Dozens of prospective students from across Mississippi and other states converged on the Jackson State University campus Friday for Transfer Day — an annual event that helps ease transition from community colleges.
“We recruit all over Mississippi, and actively in Atlanta, Memphis and Detroit,” Dr. Priscilla Slade, special assistant to the provost for International Programs and Community Colleges, said of the students that streamed from buses at the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.
Despite inclement weather that made driving treacherous in the morning, the packed crowd at the Engineering Building auditorium cheered and applauded when Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, welcomed them.
Then, it became almost like a pep rally when he turned the podium over to President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers. “Welcome to Tiger World!” said Meyers to cheers.
“You are our most important asset,” Meyers said, stressing the significance of students to the university. “Academics is our core business.”
Pointing to individuals, Meyers said, the next multinational CEO could be sitting there, or the next head of the International Monetary Fund could be sitting there, or the person who cures cancer could be sitting over there in the audience. It’s the job of the university, she said, to see that students find success.
Picking up that theme, Renick said, “We have the right leadership at the right place at the right time” to make global leaders. “We expect you to succeed. We are going to do everything we possibly can to help you succeed.”
Student recruiter Paul A. Scott with the JSU Department of Community College Relations introduced speakers from the department to answer students’ questions, which ranged from admittance requirements to scholarship information.
“We have the best Phi Theta Kappa scholarship in the country,” Slade told the students, referring to the honorary society for community colleges, the equivalent of the Phi Beta Kappa society for four-year schools. Jackson State is home to a Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Association.
Shirley Harrison, interim director of the International Programs Office, told students about the JSU Passport to the World program — which received wide acclaim with Thursday’s announcement about its groundbreaking partnership with the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE).
Listing exotic locales, Harrison detailed the program that allows students to enroll in summer classes, take two weeks of classes at JSU and travel abroad for two weeks.
A number of services for students were noted, and were further explained by a 23-page “Transfer Connect: Resource Guide” that lists various programs.
Students spent the day touring the various colleges, interacting with faculty and visiting booths at the Student Center.