Officials overseeing public colleges and universities in Mississippi are seeking outside help in finding a new president at Jackson State University.
“The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning is seeking proposals from executive search firms to assist with the search for a new president at Jackson State University,” a release from the institution reads.
The request comes a little under three weeks after IHL officials announced that board vice president Dr. Steven Cunningham, a graduate of Jackson State, will chair the search committee. All other trustees will also serve on the committee. But to aid in seeking a qualified candidate for the post, officials are looking for a search firm to help fill any potential gaps. The IHL’s official request for proposal is located on its website.
A search committee was formed three months after former Jackson State president Dr. Marcus Thompson resigned from his post amid litigation pending against him. Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, has taken Thompson’s former office in the interim.
“The work of selecting a university president is not easy,” IHL board president Gee Ogletree said. “The search committee must walk a very fine line, respecting the need for transparency and input from stakeholders, while also respecting the need for confidentiality related to those individuals who are being recruited and interviewed.
“The students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters of Jackson State University deserve our very best efforts in this process, and those efforts will ultimately result in a dynamic leader who will help Jackson State realize its greatest potential.”
No further details have been made available regarding the JSU president search.
