next executive director of University Relations. She has extensive higher education experience, is respected by her colleagues and has built strong relationships with the media, as well as fellow public relations professionals.
“While our University Relations professional staff is small, it is also nimble and very productive. Ms. Perkins has been a key player in strengthening the university’s brand, improving our marketing efforts, particularly through digital platforms, and working within the available resources.”
Before joining The W, Perkins worked for five years at The Commercial Dispatch, first as a reporter before being promoted to news editor.
Active in professional organizations, Perkins is a past recipient of the Golden Triangle Public Relations Association of Mississippi’s Practitioner of the Year and has won awards from the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi (CPRAM). In addition to being a member of GT-PRAM and CPRAM, Perkins is a member the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Southern Public Relations Federation and the Communicators Working Group of the state Institutions of Higher Learning.
At The W, she chairs the Quality Enhancement Plan Marketing/Communications Subcommittee and was involved with the Commemoration of Desegregation Committee and MUW 20/20: Envisioning our Future, Fulfilling Our Promise Task Force. She also is on-campus adviser for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and the Coretta Social Club.
In the community, Perkins currently serves as a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of the Golden Triangle and BankFirst Financial Services Advisory Board. She is active in the Nu Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and has served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity and the Columbus Arts Council.
“I am humbled by this opportunity. I would like to thank Dr. Jim Borsig for his outstanding leadership and service to The W,” Perkins said. “I am a proud W graduate and grateful to work at a place where faculty and staff care so much about our students.
“We have an innovative and energetic team here in university relations, and I look forward to building upon the great work that has already taken place,” Perkins added. “One of The W’s strongest selling points is the voice of our students. We have made it a point to tell more personal stories through customized videos. We are also using more students in social media profiles.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2018