Original Temptations singer to perform at JSU College of Public Service gala - April 25

(JACKSON, Miss.) – Otis Williams of Motown’s legendary Temptations will perform with his group the Temptin’ Temptations at the Jackson State University College of Public Service “Celebrating the Giving Heart II” Scholarship Gala April 25 at the Hilton Jackson Hotel in Jackson.
            The event will honor the legacy of the college’s founding dean, Gwendolyn Spencer Prater, and raise money for an endowed scholarship in her name. Prater will step down from her post in June.
            “My first love, my passion during my entire academic career, is the students,” Prater said.  “I am very pleased that funds raised will be for students.”
            Prater began her career as a social worker and started teaching at Jackson State in 1978. She is the founding dean of the JSU’s School of Social Work, which launched in 1995. In 2003, she became the founding dean of the College of Public Service, which encompasses the School of Social Work, the School of Health Sciences and the School of Policy and Planning. 
            Williams, 67, is the only surviving member of the original Temptations, which created a slew of R&B hits including “My Girl, “Ain’t to Proud to Beg” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. 
            Tickets for the gala cost $125 per person and $1,250 for a reserved table of 10. Supporters may also make a tax-deductible donation to the scholarship fund. For complete details and an order form, visit http://www.jsums.edu/cpsweb/gala.pdf.
            For more information, call the Jackson State University College of Public Service at 601-979-8836.

Spoken word artists to gather at Jackson State University conference - April 7

(JACKSON, Miss.) –  The Jackson State University Department of Speech Communication and Theatre will host its third annual spoken word creative fest/conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, at the College of Business, located on the main campus at 1400 John R. Lynch St., in Jackson, Miss. Admission is free.
Students will draw upon their experiences in and knowledge of civil rights while performing poems, orations, or dramatic interpretations
This year’s special guests include: Carolyn Ingram, author, The Curse; Rhoyia Hope Crozier, editor, Under the Hammer and Chronicles of Courage; John Rousseau, a writer who witnessed executions and lynchings in the South; C. Leigh McInnis, writer and founder of the group Out Spoken; Kalamu ya Salaam, performer and educator; Minnie Watson, and curator at Tougaloo College.
The event will include a tour of Medgar Evers’ home, the Medgar Evers statue and Freedom Corner in Jackson.
The purpose of the Spoken Word Creative Fest/Conference is to expose JSU students, faculty, staff and community to students’ original poems, orations and stories regarding any aspect of civil rights.
For more information, call Janice Neal-Vincent at 601-979-3331 or 601-979-1357.

JSU to host 1,500 students at regional science and engineering fair - March 26-27

(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.

Jackson State brings new life to historic COFO building - March 21

 (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.