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PRESIDENT
DR. JESSE
SMITH
PRESIDENT u 16TH YEAR
Rarely is a person afforded the opportunity to serve as the president of his alma mater . However, in 2006, Dr . Jesse R . Smith was presented with this type of unique challenge as he became the fifth president of Jones College . Located in South Mississippi, the Ellisville campus is just a few miles from Smith’s childhood home . His diverse interests served him well at Jones as Smith attended on both athletic and music scholarships . While at Jones, he was a member of the football team and the concert choir . It was also at Jones that Smith met his future wife, Jennifer Scrimpshire, who was a Bobcat cheerleader . After graduating from Jones, Smith furthered his education at the University of Mississippi where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration . He received his Ph .D . from the University of Southern Mississippi . Following a brief stint in the public business sector, Smith returned home to Jones College . In his 27 years at the college, Smith has held positions as a business instructor, academic dean, dean of instructional affairs, and dean of the college . He’s served as president of the institution the last 15 years . Smith accepted the presidency less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated large portions of South Mississippi and left Jones College with a nearly 25 percent enrollment decrease in her wake . Under Smith’s guidance, Jones has maintained a successful enrollment year in and year out, and Jones College currently employs over 400 staff and faculty . During his tenure as president, Smith has overseen several construction projects including state-of-the-art academic and athletic facilities . Jones Hall, home to the humanities and social science divisions, opened in 2011 with energy-efficient heating and cooling systems . Additionally, Smith has overseen the renovation of McClellan Hall, home of the marketing and information technology departments, along with the addition of the Bobcat baseball and softball teams’ home field, Community Bank Park . Dr . Smith spearheaded the institution’s name change to Jones College in 2018 .
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Academic Deans Association of Mississippi Junior/ 2021 JONES COLLEGE FOOTBALL // JCBOBCATS.COM Community College System and Chairman of the Community and Junior College President’s Association.
Throughout his career, Smith has received numerous honors, including the Shirley B . Gordon Award of Distinction and Mississippi’s Top 40 under 40 Award . He has been named a fellow in the Educational Profession Fellowship Program and in the Mid-South Community College Fellowship Program . Additionally, Smith has served as the president of the Academic Deans Association of the Mississippi Junior/Community College System and as the chair of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Presidents Association . On a personal note, Smith and his wife, Jennifer, live on campus and are the proud parents of Conner, a sophomore at Jones and a member of JC Voices, and Mary Kate, a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi, currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mississippi State University . The Smiths are active members of First Baptist Church of Ellisville .
