INSTITUTIONAL AID-TITLE III PROGRAMS

Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI)

Strengthening the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI) Program funds are used to support Jackson State University's Environmental Science Ph.D. Program. While initiation efforts began in 1992, the comprehensive implementation of the program's academic activities did not commence until funding was received from the United States Department of Education in 1994. This support has had a tremendous impact on the development of the advanced degree program. Five students graduated in 2003, raising the total number of graduates to 25 environmental science Ph.D. scholars. All of these graduates have become professionals in academia, local, state, and federal agencies, as well as in industry. Students receiving Title III graduate research assistantship have performed, and continue to do very well in school. Through the development of an adequate research infrastructure equipped with needed multiuser research and training instruments, Title III has also assisted all graduate students who are enrolled in the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program.

Currently, twenty-five students are matriculating in the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program and are benefiting either directly or indirectly from Title III support. These funds are also helping tremendously, in the renovation of space for teaching and administration activities, the purchase of research equipment, and the development and operation of several specialized laboratories including the Computational/Environmental Modeling Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Cellular and Molecular Biology Core Laboratory, and Cellomics and Toxicogenomics Laboratory. The laboratories provide opportunities for graduate students and faculty members to perform valuable environmental science research at the University.

Title III support has helped Jackson State University to accomplish its mission in the three-core areas of teaching, research, and service. In the area of teaching, Title III has provided resources to recruit and train a substantial number of advanced degree students. It has also helped to hire the faculty and technical personnel, to develop the teaching infrastructure, to develop and strengthen the program curriculum, to place students in summer internships, and to provide developmental opportunities to the faculty. In the area of research, Title III funding has been critical in the development of a significant number of specialized laboratories that serve as platforms for collaborative and high quality research, and nurture the intellectual capital of students and faculty members. Additionally, such research significantly contributed to the Carnegie Foundation's recent designation of Jackson State University as a comprehensive, research intensive institution. Title III support has assisted the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program in implementing important outreach activities. They include a viable faculty exchange program, seminar and workshop series, and conferences and symposia to convey environmental literacy and technology transfer to the public.

Jackson State University applauds the efforts and success of Dr. Paul B. Tchounwou, Director of the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Science. He received the 2003 White House Initiative on HBCU's Millennium Award for Excellence in Research for distinguished service. Since joining the University, he has excelled in many professional areas. In February 2003, he was selected Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. In April 2003, he was named to the Federal Advisory Board for Pollution Prevention and Toxics Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In December 2002, Dr. Tchounwou was selected by the International Biographical Center in Cambridge, England to receive the International Order of Merit and was awarded a Certificate for Grateful Recognition for this Outstanding Performance, Productivity, and Dedication to the Jackson State University's Research and Sponsored Programs Enterprise.