This weekend, Jackson State welcomes back its alumni to join current students, faculty, staff and JSU supporters for Homecoming 2015. In addition to the annual activities, including the homecoming parade and watching the JSU Tigers defeat the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, Homecoming 2015 is also time to celebrate together the significant achievements we have made as a community to becoming one of the country’s elite educational institutions.
JSU holds the unique distinction of being classified as a “High Research Activity” university by the Carnegie Foundation, one of only two Historically Black Colleges and Universities with this designation. We are proud of this recognition and the investments we have made in our academic programs.
Our commitment to innovation has opened new doors for our school, earning JSU distinctions and awards we would have considered out of reach just a few years ago. Recently, JSU was named an Apple Distinguished School for 2015-17 — a designation reserved for institutions demonstrating the pinnacle of innovation, leadership and educational excellence and for uniquely implementing technology in our curriculum. This comes on the heels of the 2013-2015 Apple designation. In addition, JSU was awarded a $2.9 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education for the First in the World Development Program to test and develop innovative strategies to improve student outcomes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
To complement the success of our stellar undergraduate programs, we have also recommitted to our professional schools, each of which is thriving. We believe that the critical work produced in these schools can contribute in solving some of today’s greatest challenges. For example, JSU’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology is dedicated to innovative STEM research addressing broader societal problems, a priority shared by both the Obama Administration and Congress. Featuring an exceptionally diverse student body, JSU’s College of Business is producing ethical, technologically advanced leaders familiar with the latest innovations, such as the state-of-the-art trading room the school debuted last year. Finally, JSU’s brand new, first-in-the-state School of Public Health is poised to help Mississippi improve its quality of healthcare and generate greater economic development.
Students — and potential students — have taken notice of the exciting innovation at Jackson State, and the numbers prove it. JSU’s enrollment has grown by 10.8 percent over the past three years, the largest increase of any public college or university in Mississippi. To better serve this growing population, we have tried to take into consideration the needs of our vast and incredibly diverse student body. We have expanded to include course offerings for evenings and weekends to accommodate students with difficult schedules, and launched JSUOnline to reach nontraditional students, including veterans, parents and older students. We are very proud to announce that this spring, JSUOnline graduated its first class.
While any rapidly changing environment experiences its share of growing pains, we cannot afford to slow down the incredible momentum we currently enjoy. A commitment to progress will benefit all of us in the JSU community —students, faculty, staff, administration and alumni alike. As alumni walk around campus this weekend, we invite you to take notice of the growth you see, and to engage with current students to hear them share their JSU experiences. Above all, we hope you have a fantastic time enjoying homecoming weekend. Go Tigers, and Let the Good Times Roar!