By Janice K. Neal-Vincent, Ph.D.,
Contributing Writer,
The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning voted to name Dr. Marcus L. Thompson as president of Jackson State University during its meeting held Thursday, November 16, 2023. In September Kim Gallaspy, spokesperson for the board, stated via email: “The Board of Trustees received 79 applications for the position of president of Jackson State University. The board values confidentiality for all applicants and will not comment further at this time.”
Since the announcement was made in Mississippi Today (October 10, 2023) about “79 applicants,” there has been no record bearing the names of applicants, neither their qualifications or their locations.
Prior to this, however, what has occurred? In three listening sessions that occurred over time, faculty and staff, students, alumni, and community appealed to IHL Board members for them to acknowledge shared governance. Overall, stakeholders concurred that the board should look closely at candidates and select the candidate who would place the interest of Jackson State above his/her own by being a qualified, good steward for all stakeholders involved.
This mystery of how the board handles matters pertaining to hiring JSU presidents continues and appears to be festering. JSU personnel, JSU retirees, and friends of the community have attended IHL Board meetings where they have been instructed to “wait in the hall or classrooms” until the board went into executive session. Many have stayed, regardless of the amount of time the board took to “handle its business.” In spite of it all, no announcement about the “qualified applicant” was made to those waiting for such knowledge.
At any rate, Dr. Thompson comes to JSU with more than two decades of leadership experience in early childhood, K-12 education and higher education. He is serving as the deputy commissioner and chief administrative officer of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. He has for more than a decade been responsible for overseeing IHL staff. Senior-level leaders report to Thompson who manages IHL Board relations, communications, legislation, technology, data management and facilities. He has a B.A. in history and Spanish and a master’s in Education from Mississippi College as well as a Ph.D. in urban higher education that he recently received from JSU.
Here is Dr. Thompson’s response to his new position: “I’m very honored to be named president of Jackson State University because I believe in its mission, purpose, and most of all, the outstanding faculty, staff, alumni and students who embody our school’s motto of challenging minds, changing lives. I look forward to working closely with all of them to develop a consensus about strategic goals and objectives we can achieve by working together.”
Dr. Steven Cunningham, chair of the Board Search Committee, referenced Thompson this way: “The board selected a leader who knows the unique, historic importance of the university who will articulate a bold vision for the future and will be indefatigable in the pursuit of excellence for Jackson State University.”
Based on Cunningham’s remark, the question arises: Does not Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony possess these qualifications? Those of us who know her from past years to today would answer simply, “yes.” She is a leader who learned responsibility and accountability from stern but caring parents who demonstrated before her very eyes the strides she needed to make as a leader. She watched them at home, at school, in business, and saw how they related to people with their people-oriented and task-oriented skills. She learned the art of respect and said to Deanna Tisdale Johnson of The Jackson Advocate during an interview that featured her as the 2023 Woman of the Year: “[I’m] a home girl. I’m from Jackson; from Jim Hill; Jackson State and the hood.”
This phenomenal leader swept through the halls of Jim Hill High School as Miss Jim Hill, earned her Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees at JSU, and later obtained her Ph.D. in organizational communication broadcast law at Southern Illinois University (Carbondale). While her degrees serve their purpose in enabling Dr. Hayes-Anthony to seek what is true, she never lets them go to her head. Firm but fair, she demonstrates the principles of effective communication (the backbone of leadership skills).
Cheryl Smith understands who Dr. Hayes-Anthony is. She put it this way in Texas Metro News (April 20, 2023): “While JSU has been challenged in their selection process in the past, a vote of confidence for Dr. Anthony would be one of the best decisions for the future of this great HBCU. She is compassionate, righteous, temperate, courteous, dedicated, pure, honest, friendly and loyal. She is smart, loving, meticulous, focused and strategic…This woman has credentials, which are important, but equally important with the degrees are her life skills and ethical standards.”
Assiduously has Dr. Hayes-Anthony been faithful to her state? A former tenured full professor at Belhaven University, this leader founded and headed the Department of Communication. She is currently a tenured full professor at JSU. She has hosted her own television program, “FYI with Elayne Anthony.” She also hosts her “In Depth” show with Elayne Anthony, which airs on JSU-TV.
Hayes-Anthony was appointed to the education task force for the state of Mississippi, and was appointed by Governors Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant to the State Department of Health, where she also serves on the Audit Committee, CON and Communication Committee. Beyond the state, she brought national accreditation to the Department of Journalism and Media Studies as former dean of JSU’s School of Journalism and chair.
Furthermore, Hayes-Anthony has worked as a consultant for the Florida and Louisiana Board of Regents on Journalism Education. Beyond higher education, the master mind was appointed the assistant superintendent of Public Information and Staff Development for the Jackson Public School District and spokesperson for the Board of Trustees. She served in that capacity for seven years.
Hayes-Anthony’s broad, analytical mind wants the best for students. She understands that for them “the sky is the limit” and they need no hindrances. “I want to see students in internships and co-ops and jobs and all kinds of partnerships [that are] going to help them. That’s my major goal. The focus should be on the students. And when we work all of the faculty and the staff around that goal, I think it’s going to really take us where we want to be. So, my goal is to be student-centered and to do whatever we can do to make students successful.”
Among her many accomplishments, Hayes-Anthony was honored as a media trailblazer by Women for Progress (Mississippi). She is the first African American to serve on the Board of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters (MAB), where she is the president. This accomplishment makes the leader the first African-American female educator to hold the statewide position.
The very near future of JSU remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is while Dr. Thompson’s reign as JSU’s 13th president will begin on November 27, 2023, Dr. Hayes-Anthony continues her role as acting president until that time. She was appointed by the IHL Board for the position of acting president in April, 2023. Her appointment was a result of former president Thomas K. Hudson’s (J.D.) resignation last March. Hayes-Anthony publicized her willingness to become the new president. In that role she has raised $26 million in behalf of JSU.
While Hayes-Anthony stood in the gap between the search and the naming of the new president, Cunningham, a former Gov. Phil Bryant IHL commissioner, and the only JSU alumnus, voted against allowing her to apply for the permanent role.
He commented to Mississippi Today that he did not want to dissuade outside candidates from applying for the role.
Hayes-Anthony was among the 79 applicants for the JSU presidential position.
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