As the new chair of the JSU Development Foundation Board of Directors, Dr. Alfred L. Martin Jr. said his ultimate goal is to increase endowments for all campus programs at Jackson State University, including the School of Journalism and Media Studies to which he presented a $25,000 check on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Martin said his donation is fitting because he received a bachelor’s degree in 1984 in mass communications from JSU. This contribution qualifies for a one-for-one matching grant program, boosting the gift to $50,000.
The new school is headed by Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, who was his department chair when he earned his first degree at JSU. Subsequently, Martin received his MBA and later doctorate in urban and regional planning, both from JSU.
Company president and CEO
As president and CEO of Environmental Management Plus Inc., Martin succeeds retiring chair and businessman Leland Speed, who served nearly a decade.
Anthony Holloman, vice president for Institutional Advancement, said the support that Jackson State continues to receive from alumni and the business community is indicative of the university’s rich legacy.
“We are delighted to have such an esteemed JSU alum who has contributed so much to this community and beyond. As a product of JSU, we’re confident that Dr. Martin will labor diligently to keep his alma mater moving forward into the 21st century,” he said. “We are so proud that he has agreed to serve in this role and continue the extraordinary work of his predecessor, Mr. Leland Speed, to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude for his commitment and dedication to the progress of Jackson State University.”
Hayes-Anthony said, “We are so very, very pleased and grateful that one of our distinguished alums has given such a substantial and significant gift to the School of Journalism and Media Studies. These funds will impact our ability to offer scholarships and enhance our capacity to meet the needs of our students and faculty.” She added that she hopes Martin’s contribution will inspire other alumni to give back to the university as well.
Family’s JSU legacy
A third-generation graduate of JSU, Martin describes Jackson State as home. His grandmother received her bachelor’s degree from Jackson College in 1930, and his mother earned her master’s degree from the university in the early 1970s.
The new chair said he aims to work with President Carolyn W. Meyers on many of the initiatives and ideas currently in place to help secure JSU’s position as one of the premier institutions in the nation.
Martin has been an active social advocate and community servant. He is the immediate past board chair of the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition of Juvenile Justice; chaired the Mississippi Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee; a former commissioner with the Mississippi Supreme Court’s Commission on Children’s Justice; and a charter member of the Jackson Metro Crime Commission. In addition, he’s a member of Anderson United Methodist Church and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Over the years, the board’s role has included raising funds for student scholarships, faculty salary supplements and other campus enhancements.