Jackson State University News


BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO MEET ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
5/7/2025 - Jackson, Miss.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning will hold a special called meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. to discuss a personnel matter specific to an individual at Jackson State University. Members of the Board will participate in the meeting via an online meeting platform.

The meeting will be webcast on www.mississippi.edu. Members of the public and media may attend the meeting in the IHL Board Room, located in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, Miss., 39211. An Executive Session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

 



JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has announced that Dr. Marcus Thompson has submitted his resignation as president of Jackson State University, effective immediately. The Board of Trustees has named Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, provost and vice president of academic affairs, as interim president.

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Jackson State University president submits resignation; interim president selected

Dr. Denise Jones Gregory has been named interim.
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Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dr. Denise Jones Gregory serves as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Jackson State University. With over 20 years of higher education experience, Dr. Gregory formerly served as Associate Provost of Student Success and Diversity at Samford University. In this capacity, she oversaw three high-priority student areas on campus: the Office of Diversity, the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations, and the Academic Success Center, where she was also responsible for managing and approving multiple budgets, ensuring quality customer care and engagement.

Dr. Gregory also served on the Executive Leadership Team, President’s Council, and University Council, playing a pivotal role in developing the university’s strategic plan. Furthermore, Gregory has served as NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative and participated in more than 20 faculty and staff search committees annually.

A native of Columbus, Mississippi, Dr. Gregory received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Jackson State University and doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and on the regional leadership team as primary advisor to the Samford University chapter. She is also a life member of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association (JSUNAA) and treasurer of the Birmingham Chapter.

 
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Twin Brothers Graduate Together From Jackson State University, the Largest HBCU in Mississippi

Nationwide — Twin brothers Christian and Christopher Mannery have graduated from Jackson State University, an HBCU in Mississippi. Their journey was deeply influenced by the memory of their late older brother, Devon, who had attended JSU before tragically passing away in 2016.Christian and Christopher started at JSU in 2020, driven by a promise to finish what their brother Devon couldn’t. Devon was a physical education major and a member of the Sonic Boom of the South before he died in a car crash in 2016.

Both brothers joined the same band in tribute. Christian played cymbals for three years, while Christopher took up the bass drum — just like Devon. They also joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and participated in student organizations like Men of Excellence and Collegiate 100.

“Devon was definitely the reason I came to Jackson State and joined the band,” Christian told JSU MS News. “Growing up around the band, I remember the first time I went to a Jackson State game — we saw them perform ‘Get Ready,’ and everyone was so in sync with the pom-poms. That moment stuck with me. It really inspired me and became the driving force behind wanting to come here.”

As they moved through college, the twins began to pursue separate interests. Christian stepped away from the band and was elected Mister Senior on the JSU Royal Court. He also worked as a R.O.A.R. intern, helping welcome first-year students to campus. Christopher continued performing with the band, using the experience to grow into his own identity.

Although they took different paths, the brothers remained supportive of each other. “I would always just make sure he knew that I was proud of him because this was something that we weren’t used to. We’re always used to being together,” said Christopher.

Their graduation ceremony on May 7th fell on their 22nd birthday — a fitting tribute to their journey and their brother’s legacy.

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Twin Brothers Graduate Together From Jackson State University, the Largest HBCU in Mississippi

Twin brothers Christian and Christopher Mannery recently graduated from Jackson State University, an HBCU in Mississippi. Their journey was deeply influenced by the memory of their late older brother, Devon, who had attended JSU before tragically passing away in 2016.
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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Criminal Justice Collective, Inc.(“HBCU-CJC”) is officially open for business after selecting Jackson, MS for its national headquarters. The office is located in the Jackson Advocate Corporation’s 414 Building on South State Street in downtown. Dr. Everette Penn said: “Several cities from Houston to Charlotte were considered. However, Jackson State University’s Department Chair Dr. Thomas Kersen, and other criminal justice faculty, staff, and students with whom we met, convinced us Jackson would be ideal." Seated left is HBCU-CJC Executive Director Dr. Everette Penn with Jackson Advocate Corporation CEO Alice Thomas-Tisdale; standing center is HBCU-CJC Jackson Hub Leader Kelvin Scott; standing left is Miyeisha Thomas; standing right is Taylor Moss. Thomas and Moss are Jackson State University students recently hired as HBCU-CJC Program Specialists. The HBCU-CJC is funded by the MacArthur Foundation. (Photo: Tara Walker)
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The Jackson Advocate

The Jackson Advocate. 12,402 likes · 2,158 talking about this. Welcome to the Jackson Advocate newspaper on Facebook
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Jackson State alums demand open dialogue with Mississippi college board​


After receiving no explanation about historically Black university’s president’s resignation and silence from its national alumni association, a small group is taking matters into its own hands.

Jackson State University alums are blowing up Mississippi lawmakers and the state’s college board inboxes with one clear message: Give us a fair and transparent president search.

Thee 1877 Project launched an email campaign “For a Better JSU” this week asking faculty, students and supporters of the historically Black university to send e-letters to hold the Institutions of Higher Learning board responsible for the school’s last three picks for president and what it calls its failure to create an open and inclusive search for school leadership. The group is not affiliated with the JSU National Alumni Association.

The effort comes after the announcement of former president Marcus Thompson’s resignation with no explanation. The news was a disappointment to many state lawmakers and alumni last month who felt whiplash from his departure, a familiar situation experienced with his predecessor, Thomas Hudson, who also resigned without explanation. Thompson’s resignation marked the university’s third leadership turnover in less than a decade. Thompson’s predecessor, William Bynum, also resigned following his arrest on a prostitution solicitation charge.

“For too long the leadership selection process at JSU has failed the institution and its stakeholders. It has bred instability, eroded public trust, damaged our university’s reputation and squandered taxpayer dollars,” the campaign’s website states. “These are not minor missteps— they are systemic failures. The process has lacked transparency, inclusivity and consistency that any respected academic institution should demand.”

In a personalized email sent to IHL Commissioner Al Rankins and board members, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and several state House and Senate lawmakers including Chris Bell, Greg Holloway, Sollie Norwood, Grace Butler Washington, Rob Roberson and Dennis DeBar, the group urges the following:


  • A public acknowledgement and statement from board members addressing its failures of previous president search processes and lessons they have learned before the next national search
  • A national search of the university leadership of the “highest caliber”
  • A transparent president search and process that includes input from students, faculty, alumni and community members
The group said its goal is to get 1,000 individuals to participate in the campaign before IHL’s next board meeting, June 19. As of Friday, 500 emails have been sent according to Mark Dawson, a spokesperson for the group. He said the group plans to expand its campaign in the coming weeks to include additional emails to officials such as State Auditor Shad White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.

 

IHL reps assure wary JSU alums the president search will be ‘open and engaging’​

Alums of the historically Black university demanded to meet with the state’s governing board that has overseen the selection process of its past college presidents. The board finally did. Questions still linger over whether the board will follow its policies and procedures for the leadership search this time.

In the aftermath of a revolving door of presidents at Jackson State University, members of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning board tasked with naming a new leader sought to defuse alumni concerns.

But after an hour-long Zoom meeting with dozens of JSU graduates last week, some alumni remained uneasy that the state’s college governing board would fall back on the same playbook.

“Even Ray Charles can see the failures,” Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, a member of the Universities and Colleges Committee, said. “They should be upfront on their intentions this time to have a fair and transparent search. They need to double down on their commitment to stabilize their credibility because it’s shot.”

The state’s largest historically Black university will be embarking on its fourth leadership search this fall after more than three president turnovers in less than seven years. The IHL board, which oversees and selects the school’s presidents, announced the resignation of Marcus Thompson in May.

No reason was given as to why he left his post as university president.

Jackson State University National Alumni Association invited some of its members to an exclusive, hour-long Zoom conversation with two IHL board members on July 7 to address concerns surrounding the university’s forthcoming presidential search.

Patrease Edwards, president of the national association, kicked off the conversation. Moderator Michael Jefferson, the group’s information, communications and technology chair, asked Steve Cunningham and Gee Ogletree a series of questions ranging from the college board’s vetting process to policies and procedures to ensure a fair and transparent search.

he roughly 71 alumni association members who signed up for the conversation submitted 52 questions. Nearly 14 of those questions, which were screened by the national alumni association, were directed to board members (There was no chat feature available.) It’s unclear how many of those who signed up attended the call. Edwards said students also joined the call.

In June, the national alumni association emailed its members inviting them to participate in the event. In the days leading up to the call, few details were shared. Alums who signed up to participate had questions about which IHL board members would be attending. Others said they didn’t know where to submit their questions. The link to the Zoom meeting was shared in an email from Edwards around noon on the day of the actual talk. Alums who said they signed up for the event said they didn’t get the email or missed it.

Cunningham, vice president of the IHL board, said he and Ogletree couldn’t answer specific or personal questions about past presidents because of confidentiality and legal personnel constraints.


He said a formal committee for the president search has not been named but that he anticipated more engagement with faculty, student groups and the alumni association during the board’s community listening sessions during the upcoming school year.

In past presidential searches for Jackson State, IHL launched a national search, opened an online survey and provided community listening sessions to help write a candidate profile, all first steps in the process. Ultimately, it will be the board that will make the choice for the school’s next president, he said.

“Of course it demands a delicate balance of transparency and solicitation of opinions and confidentiality for those going through the recruitment and interview process,” Cunningham said. “IHL board of trustees reaffirms its commitment to an open and engaged process.”

Criticism has dogged the board’s history of forgoing its own policies and appointing internal hires as top leaders, leading to protests, accusations of favoritism and bills to abolish the IHL board.

Thompson worked as deputy commissioner and chief administrative officer at IHL from 2009 before becoming president. He had no experience leading a university. His appointment as president was reminiscent of IHL’s decision to hire Glenn Boyce to head the University of Mississippi. Boyce had led IHL’s leadership search for Ole Miss. Both decisions eschewed search candidates in favor of an internal hire.

 



Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna visits Jackson to promote tech job training program​


U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California visited Jackson to highlight a technology job training initiative with Jackson State University he’s spearheading as part of a larger effort to connect the tech sector to historically Black colleges and universities.

Khanna, a Democrat, represents Silicon Valley, home to Google, Nvidia, and Apple. His Thursday visit is part of the congressman’s broader effort to connect Black communities, particularly in the Deep South, with the uber-wealthy companies in his home district.

“We need a generation of people who are participating in the modern digital economy that are being trained and educated right here in Jackson,” Khanna said at the Smith Robertson Museum in downtown Jackson.

The program gives $5,000 scholarships to students at Jackson State University and allows them to participate in an 18-month course, according to Khanna. After completing the program, the graduates are usually offered a lucrative job in the technology sector, with a starting salary ranging from $65,000 to $80,000.

“You have to bring the digital revolution to the Black South,” Khanna said.

The son of Indian immigrants, Khanna and his family have a deep appreciation for the Civil Rights movement and the Mississippi organizers at its epicenter.

 

IHL officials announce Jackson State University president search​


Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning’s board announced Thursday it will begin its official search process for selecting a new president at Jackson State University, three months after the position became vacant.

The former university president, Marcus Thompson, resigned in May, the third departure in seven years. The state’s college governing board did not explain why he or his two predecessors left the post nor has it shared with the public details about its next steps for picking a permanent leader for the school.

Alumni and supporters of the historically Black university have raised questions to the board about its opaque process, calling for a fair, transparent national leadership search for the university.

Gee Ogletree, president of the IHL board, said selecting a university president is not easy. He asked members of the public who were present at the meeting to assist with thoughts, prayers and suggestions throughout the process.

“The committee search involves us walking a very fine line, respecting the need for transparency and openness to the public but also respecting the need for confidentiality for those who will put their name up for potential selection, who would be potentially recruited and interviewed,” Ogletree said.

Steve Cunningham, vice president of the IHL board, will chair the search committee. He and Ogletree served on the committee that resulted in Thompson’s appointment as university president in 2023. For the university’s leadership search this time, all 12 trustee members will serve on the committee.

The IHL board said it launched a landing page on its website for the public to receive status updates on the search process. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters of Jackson State University are also invited to submit comments through the webpage. The board reiterated its commitment to a transparent and collaborative process at Jackson State, Ogletree said.

“Jackson State, like every other university, deserves our commitment and our best and I will give you my personal commitment that I will undertake that,” he said. “Having worked with these trustees, I know they will do the same.”

Members of Thee 1877 Project, a group of alums not affiliated with the national alumni association, submitted its collected survey results from 350 alums to the board on Thursday on leadership traits respondents’ sought in the university’s next chief. Those top qualities listed include values like integrity and ethics, relationship building with politicians and community leaders, financial accountability and strong appreciation for HBCU culture and students.

The group also submitted a petition and formal public comment with the board. While the board acknowledged submission of these items, Mark Dawson, who chairs the group, said he was disappointed they weren’t allowed to speak or read their statement at the meeting.

“Like Fannie Lou Hamer said, ‘We didn’t come here for no two seats’,” Dawson said. “Not allowing public comment further shows the lack of transparency with the board. The public should know what constituents are saying, not just about Jackson State, but all citizens of the state of Mississippi should be concerned with by not having a clear process.”

In a letter obtained by Mississippi Today, Al Rankins, commissioner of the IHL board, responded to members of the group stating that the board’s standard practice is to “reply to written submissions rather than oral presentation at Board meetings.” Mississippi’s Open Meetings Act does not require public comment at civic and government meetings.

Members said they wished the board would acknowledge past mistakes in selecting presidents for JSU and address some lessons they learned from previous search processes. For the group, what they see as the board’s disregard for accountability or openness to change the process instills a lack of trust.

 
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