Jeremy Anderson
Associate Editor
The School of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University (SJMS) and the Meek School of Journalism and New Media (MSJNM) at the University of Mississippi announced a memorandum of agreement between the two schools at a press conference held on Jan. 28 in the Mississippi eCenter.
Dr. Will Norton, Dean of MSJNM and Dr. Elayne H. Anthony, Dean of SJMS, made the partnership announcement that will allow the two schools to exchange faculty, collaborate on research projects and enhance student learning in journalism and multimedia.
“The purpose of this partnership is to increase awareness. It’s to give students an opportunity to expand their horizons,” said Anthony. “This is historical. This has never been done before.”
In the near future, both deans plan on allowing students at both schools to enroll in courses at either institution, explaining that mass communication students at JSU will still be registered as JSU students and pay the same tuition as any other JSU student, yet will be able to take and receive credit for classes at Ole Miss.
“We are pleased with the partnership between the JSU School of Journalism and Media Studies and the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss. This partnership will assist students at both schools with writing projects, digital packages, international programs and faculty exchanges,” said JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers. “This is the first time in the history of both schools that we have had this type of collaboration which in the long run will benefit both programs and breathe new life into the future media practitioners of the 21st century.”
Among other aspects of the partnership, faculty at both schools will collaborate in writing, researching, and attending conferences.
“We think that Ole Miss has certain strengths that Jackson State doesn’t have in journalism, and Jackson State has strengths that Ole Miss doesn’t have. So what we’re trying to do is complement one another and build each others’ weaknesses into strengths so that we can be strong in all areas,” said Norton.
Norton also stated that the partnership with JSU will benefit students at Ole Miss because Jackson is the media center of Mississippi and its proximity to major government entities will allow Ole Miss students to have access to this resource.
“I think the real long term benefit of this program is introducing students to other cultures. Jackson State has a culture that’s historic and goes way back, and has a lot of things in it that are way different than Ole Miss. And Ole Miss has a lot of things in it that Jackson State doesn’t have. And the whole objective is to bring those two cultures (together) to inform one another about the future and about today,” said Norton.
Charance Wright, a senior mass communication major from Atlanta, Ga., is excited about the future of the SJMS and the partnership.
“I think the partnership is going to be a great thing for both Jackson State as well as Ole Miss. I think it’s going to bring a good sense of diversity to Jackson State University.”
The partnership is scheduled to begin in the fall semester of 2016.
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