JSU to host 1,500 students at regional science and engineering fair - March 26-27
March 19, 2009
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Young scientists will reveal discoveries ranging from the makeup of a golf ball to which type of wood burns the fastest at the annual Mississippi Region II Science and Engineering Fair March 26-27 at Jackson State University.
Held in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center on the university’s downtown campus, 1400 John R. Lynch St. in Jackson, the fair attracts more than 1,500 students from 250 public and private schools in Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Jefferson, Madison, Rankin and Warren counties.
The competition helps spark interest among young people in science and math, and serves as the preliminary to the Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair slated for April 1-2.
Student projects will include experiments in biochemistry, botany, chemistry, physics, microbiology, zoology, medicine and health, and earth, space and environmental science. Some 300 experts with advanced degrees in science, mathematics or engineering have volunteered to judge the entries.
This year’s projects include an experiment to determine whether Flintstone vitamins can make a plant grow faster, an epidemiological study of classroom illnesses and a behavioral study that shows whether children are motivated by rewards or punishment. Other entries respond to the nation’s economic crisis by revealing which supermarkets have the best values and determining the most effective diapers, batteries, glue, mouthwash and detergent.
The lower fair for grades 1-6 will be held March 26. The upper fair for grades 7-12 will be held March 27.
For more information, call 601-979-3448 or visit www.jsums.edu/scifair.
Congresswoman Maxine Walters to speak at Hamer humanitarian awards luncheon - April 17
March 18, 2009
(JACKSON, Miss.) – U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters will be the guest speaker for the third annual Fannie Lou Hamer Humanitarian Awards Luncheon to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, at the Student Center on Jackson State University’s main campus, 1400 John R. Lynch Street in Jackson, Miss.
The luncheon honors individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to the areas of service and leadership in the pursuit of social, economic, political, and environmental justice and equality. Consideration is given to Mississippians whose community involvement has benefited the public, particularly people and organizations that have not received appropriate recognition for their many contributions.
The Fannie Lou Hamer Humanitarian Awards are also designed to honor individuals from various age groups.
Tickets are $50 per person and $400 for a table of eight.
For more information or to purchase tickets and souvenir booklet ads, visit www.jsums.edu/~hamer.institute or call the Hamer Institute at 601-979-1562.
Jackson State brings new life to historic COFO building - March 21
March 18, 2009
(JACKSON, Miss.) – During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Council of Federated Organizations building in Jackson was a hub of activity. It housed the city’s first black radio station and was home base for organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the NAACP.
With funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Jackson State University is moving forward with plans to renovate the COFO building complex that includes 1011, 1013 and 1017 John R. Lynch St.
The university will hold a restoration ceremony at noon Saturday, March 21, at 1017 John R. Lynch St.
Plans include staging one of the buildings with artifacts so that it appears as it did in the 1960, and using the other buildings for meeting space and to house student run businesses through Jackson State’s College of Business. Student entrepreneurs will be responsible for developing business plans, marketing analyses, and other tasks necessary to ensure the success of their ventures.
The restoration of the COFO complex is part of Jackson State University’s initiative to redevelop the eastern portion of John R. Lynch Street. The Lynch Street Initiative is led by Jackson State University’s Center for University-Based Development and seeks to preserve the historic aspects of this corridor while improving the surrounding communities.
JSU, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson celebrate opening of Center of Excellence
November 22, 2008
(JACKSON, Miss.) - Jackson State University and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will celebrate the grand opening of its newest Center of Excellence during a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 24 at the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU.
Awarded during the spring, the center for the Study of Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management is part of a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Program participants include JSU President Ronald Mason, Jr., U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Felix Okojie, JSU vice president for research and federal relations and Jay M. Cohen, Department of Homeland Security under secretary for science and technology.
Three JSU Greats Named to the ESPNU All-Time HBCU Football Team
November 16, 2008
Jackson State’s Robert Brazile, Walter Payton, Jackie Slater, and 11 other players and one coach highlight the all-time HBCU football team, as compiled by ESPNU. The Southwestern Athletic Conference totaled nine players on the list.
T: Jackie Slater, Jackson State (1972-76) Slater was one of the best offensive linemen to ever play in the SWAC. He was a three-time all-conference selection. RB: Walter Payton, Jackson State (1971-75) Payton rushed for 3,563 yards in four years at Jackson State. It was in college that Payton picked up his nickname “Sweetness” because of the smooth way he ran. He had a great career with the Chicago Bears. The Hall of Famer is one of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers. LB: Robert Brazile, Jackson State (1971-75) Brazile was best known for his pass-rushing ability from the linebacker position. He was a real playmaking linebacker who could go sideline to sideline and is one of the greatest players to ever come out of Jackson State.
Other SWAC greats on the team include: Miss. Valley St./Miss. Vocational: WR Jerry Rice, DL Deacon Jones Prairie View A&M: CB Ken Houston Southern: CB Mel Blount, KR Alvin Haymond, LB Isiah Robertson
For the complete list please visit: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3697955
Historic Jackson State/Mississippi State football game set for 2009
November 7, 2008
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 JSU AD Robert Braddy and MSU AD Greg Byrne announce 2009 Bulldogs-Tigers match-up |
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi State Director of Athletics Greg Byrne and Jackson State Director of Athletics Robert Braddy announced today that the Bulldogs and the Tigers will meet on the gridiron for the first time ever next season.
The two schools will open their 2009 campaigns with a Saturday, Sept. 5 contest at Davis Wade Stadium on the Mississippi State campus.
“MSU and JSU fans are in for a treat,” said Braddy. “Mississippi State has always reached out to Jackson State going back to 1975 when they were the first school in the SEC to play us in baseball.”
“This is a historic event in the state of Mississippi,” Byrne said. “It a great way to kick off the season.”
Jackson State University president honored with 2008 Thurgood Marshall Education Leadership Award
November 7, 2008
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(JACKSON, Miss.) - Jackson State University’s President Ronald Mason Jr. was recently honored with a 2008 Education Leadership Award during the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s 21st Anniversary Awards Dinner Oct. 27.
Mason, chief executive officer of the only university located in Mississippi’s capital since 2000, holds a bachelor’s and juris doctorate from Columbia University. He has led JSU through an impressive academic restructuring and campus revitalization that has expanded into the surrounding community of West Jackson. Most recently, Jackson State University announced plans to creating a mixed-use development center adjacent to the campus.
The Educational Leadership Award is the highest individual award presented to a sitting president or educational leader of a public HBCU. It is presented annually to an educational leader who has demonstrated outstanding business, academic and visionary leadership through effective management of his or her institution. Nominees are submitted by philanthropic, board, government, alumni, students and educational leaders nationally.
Jackson State holds memorial for Latasha Norman
November 29, 2007
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| Latasha Norman |
Jackson State University will hold a memorial service for Latasha Danielle Norman at noon Monday, Dec. 3 in the Rose Embly McCoy Auditorium on the main campus.
The remains of the 20-year-old junior accounting major from Greenville were found at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 in a wooded area on Brown Street near County Line Road in Jackson. Authorities have charged Stanley Dwayne Cole, 24, with murder. Cole, a sophomore criminal justice major at Jackson State, is also from Greenville.
“I want to extend my deepest and most profound sympathy to the Norman/Bolden family, Latasha’s friends and others who loved her,” said President Ronald Mason Jr. “There are simply no words that can take away the anguish felt in the face of such a heinous and senseless act.”
Search for missing JSU student Latasha Norman generates national media attention
November 21, 2007
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| Chief Rebecca Coleman |
The search for missing Jackson State University student Latasha Norman generated national media attention on Wednesday, Nov. 21.
Latasha, a 20-year-old junior accounting major from Greenville, Miss., was last seen Tuesday, Nov. 13 after leaving a marketing class about 2:20 p.m.
Her family reported her missing between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14. Jackson State’s Department of Public Safety notified the Jackson Police Department’s Missing Person’s Bureau about 30 minutes later.
MSNBC, “America’s Most Wanted” and American Urban Radio Networks interviewed Rebecca Coleman, chief of the Jackson State Department of Public Safety, via telephone Wednesday. Hinds County Sheriff-Jackson Police Chief Malcolm McMillin also was interviewed on MSNBC.
Jackson State University officials and family of Latasha Norman plea for help in locating missing student
November 20, 2007
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| Latasha’s parents, Danny and Patricia Bolden, extend a passionate plea seeking information about their daughter’s whereabouts. |
Nov. 20, 2007 One week after Jackson State University honor student Latasha Norman was reported missing, investigators stood with her family on the steps of the Administration Tower on campus and pleaded for help in locating her.
The junior accounting major from Greenville was last seen about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 leaving her 1 p.m. marketing class in the College of Business building. The 20-year-old with a -described as very focused and easy-going with a humble spirit - has not been seen or heard from since.
“Tasha, if you can hear us, we want to let you know that we love you and that we’re not going to stop until we know something. We’re going to be relentless; we’ll never give up,” her father, Danny Bolden, said during a press conference on campus Tuesday, Nov. 20.
