Velvelyn B. Foster, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Life, is responsible for administrative oversight of all academic matters and student services of the University.   She is committed to building a strong curriculum to ensure a quality education for students, and an environment conducive to faculty and staff development. Her steadfast commitment to Jackson State is evident in her more than three decades of service to the university.

Foster earned the B. A. degree from Jackson State University and the M.A. and Doctor of Arts degrees from Carnegie Mellon University . She began her tenure at Jackson State as associate professor of history and later achieved the rank of full professor. Her academic areas of specialization include southern history, women's history, and Mississippi history. Her research efforts and collaborations have resulted in publications in scholarly and refereed history journals, a history textbook currently used in Mississippi’s public schools, as well as publications on education topics pertaining to curriculum reform, teacher education and social studies. She has presented papers covering topics related to American History prior to 1865, the Reconstruction Era, Recent American Political History, Black Genealogy, and the Constitution at various national meetings and conferences.