Jackson State University President Carolyn W. Meyers on Wednesday gave students, faculty and staff an update on the campus’ latest achievements and revealed plans for one major project – a 50,000-seat domed stadium.
Meyers and David Hoard, vice president for Institutional Advancement, said the university is moving forward with plans for the stadium.
“It’s been your dream for many years to have a stadium located on the campus,” Hoard said to thunderous applause in the Rose Embly McCoy Auditorium. “This is a game changer.”
The stadium project has received the endorsement of area chambers of commerce, the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, and city and county leaders. The facility would have a tremendous economic impact for the entire region since it will allow Jackson to draw big events that normally choose other venues.
Renderings of the stadium were shown. There are four potential sites for the facility. The stadium would be used for all of JSU’s athletics events and would be made available for concerts and other activities that call for a larger venue. No other university in the South would have a stadium on the level of the one proposed for JSU.
Jenece McNeal, a 21-year-old JSU junior, said she’s excited about the stadium project.
“It will bring positive attention to our school. It will help increase money for the state and for the city,” McNeal said.
The stadium will be funded through a public/private partnership involving multiple entities. The Mississippi House recently took up a $75 million bond bill to help fund the stadium. The bill did not pass, but lawmakers say the funds can be included in an overall colleges and universities bonding bill.
“We’re still cautiously optimistic that at the end of the session, we’ll have the funding we’ve requested,” said Eric Stringfellow, executive director of University Communications.
Meyers discussed a number of faculty achievements and academic projects during her speech, including the cyber-learning summit in April.
She also talked about JSU’s record spring enrollment of 8,760 students and the university’s expansion plans. Meyers said the Madison campus will provide an option for nontraditional students who must earn their degree while holding down a full-time job and/or caring for their families.
When the Madison satellite campus opens this summer, 42 undergraduate and graduate courses will be offered from all five JSU colleges.
“We are also set to open a branch in the heart of downtown Jackson. We envision that this site will become the intellectual core of downtown Jackson,” Meyers said.
The downtown presence will combine four components of Jackson State to form a one-of-a-kind public service center for the capital city. The building will house a Community and Alumni Welcome Center, the School of Policy and Planning and the Mississippi Urban Research Institute and the Institute of Government. Meyers said the university is close to choosing a director for the Institute of Government.
Meyers also discussed the university’s new initiative to create pathways from community colleges to JSU. The university is collaborating with the state’s 15 community colleges to increase the number of community college transfer students for the institution. The university has created a brand new office: the Office of Community College Relations. The long-term goal is to make community college transfers a significant percentage of our overall enrollment.
Meyers also informed the crowd that the university’s donations and gifts are up significantly.
“Our supporters are helping us to achieve our goals,” Meyers said. “Already this fiscal year, we’re ahead in the total numbers of donors compared to this same time last fiscal year.”