University Report | 2020

2019

2020 University Report

Thomas K. Hudson, J.D. 12th President

University Report

12th President

message from the president

thomas k. hudson, j.d.

As we navigated these unprecedented times, our mantra has been, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

We will remain JSU Strong, to meet whatever lies ahead.

Jackson State University has a rich history of elevating to meet the times, and this past academic year, we faced challenges head on to continue this storied legacy. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we have shifted to provide the best service possible to our students during this uncertainty. We have worked hard to maintain our programs’ integrity while addressing the critical needs of our community. We can stand proud of the work that has been accomplished and look forward to what lies ahead. As we navigate these unprecedented times, our mantra is, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” We will remain JSU Strong.

Thomas K. Hudson, J.D. 12th President Jackson State University®

LEADERSHIP

IHL Board Members

president Dr. Ford Dye

Commissioner of Higher Education

vice president Dr. J. Walt Starr

Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr.

Tom Duff

Jeanne Carter Luckey

Chip Morgan

Shane Hooper

Bruce Martin

Gee Ogletree

Dr. Steven Cunningham

Ann H. Lamar

Dr. Alfred E. McNair, Jr.

Hal Parker

jackson state university Cabinet Members

Thomas K. Hudson, J.D. acting president

Dr. Alisa Mosley Interim Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Debra Mays-Jackson Vice President for Student Success and Chief of Staff

Tammiko Harrison Interim Vice President for Business and Finance

Veronica Cohen Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Development Foundation

Ashley Robinson Vice President and Director of Athletics

jackson state university Cabinet Members

Dr. Joseph Whittaker Vice President for Research and Economic Development

Robin Pack Executive Director of Human Resources

Edward O. Watson, J.D. General Counsel

JSU HIGHLIGHTS, AWARDS, AND RECOGNITION

JSU awarded nearly $500,000 grant by National Park Service for Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Mississippi Urban Research Center collaborates with MSDH to help Mississippians better understand COVID-19.

JSU Small Business Development Center offers assistance to local businesses during COVID-19 pandemic.

Jackson State becomes first Mississippi institution to offer an accredited online Master of Social Work program.

JSU gets $15K award from Gates Foundation Frontier Set to help bolster student success.

Jackson State University’s Department of Communicative Disorders in the School of Public Health and the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Pyschometric Services in the College of Education will share a five-year $1 million grant to fund Project CALIPSO (Counseling and Language/Literacy in Public Schools and Other Educational Settings) from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs.

The Department of History, in the College of Liberal Arts, was recently recognized for offering one of the Best Online Master’s Degree in History programs for 2020 in a report published by Optimal.

CSET gets nearly $1M to partner up and study the global impact of widely used insecticides from the National Science Foundation.

Student-led fashion week shows talent and creativity thrive at Jackson State University.

JSU, West Point cadets aid 11th-graders in ethics, leadership, STEM.

JSU student Patrick Stanley and faculty member Dr. Ronica Branson honored on behalf of JSU at 33rd annual HEADWAE program.

Spanish professor Leticia Alonso receives Humanities Teacher of the Year Award.

JSU meteorologist joins effort to prevent more deadly wildfires from ravaging California. Dr. Lisa Beckley-Roberts, associate professor of ethnomusicology, in the Department of Music, has been named a Distinguished IHL Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award winner by the Board of Trustees.

Jackson State University’s marching band, the Sonic Boom of the South, has made history as its halftime field show performance during the New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons has been selected for showing at the College Band Directors National Association Southern Conference. This was JSU’s first time participating in the conference, founded in 1941, and the university is the only historically black college. selected this year.

State-of-the-art Center for Innovation opens as new ‘makerspace’ for inventors, dreamers.

JSU’s marketing, digital media teams earn golden and silver honors in national Education Digital Marketing Awards contest.

CSET’s Leszczynska earns global acclaim as National Academy of Inventors fellow.

JSU becomes 6th Mississippi college to earn FIRE’s top rating for free speech

Dr. Preselfannie Whitfield McDaniels, dean of the Division of Graduate Studies, has been named to the advisory committee for the Council of Graduate Schools who recently announced grant funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for The Humanities Coalition.

The College of Education and Human Development partnered with the Tom Joyner Foundation and its Teacher Quality Initiative to help increase the number of STEM educators in high-need school districts throughout Mississippi.

Jordan Jefferson, a senior political science major, named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.

$100K grant from Hearst Foundation helps fill financial gap for Honors College scholars.

Dr. Brian Anderson, professor for the School of Social Work has been named Social Work Educator of the Year by the Alabama/Mississippi Social Work Education Conference for the third-time. Anderson also received this honor in 2009 and 2014.

Jackson State University’s International Student Association partnered with the LeFleur’s Bluff Chapter of The Links Inc. to collect items for individuals impacted by the historic storm in the Bahamas. A service organization called Peace and Pearls also donated items.

Margaret Walker Center receives $450,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Mississippi Department of Archives and History marker unveiled at JSU birth site in Natchez, Mississippi.

Jackson State University remains a top 20 HBCU, according to the U.S. News & World Report for higher education and education quality. Rankings released today show JSU cemented in the No. 17 spot, among 76 historically black colleges and universities, same as the previous year.

Wells Fargo awards $10,000 grant to JSU’s Continuing Education Learning Center.

Girls STEM Academy, LSAMP help increase minority interest in various CSET studies.

Community Engagement’s Crop Drop unloads 25,000 pounds of sweet potatoes to families.

JSU professor Dr. Belinda Davis Smith appointed to Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education by CSWE.

A recent nationwide study conducted by Up & Up and Rival IQ revealed that Jackson State’s Facebook page ranks third among NCAA Division I universities nationwide.

Dr. Theresia Johnson-Ratliff, clinical assistant professor and MSW field director, has been appointed to serve as treasurer on the board of directors for the North America Network of Field Educators and Directors.

Margaret Walker’s literary contributions were celebrated by The Mississippi Writers Trail on Monday with the dedication of a marker at Jackson State University.

Dr. Alfred Duckett, associate professor of music, was selected as a guest conductor for the Orquesta Sinfonico de Falcon in Cora, Venezuela.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Process Improvements

The Student Success Unit at Jackson State University was established to re-think the way that the University delivers advising and student support services, in an effort to increase retention and graduation rates. In order to effectively do so, the units goal is to pilot, evaluate, revise and scale initiatives to eliminate barriers to student success.

During the 2019-2020 year, we were able to create the University Academic Advisement Center, located on the 2nd floor in the H.T. Sampson Library. All advisors are located in a centralized location that is inviting and conducive to both the staff and students. We also went live with the Education Advisory Board (EAB) Navigate Strategic Care platform. This platform creates a connected and coordinated network of support for undergraduate students, enabling targeted proactive and strategic care. The features we have implemented has included the Smart Student Profile, Campaign Management and Progress Reports. In our Educational Opportunities area, we focused on promoting online tutoring services through NetTutor which offers live tutoring on-demand, question drop-off and writing feedback.

ALUMNI SUCCESS

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi recently announced that Jarvis Dortch, former member of the Mississippi State House of Representatives, will join the affiliate as its new executive director beginning July 13. Dortch has represented the people of District 66 since 2016. While in the legislature, he served on the Agriculture, Education, Insurance, Medicaid, and Public Health committees. Prior to his election, he directed the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program’s statewide consumer assistance program and led a coalition of advocates, providers, and federal officials to promote and advance health insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.

Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin is the director of the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans). Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him in October 2019. Omishakin, 44, is the 33rd director of the agency. As director of CalTrans, he manages a $15 billion budget and nearly 21,000 employees and oversees 50,000 lane miles of highways. He is responsible for maintaining 13,000 bridges and providing permits for more than 400 public-use airports. CalTrans also funds three of Amtrak’s busiest intercity rail services and provide transit support to more than 200 local and regional transit agencies.

Dr. Kesia Pope, is the new director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction and Testing for MPSD. Pope is an educator who relentlessly promotes reading, writing, arithmetic, relevance, rigor and relationships. Throughout her career, Pope urges students to “Smell the aroma of your diploma and follow your nose.” Pope recently celebrated the Bay Springs High School Class of 2020 as they earned $7.7 million in scholarship offers. She is also the current president for JSUNAA, Inc., Hattiesburg chapter. Laurel Magnet School principal, Dr. Kiana Pendleton selected as a finalist for the 4th Congressional Administrator of the Year.

According to MDE, the Mississippi Administrator of the Year program honors an administrator who demonstrates superior ability to inspire teachers, employs exemplary leadership practices and participates as an active member of the community. The recipient of the title will share expertise through various presentations, professional development, and activities for the improvement of education throughout Mississippi. Pendleton, along with the work of dedicated students, teachers, staff and parents, moved the school from a B to an A on the 2018-19 state testing results, achieving the highest rating the school has seen on the state’s accountability model in over a decade.

Dr. Kiana Pendleton

Dr. Kesia Pope

CONSTRUCTION

Stewart Residence Hall

Full Renovation

Project Cost: $8,400,000 (budgeted amount)

Start Date: April 29, 2019

Estimated Completion: October 2020

To Date:

Plumbing has been completed on all floors

All windows and doors have been installed.

All electrical work has been completed

Painting has been done on all floors except for touch-up

Flooring is complete on floors 2-5

Ceiling tile installation complete on all floors

Bathrooms on floors 3-5 are completed. Waiting for hardware on floors 1 and 2.

Installation of a new elevator is complete

All HVAC related equipment is complete.

Thee Health & Wellness

Bathroom Demo

Project Cost: $1,500,000 (budgeted amount)

Start Date: September 30, 2019

Estimated Completion of Phase I: August 2020

Phase I will consist of altering the existing men's locker room into two locker rooms, one for men and one women and enclosing a portion of the existing patio. This phase will also include the demolition work and the rough installation for plumbing fixtures for Phase II

To Date:

All demo has been done.

Both men and women bathrooms are complete.

The extension of the patio has been complete except for the installation of the glass which is in progress now.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Jackson State University students have a number of ways to support the community and earn the required community service hours for graduation. The Alice Varnado Harden Center for Service and Community Engaged Learning promotes all students toward improving the human condition through civic engagement. As well, the center allows JSU to continue expanding its role in cultivating and sustaining stronger communities.

Students aid the center’s mission through associations with campus entities such as the pre-alumni council, the CSET Scholars Academy, Crop Drop, Tax Preparation Program, recycling efforts, JSU Cares organization and off-campus opportunities such as Alternative Spring Break. Overall, for AY 19-20, JSU students have accumulated more than 92,747.67 hours. To graduate, all JSU students must complete at least 120 hours of service.

Transfer students must have 60 hours of service. Students also may engage in service learning, internships and/or field experience.

Images from 2019 Crop Drop

Images from Blackburn Garden

Center for University-Based Development (CUBD)

The Center for University-Based Development provides opportunities and benchmarks for students. During AY 19-20, CUBD supported the following initiatives:

Partnered with Blackburn Middle School for its learning garden. Students harvested from their garden after spending months watering the crops and clearing weeds.

Sponsored a Crop Drop that provided nearly 25,000 pounds of sweet potatoes to hundreds of residents.

Collaborated with the Washington Addition Neighborhood Association to paint the home of a 100-year-old resident

Orchestrates the annual Angel Tree Project during the holiday season. It gives youth an opportunity to engage with JSU and provides gifts that they may not have received had it not been for the Angel Tree Project service learning, internships and/or field experience.

RESEARCH

Grant Funding

The Division of Research and Federal Relations assists faculty in securing congressional funding through governmental agencies and fostering relationships with lawmakers. JSU’s success has netted millions in innovative research, patents and knowledge about technology transfer. Among the grants:

$1 million grant to assist graduate school scholars with helping disabled children with high-intensity needs to avoid academic underachievement.

Nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to partner with other universities to study the global impact of a controversial and widely used new generation of insecticides.

Nearly $400,000 grant that would help underserved communities with storm preparedness, provide mental therapy for weather-related trauma and inspire minority women to pursue STEM careers.

$200,000 Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant to develop a fast, sensitive and simple “optical technique” to detect COVID-19.

Nearly $500,000 grant to preserve the historic Mount Olive Cemetery. The gravesite was established in the early 1800s to late 1900s as a private plantation cemetery for blacks.

$390,000 grant to increase breastfeeding among African American women, who lag behind their counterparts despite evidence that breast milk shields newborns from infections in the first year of life.

Center for Innovation

JSU launched its new Center for Innovation that combines education, research and entrepreneurship in a single location. The center is part of the Office of Research and Economic Development. The center provides resources to create prototypes and learn about entrepreneurship. Students can also indulge in app development, game design, and graphic designs. Its Innovation Fellows Program is made up of students whose mission is to help sustain the center and infuse innovation throughout the JSU campus.

2019-20 ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS

The Jackson State women’s basketball team won the 2019-20 SWAC Regular Season Championship and qualified as the No. 1 seed in the 2020 SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The JSU Division of Athletics secured the 2019-20 SWAC Academic Success Award. The SWAC Academic Success Award is a monetary award based on each member institutions collective ranking in the categories of highest four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR), highest single year APR average, and highest Graduate Success Rate (GSR).

The Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) has announced the recipients of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) Award, with Jackson State University having the highest APR in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Jackson State Division of Athletics and Jackson State University Television have agreed to partner with BlueFrame Technology to enhance athletic broadcasts on the Jackson State Sports Network. All team home events and select special events will continue to be available. Athletic broadcasts can be accessed on the official athletics website, gojsutigers.com and on the new JSU ROKU app. JSU is the first SWAC program to utilize the ROKU app.

Jackson State University and Opendorse, the leading athlete marketing platform that helps the biggest brands in sports share content on social media, have formed a partnership. Jackson State is now the first Historically Black College & University (HBCU) to invest in building the brands of its players and partner universities on social media. This first-ever partnership will allow JSU to share content on social media with their entire athletic ecosystem – through the social channels of current student-athletes, athlete alumni, coaches, sports administrators, and university athletics accounts creating access and opportunities no other HBCU has been able to offer.

Jackson State University student-athletes proved to be champions in the classroom for 2019-20 and recorded several high marks. Overall, student-athletes finished with a cumulative 3.29 grade point average. Overall, 11 student-athletes completed the academic year with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Tigers also dominated in the Spring 2020 semester and 49 student-athletes also finished with a 4.0 GPA.

For the 10th year in a row JSU received favorable NCAA APR scores, and no JSU teams were placed in the NCAA penalty structure. Penalties arise when a team scores fall below 930. All of JSU’s 16 sponsored sports are eligible for post-season play heading into the 2020-21 academic year. As an athletic department, the Tigers finished with a 977. In addition, six of JSU’s Division I sports lead the SWAC in APR scores: football, men’s cross country, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s bowling, and volleyball.

Football also ranked in the top five percent among the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Buffalo Wild Wings will host a live H-O-R-S-E game between former Jackson State basketball manager Thomas “Snacks” Lee and Instagram influencer Maxisnicee as part of its new #SportsLiveOn campaign. The stream will air at 7 p.m. CT on the Buffalo Wild Wings Twitch Channel. Calling the game will be Tim Kitzrow, a voice-over actor best known for his work on NBA Jam.

Ameshya Williams and Marneisha Hamer were named to the 2019-20 BOXTOROW All-American Team.Williams, a 6-foot-4 center from Gulfport, Mississippi, was named to the first team. Hamer, a 6-footer from Memphis, Tennessee, was selected to the second team. Hamer is a repeat selection after earning All-American honors last season. Williams' 81 blocks ranked atop the conference standings and 11th nationally. She also totaled 14 double-doubles, which ranked 26th in the country. Her final stat line for the 2019-20 campaign was 147-for-305 (48.20 percent) from the field, 366 points, 13.07 points per game, 120 offensive rebounds, 162 defensive rebounds, 282 total rebounds, 10.07 boards per game, 81 blocks and 27 steals. Hamer's senior season will go down among the best in program history. She became a part of the 1000-point club and finished with 1320 points. Her final stat line for the 2019-20 season was 142-for-270 (52.29 percent) from the field, 376 points, 13.43 points per game, 52 offensive rebounds, 117 defensive rebounds,169 total boards, 6.04 rebounds per game, 31 steals and seven blocks.

Went 19-1 and sported a 95 percent winning percentage versus Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State in 2019-20.

The story of Jackson State's Thomas "Snacks" Lee, continues to sweep hearts all across America. The newfound superstar made arguably his biggest appearance yet, on NBC's Today Show with Hoda & Jenna at the NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. In front of a packed live-show audience. Snacks marched his way down the studio stairs wearing his #35 Jackson State jersey, which has drawn attention from the likes of Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, and sat down for a face-to-face interview with one of the top morning shows in the country. Snacks expressed the joy he had for this moment as well as giving shoutouts to his Jackson State teammates, administration, and coaches for believing in him and giving him such a wonderful and blessed opportunity. In a surprise moment, Snacks was awarded a personally signed Brooklyn Nets jersey by Kevin Durant himself and given four exclusive tickets to any Brooklyn Nets basketball game he chooses. This viral superstar has made Jackson State and his home city of Jackson, Mississippi, proud as he continues to have his story shown in the national and global spotlight.

Thomas “Snacks” Lee was also featured on ESPN’s College Gameday in Dayton, Ohio.

Thomas “Snacks” Lee has been named the SWAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week by the conference office.

Jackson

Thomas “Snacks” Lee brought home the 2020 Can’t-Stop-Watching-Moment ESPY award presented by Capital One. Snacks took the award's top spot by earning the most votes against finalists Riley Sartain-Vaughan, Newtown High School football team, and Obed Lekhehle. Snacks won 79 percent of Twitter polls and winning ESPN’s online voting process.

He also knocked off the No. 1 seed, Olympic superstar and two-time ESPY award winner, Simone Biles in the elite eight as he advanced past her ' world record-setting moment. After winning the 2020 Can't-Watch-Moment ESPY award and capturing the hearts of America, it only took the hometown hero three words to describe the moment - "Humble never Hollywood." Staying humble is exactly how the viral sensation has handled this whole process since he made his 35+ foot three-point shot on “Senior Night.”

Former Jackson State University wide receiver Richard Caster was officially enshrined into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. The Mobile, Alabama, native was drafted in the second round of the 1970 draft by the New York Jets. He played 13 seasons for the Jets (1970-77), Houston Oilers (1978-1980), New Orleans Saints (1981) and Washington Redskins (1981-82) and won a Super Bowl in his final season. Caster finished his NFL career with 332 receptions for 5515 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Jackson State linebacker Keonte Hampton has been named to the HERO Sports Sophomore All-American Team. It's the third All-American honor Hampton has received in his career. Last year, Hampton was named to the HERO Sports Freshman All-American Team and voted BOXTOROW 1st Team All-American.

Led FCS in average home football attendance (33,762).

ACADEMIC COLLEGES

Fall 2019 Enrollment

Undergraduate: 720

Graduate: 90

Total: 810

Number of degree programs: 23

Highlight of the College's success for academic year 2019-2020.

JSU IRS – VITA Program was administered in the Spring of 2020. The program achieved the following:

Trained and certified 25 student volunteers.

Provided over sixteen (16) hours of tax law and ethics training. Site will be operated for 40 hours in the COB from the period February to April 2020.

Estimated economic impact is over $23,000.

Completed and transmitted over 115 tax returns for clients in the JSU Community.

The JSU VITA program passed IRS site review and audit.

Partnered with United Way Community Services who support the program with $3,000 grant.

The National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) awarded the department $20,000 grant. The funds were used to implement and execute the JSU summer 2018 ACAP program. The program invited and enrolled 19 high school students from

around the state. The ACAP scholars were selected from an applicant pool of rising 11th and 12th graders with grade point averages of 3.00 or better.

Tiger Opportunity Fund was established by The Accounting, Finance and Entrepreneurship from funds given to the department by Phoenix Trial LLC ($5,000). This fund was established to provide seed money for business start-ups for the students in the Entrepreneurship program.

Juan Agustin Soria Forcada, a junior Finance major successfully passed the Securities Industry Essential (SIE) Exam during the Spring 2020 semester. Tiffany Hardge placed 4th in the HBCU National Stock Market Challenge. This is the second consecutive year that a JSU student has placed in the top four. A May graduate, Fredrick Haywood started a job as a Marketing Specialist for Alexa Voice Services at Amazon in Seattle, Washington. Gabrielle Allen, management major, accepted a job in Virginia with Microsoft as a Customer Success Manager. Bismark Yeboah gained admission into the Ph.D. program in economics at the University of Georgia, supported by a full doctoral fellowship/scholarship. Yeboah was a Summa Cum Laude May 2020 COB graduate with a major in economics. He was offered admission to other institutions and decided to accept the full ride from the University of Georgia.

Thirty-five students from The JSU Accounting Society attended the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Southern Region Student Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2019. At the Conference, students had the opportunity to interview with over 25 companies seeking to hire diverse talent for internships and full-time positions. Eighteen JSU students (51%) were interviewed by companies at the Conference. Eight students (44% of those interviewed) received (and accepted) employment offers.

college of business

Dr. Fidelis Ikem Dean

college of EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Roosevelt O. Shelton, Ph.D. Interim Dean

Fall 2019 Enrollment

Undergraduate: 980

Graduate: 872

Total: 1852

Number of degree programs: 23

The mission of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is to employ teaching, research and service within an urban learning community, and to the preparation of practitioners from diverse backgrounds for outstanding professional service through the development of solutions to potential or existing challenges facing Urban institutions.

The departments/programs and the center in CEHD have exhibited a myriad of exemplary achievements for the 2019-2020 Academic Year.

Faculty in the Educational, Multicultural, and Exceptional Studies Department submitted three new proposals for external funding. If awarded, these grants will total $255,000 in support of teaching and learning research. Faculty also managed five currently active externally funded grants which support research and projects aimed at improving the quality of K-12 education, enhancing STEMeducation, strengthening the pool of educators with knowledge and expertise in visual impairment, and faculty development initiatives to broaden the participation of women of color through scholarly productivity and career advancement.

Dr. Dennis Williams received the JSU All-Star Alumni and JSU Alumni Awards for his dedicated service to the community. Dr. Glenda Windfield received honorary membership to the Phi Kappa Phi Society. Dr. Deidre L. Wheaton was promoted to associate professor with tenure. She also had two research articles accepted for publication.

The Executive PhD (EPhD) Program’s annual Doctoral Student Conference was held Aug. 7-8, 2020. The virtual conference featured research developed and presented by members of Cohort 15. Doctoral

students in the EPhD Program and other disciplines will be invited in addition to chairs, deans, and administrators from the University were invited to attend.

The School of Lifelong Learning (SLL) houses the JSU Complete 2 Compete Program. As of September 2019, JSU was the leader in the amount of tuition dollars generated among the IHL Universities, accounting for $785,248 (13.6%) of the state's Complete 2 Compete tuition revenue since its launch in 2017. Moreover, the SLL faculty has published six peer- reviewed publications this year and has presented or accepted 10 sessions at local, regional, national, and international conferences; and is the recipient of one internal and four external grants totaling $71,836.

In the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Psychometric Services, Dr. Ronica Branson received the 2019-2020 HEADWAE Award for Jackson State University, and Dr. Regina McMurtery was promoted to full professor.

The Mississippi Urban Research Center (MURC) published nine research briefs/special reports on topics such as community needs in the East Biloxi Community; decreasing the number of mentally-ill individuals incarcerated in local jails; the socioeconomic consequences of changing family structures; and issues impacting educational performance in the Clinton Public School District.

MURC is currently serving as the Program Evaluator for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation’s Young Futurist Project – an afterschool program addressing under-performance youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), and racial and health equity in the Jackson Public Schools (JPS) and Hinds County. In addition, MURC established viable collaborations with leadership from the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus (Chair and Vice-Chair); the Mississippi NAACP’s Primary Community Outreach Division, “OneVoice Mississippi,” the Mississippi State Department of Health (COVID-19 online survey project); and the Healthy Mississippi (Just Have a Ball (JHAB) Childhood Obesity Awareness Program). Finally, MURC has collaborated with multiple JSU departments on a wide-range of research (e.g., revising JSU’s Mission Statement; collecting survey results for JSU’s COVID-19 Re-Opening Task Force).

Fall 2019 Enrollment

Undergraduate: 627

Graduate: 363

Total: 990

Number of degree programs: 8

The College of Health Sciences at Jackson State University was accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) during the 2019-2020 academic year. The college has developed a roadmap that would harness current and future talents who would help build an economic engine for the community.

The college consists of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; the School of Social Work; Behavioral Health Promotion and Education; Communicative Disorders; and Health Policy and Management.

Several of the college’s grant proposal have been successfully funded, and faculty has completed many publications and presented at numerous conferences.

Among the highlights from the College of Health Sciences:

Since May 2001, the Department of Communicative Disorders (CMD) graduate program at JSU has been accredited continuously by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

The CMD graduate program was approved for re-accreditation for eight years through April 30, 2022. The Bachelor of Social Work Program has been continuously accredited by the Council of Social Work Education since 1975. The Master of Social Work Program has been accredited since 1998. In April 2019, both programs received reaffirmation through 2026.

By collaborating with the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Population Health, JSU has been able to engage African Americans in bipolar research (a funded project also in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic).

The College of Health Sciences is collaborating with the City of Jackson and the Mayor’s Coronavirus Taskforce Response Team to advance mitigation efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19

The COHS is partnering with the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation (WWIRR) to submit a grant to include COVID-19 community development/ engagement in the annual Youth Summer Engagement Program.

CMD hosted its inaugural “A Meeting of the Minds: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on Current Topics in Communication Disorders.” It focused on the latest research on those living with and caring for those with traumatic brain injuries.

Annually, the School of Public Health hosts a Men’s Health and Healthcare Conference presented by the school’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities. The forum educates and empowers men to take a proactive approach to improve the quality of their lives in mind, body and spirit.

college of Health Sciences

Dr. Girmay Berhie Dean

college of Liberal Arts

Dr. Candis Pizzetta Interim Dean

Fall 2019 Enrollment

Undergraduate: 1282

Graduate: 219

Total: 1501

Number of degree programs: 24

The College of Liberal Arts (CoLA) develops and refines students’ communication and analytical skills, enhances their artistic and creative talents, and expands and cultivates their knowledge of the humanities, social, and behavioral sciences. The high quality, innovative instruction expected of CoLA faculty bears fruit visible through student achievements.

For instance, recent Political Science graduates include two majors receiving full funding to the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and one admitted to graduate school at Harvard. The department continues to lead the country in the number of African Americans accepted into doctoral programs. A music composition student was invited to perform a composition for the New Music Jackson Festival, and two English majors were offered full scholarships to the Western Illinois University M.A. program. Student-run publications The Blue & White Flash and eXperience Magazine allow students to develop leadership ability, practice hands-on media skills, and provide valuable

service to the university community. Students also gain experience through WJSU, partially supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and JSU-TV, including Metro Morning and Midday Live shows, coaches’ shows for JSU football and basketball, and the bi-monthly news show “In Depth.” Student and faculty ensembles provide music for every university ceremony, and the Department of Music offers over 50 free concerts open to metro-Jackson. The Department of History and Philosophy leads the Black History Month programing with scholarly presentations and student-faculty panels, open to JSU students and the larger metro community. Multiple events for the commemoration of the 1970 deaths of Phillip Gibbs and James Green were organized by the Margaret Walker Alexander Center and offered via Zoom after the pandemic hit. CoLA faculty achieved high scholarly and artistic output, with 8 books published and 3 under contract, 14 musical performances, 26 scholarly articles, 20 book chapters, 6 artistic exhibitions, 32 conference papers, and 4 creative publications, and they served as directors of 5 dramatic productions, as journal editors, book reviewers, peer reviewers, and grant reviewers. The faculty applied for numerous grants and fellowships, and were funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others. The Alcohol and Drug Studies Center continues to be self-sufficient through grants, and the Margaret Walker Center has added several grant-funded positions to assist their vital work in preserving the history of African Americans in Mississippi.

Fall 2019 Enrollment

Undergraduate: 1470

Graduate: 324

Total: 1794

Number of degree programs: 31

CSET is one of JSU’s largest academic programs. For AY 19-20, enrollment was 1,502.

Among CSET’s many highlights include:

A CSET graduate student invents a drinking straw that successfully filters lead and other contaminants.

Received a $467,080 grant from the National Science Foundation to help develop the next generation of primarily local minority scientists at JSU.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Industrial Systems and Technology received two grants from the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors to enhance its surveying and environmental engineering laboratories.

A 2007 CSET alum who works as an explosive weapons analyst to save soldiers’ lives earned the 2020 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Award recently in Washington, D.C., for Modern Day Technology Leaders.

Eleventh-graders in the Jackson area learned about the importance of ethics, leadership and STEM with help from JSU and West Point ROTC cadets.

Dr. Danuta Leszczynska was recently selected to the worldwide National Academy of Inventors Fellows Program. For her latest patent, Leszczynska and her team developed a method for obtaining a composite coating on titanium implants for tissue engineering.

The CSET Girls STEM Academy and LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation) held a combined summer conference to increase interest in biology, chemistry, physics and other sciences, as well as in mathematics and technology subjects.

Faculty researchers developed a cost-saving Sustainable Irrigation System (SIS) that could be used to determine just the right amount of water needed to saturate soil for gardening and agriculture.

More than 20 countries were represented during the 15th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Environmental Health Research that addressed health disparities and other issues was hosted by Jackson State University.

college of SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (CSET)

Dr. Wilbur L. Walters Jr. Dean

ENROLLMENT

4746

5152

7020

4736

2274 MALE

4860

25,140,344

428,851 $ $ $ TOTAL ENDOWMENT

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED ALUMNI PARTICIPATION RATE ENDOWMENT INCOME

922,469

3.7

FUNDRAISING

current fiscal year pledge balances other grants

overall total $1053m

donor type pledge balance

FACULTY & STAFF $14,722.11 friends $40,950.50

alumni $134,530.52 business/corp $4,000.00

Overall Total $194,203.13

253K

PARK SERVICE $ $ $

304K

496K GIFT GIFT GIFT MS OFFICE OF HIGHWAY PATROL MS DEPT. OF MENTAL HEALTH

Funds in the 'Other Grants' column are not deposited into the Foundation. Those grants were established for programs outside of Development by Institutional Advancement employee(s).

FISCAL YEAR 2020

expenses revenue

Salaries, Wages & Fringes $64,960,389.97

Commodities & Contractual Services $19,874,314.25

Other Expenditures $12,607,577.98

total:

$97,442,282.20

Tuition and Fees $54,594,178.37

Appropriations $43,067,114.23

Other Revenues $754,251.42

total:

$98,415,544.02

CHALLENGING MINDS AND CHANGING LIVES SINCE 1877.