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Jackson State President Wants School to Be No. 1 HBCU

By Kendrick Marshall
Black College Wire

During Ronald A. Mason's inauguration speech as Jackson State University�s ninth president in October 2000, he spoke of the university's "great potential."

Photo credit: Jackson State University Ronald A. Mason

"I see in the next five years Jackson State being the No. 1 HBCU in the country," Mason said in an interview.

Mason was named president by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (the College Board) in February 2000.

"I made a 10-year commitment to the board, and I want to fulfill my tenure," Mason said. "But the next five years is a long time ahead."

Mason said he was pleased with his accomplishments and the university's advancements during his tenure.

"My experience has been positive at Jackson State," he said. "I said when I first got the job I would provide a lot of surprises. We are starting to see all the hard work paying off, and it has been a good experience for me."

Mason said his accomplishments are part of a team effort.

"I might get the credit for the things that are achieved at Jackson State, but there are a lot of leaders behind the scenes that deserve the credit as well for the success of the university," he said.

Mason includes efforts to publicize the university in other regions of the country as one of those achievements.

"We've promoted the university through the improved Jackson State Web site," he said. "We publish and disperse The Jacksonian magazine all over the country to tell people about the university."

Mason said these efforts will directly and positively affect the future.

"We will have more students from Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit and Louisiana because the parents of those students are from Mississippi and will want their children to receive a quality education here at Jackson State," he said.

Mason said the university was also trying to make a name for itself around the world.

The Palisades @ E-City, a gated community that serves the university, is considered a credit to Mason's tenure.

"We have always been a national and international university," he said. "I've been on national boards and talked about Jackson State all over the world . . . in India, China and Russia."

But Mason said the focus of the university remains its main campus and immediate area. He said Jackson State's ongoing community efforts are examples of the university's primary focus.

"We have worked with churches in the area, as well as community development agencies, to make the surrounding areas better," Mason said.

Mason described the Palisades @ E-City, a gated community that exclusively serves the university, as one of the developments that has helped improve the area.

It covers five square miles of West and Southwest Jackson and houses students and faculty.

Mason also said the size of the campus has doubled and that the opening next year of the $23 million Metro Parkway, linking the university to downtown Jackson, �will open a new world for Jackson State."

"The future is bright," Mason said. "We are more secure each day. The student body is good. Enrollment is up. The pride that Jacksonians have for the university will be enhanced as well."

Kendrick Marshall, a student at Jackson State University, is editor of The Blue & White Flash.

Posted March 21, 2005