IHL board approves academic programs, contracts and capital requests; begins Jackson State presidential search advisory process

The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning on Oct. 16 approved a package of academic program changes, facility budgets and contracts and moved forward steps in the search for a new president at Jackson State University.

The board received a report from Dr. Gerald Briggs, president of Mississippi Valley State University, on enrollment, student outcomes and partnerships, approved amendments to freshman admission policy language on ACT super‑scoring, authorized new academic programs and centers, and approved contracts and capital funding adjustments for campus projects. The board also voted to add and authorize staff to form a search advisory constituency to inform the Jackson State presidential search.

Why it matters: The actions affect university operations, program offerings and capital spending across Mississippi’s public university system and begin a publicly announced nationwide search for Jackson State’s next president. Several items have implications for student recruitment and workforce alignment, while facility and contract approvals affect university budgets and vendor relationships.

Mississippi Valley State update

Dr. Gerald Briggs, president of Mississippi Valley State University, told trustees the university is sustaining high access and improving student retention. He said 75% of the university’s students come from Mississippi and that the university’s “access rate” — the share of students from households earning under $46,000 — is 75%, which he described as the highest among historically Black colleges and universities. Briggs also reported a mobility rate of 40.9% for undergraduates from low‑income backgrounds and said first‑to‑second‑year retention improved to about 73% in the most recent preliminary figures.

Briggs highlighted campus partnerships, including a campus satellite arrangement with FedEx Logistics (which provides paid work experience for students), and collaborations with Toyota, Nissan and regional cultural and health organizations. He described ongoing campus projects, including student union and academic building renovations and a new baseball pavilion, and noted the university’s Prison Education Partnership Program, which offers bachelor’s degrees at correctional facilities and has SACSCOC affirmation for that work.

On the presidential search process for Jackson State

The board’s search committee reported that the board retained AGB Search to lead the nationwide search for Jackson State’s next president. Dr. Kim Bobo, principal with AGB Search, and Dr. Carlton Brown, senior executive search consultant, joined…