Officials tasked with selecting and naming the next Jackson State University president plan to choose three top candidates next week, March 19-20, and invite them to the campus for a second round of interviews in mid-April.
On Thursday, members of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning’s Board of Trustees, the Jackson State search advisory constituency and search firm consultants went into closed session to discuss semifinalists for first-round interviews. March 3 was the deadline to apply for the university’s top role.
Officials would not say how many applications they received for the role.
IHL assembled a search advisory group to assist with the president search to increase transparency, but members of that group said they cannot publicly discuss potential candidates because an IHL board policy prohibits it.
Patrease Edwards, president of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association and a member of the advisory group, said members signed a confidentiality agreement and cannot discuss details of the meeting. Gee Ogletree, president of the IHL board and member of the search committee, said he could not comment on the meeting.
Some higher education officials said they could not share conversations about applicants for Jackson State University’s presidency because a Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning policy prohibits them from doing so.Sen. Sollie Norwood, a Democrat from Jackson and a JSU alumnus, said he believes the search process has been transparent and understands why the board would want to keep names of candidates confidential. He said he is prepared to embrace the best candidate the group puts forward.
Unstable leadership at Jackson State has been a barrier for many projects state legislators want to enact for the university, Norwood said. “It has been kind of difficult to move forward.”
Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson and a JSU alumna, said she hopes the next president comes into their role with a clear vision to move the university forward. This vision should include a “plan to prioritize students’ issues related to housing,” or “getting a new stadium,” she said.
“They need to recognize the significance of working alongside folks that represent JSU, like lawmakers and alumni, because we’re the ones that carry the name and legacy,” Summers said.
The Jackson State presidency has been vacant since May, when Marcus Thompson resigned without explanation less than two years into his tenure. He was the university’s third president in five years. Denise Jones Gregory, former provost and vice president of academic affairs, is serving as the interim president.
In December, IHL trustees voted unanimously to waive the board’s policy that would prevent a university interim president from applying for the permanent position at the institution they lead. Jones Gregory is eligible to apply for the president role. Mississippi Today reached out to Jones Gregory to ask if she had applied for the role, but she did not immediately respond.
The December vote reflects repeated criticism the IHL board received from alumni and stakeholders last summer, which questioned the fairness of the search process and lack of transparency.
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