Taylor Bembery
Blue & White Flash / Variety Editor
Students, faculty, staff, and guests filled the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on yesterday, Feb. 27, to hear Jackson State University’s President, Carolyn W. Meyers updates on campus accomplishments and a major new project.
Key points addressed by Meyers included: JSU’s record spring enrollment numbers, the new Madison campus, research, athletics, technology advancements and staff development.
The main attention-getter was the announcement of a new 50,000 seat domed stadium, proposed to be built on or near campus within the next three years.
Meyers and David Hoard, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, said the university is moving forward with plans for the stadium stating that since her arrival, she has learned that athletics is the passion of the whole area, Meyers asked Hoard to share details of the projected $200 million project.
Renderings of the stadium were shown. The stadium will accommodate 50,000 people for football, 22,000 for basketball, 17,000 for concerts and 26,750 for other events.
The stadium will be managed by SMG, a stadium management company, and will take 18-24 months to construct. The economic impact will benefit the city of Jackson.
Some students had mixed emotions on how they felt about Meyers’ campus updates.
While most welcomed the news of future advancements, one student wanted other issues addressed.
JSU Student Government Association President Brian Wilks said, “I think the update was good to see where we are headed especially in the areas of technology and academics. I’m really excited about the dome and this will increase enrollment with the students.”
Arekia Benett, a sophomore physics major from Jackson, Miss., “I’m excited about the changes but I just hope I’m around so I will be able to see them,” said Arekia Benett, a sophomore physics major from Jackson, Miss.
Job C. Lang a sophomore biology pre-optometry major from Hattiesburg, Miss., was angered by the address.
“I really don’t understand why President Meyers’ emphasis was mostly on athletics and technology. I understand that it is important but there are other things that are important, like campus safety and out of state fees for some students,” said Lang.
Jessica McGhee, a junior biology pre-med major from Memphis, Tenn., had both good and bad reviews about the address.
“I respect President Meyers for letting us know about the achievements of the university but I felt that she could have touched on more that students could relate to being that some of us took time out of our own busy schedules to be here,” said McGhee.
Not only will there be a major change in athletics but also in staff and faculty development. Meyers said there will be 35 new faculty hired in the future.
With advancement of technology and research there will be more smart classrooms added on campus and JSU will also be opening up two additional cardiovascular study centers for research in the future as part of the Jackson Heart Study.
“We are always growing, we are always learning. We are an institution of learning that is a learning institution,” said Meyers.
Meyers talked about JSU’s record spring enrollment of 8,760 students and the opening of another campus in Madison and a downtown Jackson branch.
She also discussed a new initiative with community colleges to increase the number of transfer students who come to JSU.
“Our supporters are helping us to achieve our goals,” said Meyers, who was referring to an increase in the number of donors giving to JSU.
If you missed President Meyers 2013 Spring Update you can see a re-cap of it on www.jsumsnews.com.
