Jackson State University


Jackson State University is a public, historically black university in Jackson, Mississippi. The university is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is classified as a research university with high research activity.
Jackson State University's athletic teams, the Tigers, participate in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The university is also the home of the Sonic Boom of the South, a marching band founded in the 1940s. Their accompanying danceline, the Prancing J-Settes, are well known for their unique style of dance, known as J-Setting.

History

Jackson State University grew out of Natchez Seminary, founded October 23, 1877 in Natchez, Mississippi. The seminary operated under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York, "for the moral, religious, and intellectual improvement of Christian leaders of the colored people of Mississippi and the neighboring states". In 1883, the school changed its name to Jackson College and moved from Natchez to a site in Jackson that is today the campus of Millsaps College. Jackson College moved to JSU's current location early in the 20th Century. The Society withdrew financial support in 1934, and the school became a state-supported public institution in 1940, as the Mississippi Negro Training School. The name has since been changed to: Jackson College for Negro Teachers, Jackson State College, and Jackson State University.

1970 student killings

On May 14, 1970, two students were killed by police gunfire during an on-campus protest. An additional 12 students were injured during the shooting.Roy Reed, Special to The New York Times, "F.B.I. Investigating Killing Of 2 Negroes in Jackson :Two Negro Students Are Killed In Clash With Police in Jackson", New York Times . May 16, 1970:1. Available from: ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times. Accessed August 14, 2009, Document ID: 80023683. A dormitory still bears the bullet marks fired on campus that day.

Campuses

The main campus contains over 50 academic and administrative buildings on. It is located at 1400 John R. Lynch Street between Prentiss and Dalton Streets.
Ayer Hall was constructed in 1903 and is the oldest structure on the main campus. It was named in honor of the first president of the institution, Charles Ayer. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Green-Gibb Pedestrian Walkway was named in honor of the two young men who died in the Jackson State shooting in 1970. As a result of the landmark "Ayers Settlement" in 2002, the university, along with the other two HBCUs in the state, has completed extensive renovations and upgrades to campus.
Jackson State has satellite campuses throughout the Jackson Metropolitan area:

Governance

The Board of Trustees is the constitutional governing body of the Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning. This body appoints the President of the university. There are 575 faculty and 1,431 staff, of which 54% are tenured, teaching approximately 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

JSU presidents

1877-1894: Dr. Charles Ayer
1894-1911: Dr. Luther G. Barrett
1911-1927: Dr. Zachary T. Hubert
1927-1940: Dr. B. Baldwin Dansby
1940-1967: Dr. Jacob L. Reddix
1967-1984: Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr.
1984-1991: Dr. James A. Hefner
1991-1992: Dr. Herman B. Smith, Jr.
1992-1999: Dr. James E. Lyons Sr.
1999-2000: Dr. Bettye Ward Fletcher
2000-2010: Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr.
2010: Dr. Leslie Burl McLemore
2011-2016: Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers
2016-2017: Dr. Rod Paige
2017–2020: Dr. William B. Bynum
2020-: Thomas Hudson

Academics

JSU colleges and schools include:
In 2015, JSU became the first university in Mississippi approved by the legislature to establish a School of Public Health. JSU is the only university in Mississippi to earn two consecutive "Apple Distinguished School" distinctions. Apple Inc. biennially acknowledges schools that uniquely incorporate technology into its curriculum. Since 2012, Jackson State University has provided all first-time, full-time freshmen brand new iPads to increase technology usage on campus. JSU is the first and only HBCU in Mississippi to support a bachelor's and master's level engineering program. JSU is one of only two universities in Mississippi with a comprehensive meteorology undergraduate level degree program. Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranked JSU as among the top universities in the United States for producing African Americans with bachelor's degrees in education, biology, and physical science. Jackson State University consistently ranks in the top 20 of HBCUs in the US according to the U.S. News & World Report annual HBCU ranking. The W.E.B. Du Bois – Maria Luisa Alvarez Harvey Honors College is a selective interdisciplinary college at the university that provides a unique academic experience for the most high-achieving undergraduate students.

Military Science

Tiger Battalion, the University's Army ROTC program is the host US Army ROTC program for Belhaven College, Delta State University, Hinds Community College, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi College School of Law, Mississippi Valley State University, Tougaloo College, and University of Mississippi Medical Center's School of Nursing. Air Force Detachment 006 is the Air Force ROTC Component for the Jackson metropolitan area. Hosted at Jackson State, it also serves students from Belhaven University, Millsaps College, Mississippi College and Tougaloo College.

Athletics

Athletic teams are a member of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA, participating in Southwestern Athletic Conference. Currently, the university fields teams in men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, soccer, and bowling; women's volleyball; and men's football. The university's mascot is the Tiger, and the teams are sometimes referred to as the "Blue Bengals."
The Tiger men's football team has a heralded history, winning and sharing 16 SWAC titles, most recent in 2007. Its most famous alumni includes Pro Football Hall of Famers Lem Barney, Jackie Slater and Walter Payton, and former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith.
JSU participates in a number of notable football games with rival colleges. These include:

Sonic Boom of the South

The marching band began in the 1940s at what was then Jackson State College, under the directorship of Frederick D. Hall, who had directed a band at the college as early as the 1920s, in addition to the chorus and orchestra. It was initially made up of students from Jackson College and Lanier High School. Founded as the Jackson State University Marching Band, the name "Sonic Boom of the South" was adopted by the school in 1971, after having been suggested by band members. The first full-time band director, William W. Davis, was appointed in 1948, replacing Charles Saulsburg, who had been director since 1947. Davis had previously played trumpet in Cab Calloway's band, and Calloway's musical style and showmanship influenced Davis's conceptualization of the marching band. The band at this time had around 20 members, increasing to 88 in 1963. Davis retired as director in 1971, but remained the chief arranger for the band. He was replaced by Harold J. Haughton. Haughton was instrumental in the creation of the Prancing J-Settes, the band's accompanying danceline.

Student life

Student body

As of fall 2017, 75% of Jackson State's student community was from Mississippi, with the majority from Hinds County and Madison County. The top three feeder states were Illinois, Louisiana, and Tennessee. China accounted for the highest number of international students on campus. 90% of students identified as black, 6% identified as white, and 4% identified with various race categories. 34% of students were male, and 66% of students were female.

Student organizations

Jackson State University offers over 100 registered student organizations. There are academic, residential, religious, Greek, and special interest groups established to serve the diverse interests of JSU's student community. All student organizations are governed under the Student Affairs division.
Jackson State is home to radio station WJSU-88.5 FM which plays jazz, gospel, news and public affairs programming. Jackson State University also owns a television station, W23BC known as JSUTV aired on Comcast. Jackson State also publishes the independent Blue and White Flash weekly student newspaper and the Jacksonian magazine, which features news and highlights about the university, its students, and alumni.

Notable alumni

Education

Arts, TV and radio media, entertainment and music

Politics, law, and government

Medicine & Science

Sports

Crime

Honorary