U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., visited Jackson State University on Monday, stopping in a liberal arts classroom and touring the Veteran’s Services Center, Community College Relations Office, the College of Engineering, Science and Technology and the Innovate Cyberlearning Center.
Nunnelee was greeted by JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers, David Hoard, JSU vice president for Institutional Advancement, and Jean Frazier, JSU government relations coordinator.
Though JSU is not part of the First Congressional District, which Nunnelee represents, he said he feels responsible for the entire state.
“I want to know what’s going on here. I want to know what your challenges are and how I can help,” Nunnelee told the JSU contingent.
During the visit, Meyers updated Nunnelee about the progress JSU has made since the Ayers college desegregation settlement, including the expansion of engineering programs and plans for a College of Public Health. Meyers also touted JSU’s designation as an Apple Distinguished School, one of only five higher education institutions in the country, and discussed how the university has emerged as a national leader when it comes to cyberlearning.
“We’re keenly aware that technology impacts every discipline,” Meyers said. “We’re going to stay on the forefront of technology. This is a more effective way to teach students and develop their skills.”
Nunnelee serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Agriculture, Energy and Water and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittees.
Before being elected to Congress, Nunnelee represented Lee and Pontotoc counties in the Mississippi State Senate, and served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Public Health Committee.
Hoard said other congressional leaders have been invited to tour the campus in coming months.
“This allows us to share our priorities with them and determine where their priorities and our priorities align,” Hoard said.
[imagebrowser id=29]
Nunnelee talked about his work in Washington, D.C., and in Mississippi, during his visit to the state and local government class of Dr. Emanuel Nwagboso. At the Veterans Center, Nunnelee learned that more than 300 students take advantage of the services offered. Dr. Priscilla Slade, special assistant to the provost for community colleges, gave Nunnelee a walk-through of the new Community College Relations Office.
JSU is building partnerships with the state’s community colleges to help residents attain their educational goals, Slade said. The latest agreement was signed in 2013 with Holmes Community College, which allows the two-year institution’s students to acquire a bachelor’s degree from JSU without ever leaving the Holmes campus.
Dr. Richard Alo’, dean of CSET, gave Nunnelee an overview of energy and water programs in the college. Alo’ also shared a point of pride: JSU is the nation’s top producer of African Americans with Ph.D.s in chemistry.
“The whole program is exploding. We’re going to have a Ph.D. in engineering,” Alo’ said. “STEM emphasis is a big initiative out of the White House. JSU is on the forefront of it.”