James “Dan” Rollins III, CEO of BancorpSouth, toured the Jackson State University campus on Wednesday, learning firsthand how the school became a cutting-edge business and technology leader.
“It was fantastic,” Rollins said about the tour, guided by JSU President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers.
The top executive of the financial institution that controls $13 billion in assets met with Meyers, Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Mary M. White, interim vice president for Institutional Advancement, Dr. Ramin Maysami, dean of the College of Business, and other university leaders and was shown the university’s business and technological know how.
Included were visits to the INNOVATE and CREATE centers, as well as the College of Business’ state-of-the-art stock market trading room, along with an explanation by Dr. Robert Blaine, dean of Undergraduate Studies and CyberLearning, about how JSU came to become one of only a handful of Apple Distinguished Schools and a world technology leader.
“It was very educational,” Rollins said.
The visit could pay dividends in the future.
“We’re looking to build a relationship, to help build staff for us,” Rollins said. “We need future leaders in our company. We want to make sure that we’ve opened the doors, to make sure that we come and meet and get to know the students as they are coming through the system, so that they can ultimately join our company and be a part of our bank.”
BancorpSouth, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Miss. BancorpSouth Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BancorpSouth, Inc., operates 292 commercial banking, mortgage and insurance locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.