Dear Jacksonians:

Welcome to JSUBlue - the Jackson State University Strategic Planning website. Together, in 2001 we began the task of charting a new horizon for Jackson State University and the community surrounding it. Since that time we have recalibrated the budgets to be more in line with the mission of the academic units, fostered new public private partnerships, acquired funding and moved forward on a number of construction initiatives as well as participated in a number of system-wide and process oriented controls to better manage the resources of Jackson State. Feel free to review those accomplishments and advances in the five year report located under the “Site Overview” section of the Strategic Planning Website.

We have made great progress to date yet there is much to be done. Over the next year this website will continue to grow as a living document containing exciting information about the future of Jackson State and the work conducted on its behalf. Much of this information has and will continue to come from you - the Jackson State Community – so feel free to continue contributing your insights to these pages whenever you feel inclined to do so. The venue for submission of your insights and contributions can be accessed at jsublue@jsums.edu.

We all play a vital role in the future of Jackson State and we must rally together to ensure that our University reaches and operates at its full potential. This website is meant to be your vehicle to that future. It will identify and prioritize our opportunities and our challenges so that we can reach clarity and consensus about the direction for the University. It will notify the campus community of upcoming meetings and events on the Strategic Planning calendar. And most importantly, this website will be available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week so that when you recognize an area or an issue which you view as pertinent to the Strategic Planning process you can submit it to this site. I ask for your full cooperation in this process.

Dr. Monique Guillory, the Deputy Chief of Staff, was a catalyst in initiating the project management of this effort and has now moved on to other leadership roles in education. Mr. Rod Denne’, Special Assistant to Mr. Troy A. Stovall, Senior Vice President for Finance and Operation, will continue those efforts as the Strategic Planning Coordinator. He will organize meetings with members of the campus community, the Kaludis Consulting Group and the Blue Ribbon Commission.

Become a part of the Strategic Planning Process. Attend the meetings that are scheduled for your division. Submit possible strategic issues to this website. Discuss these issues with your Jackson State friends and colleagues. This is your opportunity to make Jackson State the institution it is meant to be. This Strategic Plan will only be as strong as we make it. We all have our opinions about what Jackson State needs to do to become a world-class institution of higher learning. This Strategic Plan is our first step towards articulating and realizing that vision.

Thank you for your support,
Ronald Mason, Jr.
President