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T WO T H O U S A N D T W EN T Y- S I X 10 A.M. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026 GIBBS-GREEN PLAZA
DENISE JONES GREGORY, PH.D. PRESIDENT
Dr. Charles Ayer First president of Jackson State University 1877-1894
Dr. Zachary T. Hubert First Black president of Jackson State University 1911-1927
ABOUT JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY Jackson State University, founded in 1877, is a historically Black, Research 2 (R2) university located in Jackson, the capital city of Mississippi. Jackson State’s nurturing academic environment challenges individuals to change lives through teaching, research and service. Officially designated as Mississippi’s Urban University, Jackson State continues to enhance the state, nation and world through comprehensive economic development, health care and technological and educational initiatives. The only public university in the metropolitan area, Jackson State is located next to downtown with four satellite locations throughout the metro area.
MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Jackson State University, an HBCU and comprehensive urban research university, is to provide quality teaching, research and service at the baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral levels to diverse populations of students and communities using various modalities to ensure that they are technologically-advanced, ethical and global leaders who think critically and address societal problems and compete effectively.
VISION STATEMENT Building on its historic mission of empowering diverse students to become leaders, Jackson State University will become recognized as a challenging, yet nurturing, state-of-the-art technologically infused intellectual community. Students and faculty will engage in creative research, participate in interdisciplinary and multi-instructional/organizational collaborative learning teams and serve the global community.
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS 1877-1894: 1894-1911: 1911-1927: 1927-1940: 1940-1967: 1967-1984: 1984-1991: 1991-1992: 1992-1999: 1999-2000: 2000-2010: 2010: 2011-2016: 2016-2017: 2017-2020: 2020-2023: 2023: 2023-2025: 2025-Present:
Dr. Charles Ayer Dr. Luther G. Barrett Dr. Zachary T. Hubert Dr. B. Baldwin Dansby Dr. Jacob L. Reddix Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr. Dr. James A. Hefner Dr. Herman B. Smith Jr. (interim) Dr. James E. Lyons Sr. Dr. Bettye Ward Fletcher (interim) Mr. Ronald Mason, Jr., J.D. Dr. Leslie Burl McLemore (interim) Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers Dr. Rod Paige (interim) Dr. William B. Bynum Jr. Mr. Thomas K. Hudson, J.D. Dr. Elayne H. Anthony (acting) Dr. Marcus L. Thompson Dr. Denise Jones Gregory
Rev. Henry P. Jacobs, M.D. Founder of Jackson State University 1877 Henry P. Jacobs was born Samuel Hawkins on July 8, 1825, and, with the rest of his family, was held in bondage by the wealthy Dill family near Ashville, Alabama. His family had moved with the Dills from South Carolina to St. Clair County, Alabama, when he was a child. Settling near the Coosa River in the foothills of the Appalachians, the Dills owned over thirty slaves, making them among the wealthiest in the county. The young Samuel was said to be too small to work in the fields and was charged with aiding an elderly and invalid member of the family. From this man, Samuel learned how to read and write. That education had a profound impact.
By the age of thirty, Samuel had married a woman named Louisa and began a family. Planning his escape meticulously, he forged “free papers” for his wife, their three children, and two of his brothers and then took his master’s horse and buggy and fled to Canada on July 24, 1856. Twice, they were stopped and their papers examined, but they arrived safely on the Detroit River on August 19 of that year, just over three weeks and 750 miles later. On October 20, 1856, Hawkins and his brothers took the name of Jacobs. Henry P. Jacobs or “H.P.” was baptized in the Detroit River by the Reverend William Troy, who had also escaped from bondage. Jacobs and his family eventually found refuge in Canada in the years prior to the Civil War but moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he found work as a janitor at the Michigan Normal School, now Eastern Michigan University. Jacobs enrolled his daughters in the Music School attached to the college, and they became accomplished musicians and teachers themselves.
Jacobs was ordained a Baptist preacher on September 18, 1858. Within a few years, he became the first pastor of Ypsilanti’s historic Second Baptist Church and founded a school for African American children in Ypsilanti with Michigan’s first Black principal. Jacobs was among the hosts of a historic 1863 meeting of Michigan’s African American men in Ypsilanti, which included leading Black figures, like Martin R. Delany. The meeting declared Michigan’s black men ready to fight in the Civil War but demanded that the state treat them as equal citizens, remove the word “white” from all statues, and revoke any laws “that make a distinction between us and other citizens of the state.”
Immediately after the Civil War, Jacobs returned with his family to the South, where he established a seminary for freedpeople in Natchez, Mississippi, today Jackson State University. Jacobs became one of the most important men in Mississippi during Reconstruction. He helped draft the 1867 State Constitution, was elected to the state Senate three times, served on the Natchez City Council, and was president of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Mississippi for seven years, traveling around the state setting up congregations. Jacobs also organized beneficent societies, such as the Jacobs Benevolence Association, to help freedpeople pool their money and purchase the plantations they had worked as slaves. After breaking with the Baptist Convention, Jacobs studied medicine though no school would admit him and practiced in various black communities for years before he was given his doctorate in medicine from a college at the age of 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. As a physician, he traveled to the newly forming Black communities of Kansas and Oklahoma to serve as a doctor, healer, educator, pastor, and leader. Jacobs strived to remake America after the Civil War and lived a life of inspiring service before passing away in the early 1900s. Source: https://www.ypsireal.com/blog/hp-jacobs-ypsilantis-builder-african-american-worlds F O U N D E R S’ D AY 2 0 2 6 | 3
litany leader:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand! Today we stand in the spirit of Sankofa, an Akan word that means to go back and fetch it. We will look to our past to guide us through our future.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand on the bravery of Rev. H.P. Jacobs and twenty newly freed Black students who, in 1877, decided that despite America’s legal legacy of forced labor, illiteracy, and dehumanization, they would wrest a destiny of excellence for themselves through the founding of Natchez Seminary.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand on the faith of the teachers and students who believed beyond oppressive forces and economic hardships through the Great Depression, Jim Crow, two world wars, and even an attack on our campus to see the potential for Black brilliance.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand on the vision of our former presidents and administrators who shaped our school from Natchez Seminary to Jackson College to Mississippi Negro Training School to Jackson College for Negro Teachers, then to Jackson State College, and finally to who we are here today, Jackson State University.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand on the reputation of this institution that has produced alumni who are educators who illuminate young minds; scientists and researchers who discover new horizons; healthcare professionals who bring healing and hope; corporate leaders and engineers who drive global industry; civic leaders and change-makers who stand on the front lines of justice and the public good; artists and musicians who enrich our culture and keep our heritage vibrant; writers and journalists who bring truth and beauty to the fore by fearlessly telling our stories; and athletes, coaches, and sports executives who embody discipline and the spirit of winning that makes us all champions.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand on business, maintaining a spirit of excellence that demands we honor our past and the ancestors whose influence even now reaches us. We will build on their efforts to create a legacy that will surpass our founders’ greatest dreams.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand in your presence today, Dear Lord, praying for the future of this institution, more than a school – a home – that has nurtured our spirits, challenged our minds, and changed our lives.
Audience:
Precious Lord, take our hand. Lead us on and let us stand!
leader:
We stand in need of your blessings, O Lord, on our administrators and staff who oversee the daily operations that sustain this university, on our faculty who produce and profess the knowledge that shapes this world, and on our students who are stretching and becoming even better versions of themselves.
ALL:
Precious Lord, let us continue to stand on the wisdom of our ancestors, the vision of our leaders, and the community of our dear ole college home as we celebrate this 149th Founders’ Day. Let us make a stand for the enduring legacy that sears our hearts and will ensure we are not tired! We are not weak! We are strong! We are Thee I Love! Amen. Written and Led by Dr. RaShell R. Smith-Spears, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages
founders’ day speaker
Earlexia M. Norwood, M.D., ’84 Family Medicine Physician Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) Dr. Earlexia Montoya Norwood is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and member of the Straightgate International Church, in Detroit, Michigan, under the leadership of Bishop Andrew & Pastor Viveca Merritt, where she and her husband Robert E. Norwood have served for approximately 39 years, and raised their two children, Gabriel and Mikhaella Norwood. She believes that only what you do for Christ will last, and that all that she is, and everything she does, is not because she’s so great, but because God is so gracious! Earlexia is a graduate of the W.E.B. DuBois & Maria Louisa Alvarez Harvey Honors College of THEE Jackson State University, and the University of Iowa Medical School. Dr. Norwood has been honored as Jackson State University National Alumni Association’s Alumnus of the Year and recognized nationally as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year recipient from the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation. She currently serves as the 21st President of THEE Jackson State University National Alumni Association, Inc.
Dr. Norwood is a board certified Family Medicine physician who practiced with Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) almost 30 years. She has served as the Assistant Clinical Professor for Wayne State University Medical School, Service Chief of Family Medicine for Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, and Physician-In-Charge for the Troy Medical Center. Earlexia has been honored 20 years straight by physicians across southeastern Michigan, as one of Detroit’s “Top Docs” as noted in Hour Magazine. Her many recognitions include Who’s Who of Health Care Professionals and the Robert E. Birk Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Norwood believes that no child who has the aptitude and desire for a college education, should be denied the opportunity due to resources and funding. This is why she has committed to raising $1 million for JSU students by 2028. She desires to fulfill her assignment and purpose and to make a difference in the lives God allows her to touch.
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149th FOUNDERS’ DAY CONVOCATION
PROGRAM Preselfannie W. McDaniels, Ph.D. Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Presiding
PRELUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battle of Shiloh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles L. Barnhouse University Wind Ensemble Roderick Little, Ph.D., Conductor PROCESSIONAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Procession of the Nobles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nikolai Rimsky-Korakov Arranged by Jay Bocook University Wind Ensemble (Please stand for Presentation of Colors, the National Anthem, the Negro National Anthem and Invocation.)
PRESENTATION OF THE COLORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JSU ROTC NATIONAL ANTHEM. . . . . . . . . . . . The Star-Spangled Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Francis Scott Key Arranged by William E. Davis University Wind Ensemble Brooke Boatman, Junior, Bachelor of Music Performance, Music Technology
NEGRO NATIONAL ANTHEM . . . . . Lift Every Voice and Sing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Weldon Johnson J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson University Wind Ensemble Asha White, Sophomore, Bachelor of Music Education
Lift ev’ry voice and sing, ‘Til earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list’ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on ’til victory is won. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
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Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land. THE INVOCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Scottie Willis, Ph.D. Director of Student Leadership & Engagement (Audience is seated.) WELCOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jayden Manning 2026-2027 Mister Jackson State University Kamryn Patterson 2026-2027 Miss Jackson State University GREETINGS & OCCASION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hart Jefferson 2026-2027 JSU Student Government Association President PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Denise Jones Gregory, Ph.D. President, Jackson State University SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Way Over in Beulah Lan’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arranged by Stacey V. Gibbs University Choir Harry Mathurin-Cecil, DMA, Director of Choral Activities
FOUNDERS’ DAY ADDRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earlexia Norwood, M.D. Family Medicine Physician, Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) LITANY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RaShell R. Smith-Spears, Ph.D. Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts Professor, English and Modern Languages BELL RINGING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hilliard L. Lackey, Ph.D. Associate Professor College of Education and Human Development (Please stand and join in the singing of the Alma Mater. Remain standing for the Recessional.) ALMA MATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jackson Fair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pawley-Hall University Wind Ensemble Joshua Taylor, Junior, Bachelor of Music Performance-Music Technology
BENEDICTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rev. Scottie Willis, Ph.D. THE RECESSIONAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fanfare and Recessional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James D. Ployhar University Wind Ensemble Roderick Little, Ph.D., Conductor (Audience to remain still or seated until after the Recessional.)
F O U N D E R S’ D AY 2 0 2 6 | 7
history of the bell ringing Alumni who attended Jackson State University in the early years attested to the power of the bell. Manufactured in a Baltimore, Maryland foundry, the exact age of the bell is not known, however it was mounted by 1905. The bell originally hung in a tower that was located in the center of the campus, where the crosswalks from Ayer Hall, the Administration Tower Lawn, and the H. T. Sampson Library presently intersect. The bell eventually was moved to the western side of campus and later dismantled. In the early years, the bell regulated all students. During the 1920s, Fred Gayden and Julius Wilcher were responsible for ringing the bell in accordance with the following schedule: Weekdays 5:30 a.m. Rising 6:30 a.m. Breakfast 7:45 a.m. School opens 9:00 a.m. Classes 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m 12:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. Classes 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Dismissal 5:00 p.m. Rehearsals 7:00 p.m. Study hours begin Weekends 9:00 a.m. Sundays Sunday School 1:00 p.m. Sundays Quiet hour 3:00 p.m. Sundays Vespers 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays Prayer meeting While this schedule was strictly maintained, students found ways of including the bell in their pranks. Alumni of the 1920s heartily recalled a particular Halloween night when some creative students tied a cow’s tail to the bell rope. With each movement of the cow’s tail, the bell rang out. The campus was in an uproar! Students and faculty alike did not know whether they should get up, go for breakfast, remain quiet, dress for Sunday school or start a prayer meeting! On October 23, 1977, the Centennial Bell was rededicated and enshrined as a monument to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Jackson State and the ringing of the bell for student activities during the University’s first century. It stands in front of Ayer Hall, the oldest building on campus, and rings each year in honor of Founders’ Day.
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
key MILESTONES 1877 1882 1885 1924 1934 1940 1944 1967 1970 1974 1975 1979 1991 1999 2000 2010 2015 2016 2021 2021 2022 2022 2023
2024 2025 2026
Founded in Natchez, Mississippi, as the Natchez Seminary, operating under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. Twenty formerly enslaved people enrolled to become ministers and teachers. Relocated to Jackson, Mississippi, on what is now the campus of Millsaps College, and renamed Jackson College. Construction began on the site now home to the University’s main campus. First degree awarded. American Baptist Home Mission Society withdrew support; move toward state assistance began. Renamed Mississippi Negro Training School. The state Institutions of Higher Learning expanded curriculum to a four-year teacher education program. Renamed Jackson College for Negro Teachers. First graduating class under state support received Bachelor of Science degrees in education. Renamed Jackson State College. Phillip Gibbs and James Green are killed and a dozen others wounded at Alexander Hall by city police and highway patrolmen. John R. Lynch Street was closed through campus, and Commencement was canceled. Renamed Jackson State University. Jake Ayers, Sr., filed a lawsuit on behalf of his son, a Jackson State student, and Mississippi’s statesupported HBCUs in order to increase and equalize funding. Designated Mississippi’s Urban University by the State Institutions of Higher Learning. After twenty-six years, $500 million Ayers lawsuit settled with the State of Mississippi, sparking unprecedented growth for Mississippi’s HBCUs. Landmark Jackson Heart Study began the largest investigation of cardiovascular disease among African Americans. The Mississippi Learning Institute, a city-state partnership with an emphasis on math and reading, is created, and the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU, a technological hub, is established. Civil rights corridor established along John R. Lynch Street featuring the historic COFO Civil Rights Education Center as well as the retail and residential development One University Place. JSU 101 Capitol Street campus opened in downtown Jackson. JSU hosted First Lady Michelle Obama as spring commencement speaker. JSU received the successful decennial review of its regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. JSU is awarded an $11.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities to study minority health and health disparities. JSU receives two National Park Services grants totaling $650K for the preservation of Ayer Hall and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Center. JSU partners with Microsoft TechSpark Initiative to expand cybersecurity readiness program. Jackson State University and Jackson Public School District partner on the Jackson Middle College ( JMC) Program. The JMC is a dual enrollment program birthed by the collaboration between JSU and JPS faculty and administrations. High school students will specialize in mathematics education to address the need for math teachers and educators in JPS. The College of Health Sciences at Jackson State University ( JSU) launched the Wellness on Wheels mobile lab, a state-of-the-art unit, to reduce health disparities in Mississippi by delivering critical services — including speech, language, hearing and public health screenings — directly to residents. Jackson State University awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in public health and supply chain management. Designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities. F O U N D E R S’ D AY 2 0 2 6 | 9
BOARD OF TRUSTEES STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr., Commissioner of Higher Education
BOARD MEMBERS Dr. Steven Cunningham, President Gregory Rader, Vice President Amy Arrington Donald Clark Jr. Dr. Ormella Cummings Jerry L. Griffith James H. ( Jimmy) Heidelberg Teresa Hubbard Bruce Martin Gee Ogletree Hal Parker Charlie Stephenson
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY EXECUTIVE CABINET Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, President Dr. Preselfannie W. McDaniels, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Alyse Wells-Kilbert, Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics Howard Brown, Jr., Vice President for Business & Finance/Chief Financial Officer Dr. Vance Siggers, Executive Director of Campus Operations Van Gillespie, Esq., Chief of Staff Alla Jeanae Frank, Special Assistant to the President and Chief Transformation Officer Onetta Starling Whitley, J.D., General Counsel Dr. Deborah Dent, Chief Information Officer for Information Technology Sloan D. Cargill, Vice President for Institutional Advancement & External Affairs Dr. Almesha L. Campbell, Vice President for Research and Economic Development Dr. Jonas Owen Vanderbilt, Jr., Vice President for Student Affairs & Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Tangelia Kelly, Chief Communications Officer and Executive Director of University Communications
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MACE BEARER
Dr. Hilliard L. Lackey, College of Education and Human Development
CHIEF MARSHALS
Dr. Whitney Perkins, College of Health Sciences Professor Don Spann, College of Liberal Arts
FACULTY MARSHALS Dr. Nizar Alsharari, College of Business Professor Mark Geil, College of Liberal Arts Dr. Kanesha Bennett, College of Education and Human Development Dr. Yalanda Barner, College of Health Sciences Dr. Noel Gardner, College of Science, Engineering and Technology
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special appreciation is extended to the Office of the Provost, University Communications, Department of Events and Visitor Services, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Department of Music, JSU ROTC, Public Safety, and Facilities and Construction Management.
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149th FOUNDERS’ DAY CONVOCATION T WO THOUSAND T WENT Y-SIX
1400 JOHN R. LYNCH STREET JACKSON, MS 39217 WWW.JSUMS.EDU