With an influx in enrollment, Jackson State University last fall offered a new housing alternative to upper-class students. Located at the southwest corner of the main campus, University Pointe is JSU’s first-ever apartment facility on campus. It accommodates more than 500 residents and features fully furnished one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom suites. Although the location is conducive to walking, there is an optional shuttle service. As well, there is ample parking space.
The newly renovated spaces include shared living and kitchen areas with amenities including free Wi-Fi connection, cable access, dishwashers, refrigerators and in-unit washers and dryers. University Pointe joins six other housing facilities on campus, along with Tiger Plaza — a 240-bed residence across from the Mississippi Coliseum. Also on campus a 24,000-square-foot, two-story wing is being added to the engineering building. Slated to open this summer, the wing will house classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices to accommodate the university’s growth in teaching and research activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) added undergraduate and doctoral programs in 2014 and was again approved for new degree programs in late 2015. State Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, during a groundbreaking ceremony, commended JSU for its remarkable successes. As well, the legislator acknowledged the extraordinary work of state Rep. Angela Cockerham, a JSU alum who helped secure funding for the facility.
Gunn said the expansion project “overlays perfectly for the future of America because engineering is a vital part of Mississippi.”