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WJSU-FM Public Radio Launches Urban Alt Sister Station

“Cool and Current” WJSU-FM, the leader of jazz radio and programming in the tri-county area, launched a new radio station Aug 27, 2022, The Sipp FM. Licensed to Jackson State University (JSU) and made possible through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), The Sipp FM is an urban alternative radio format seeking to engage a new generation of public radio listeners, specifically ages 18-44.

Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Dr.Bessie House-Soremekun

Welcome

It is my pleasure to kick off our inaugural edition of our newsletter for the College of Liberal Arts at Jackson State University. The College of Liberal Arts is one of the largest colleges on our campus, with 10 departments, 6 centers/institutes, and numerous faculty, staff, students, and alumni.. Our departments include Art and Theatre; Criminal Justice and Sociology; English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communication; History and Philosophy; Journalism and Media Studies; Political Science; Music; Military Science; Public Policy and Administration; and Psychology. We are the home of  The Bob Owens Pre-Law Center, The Richard Wright Center, The Margaret Walker Center, The Applied Psychological Services Center, The Community Health Programs, and  The Interdisciplinary Alcohol and Drug Studies Center.  Our mission in the College of Liberal Arts is to provide opportunities for the attainment of educational excellence for our students and to provide them with the critical thinking skills that they will need to successfully navigate the 21st century knowledge economy. We will also continue to support the academic and professional development of our faculty and staff.  
 
Our goal in this newsletter is to continually highlight some of the ways in which our faculty, staff, students, and alums continue to achieve excellence in numerous ways. We will also emphasize our efforts to build and expand collaborations  with our multitudinous community partners. These goals are in alignment with Jackson State University’s strategic plan, which emphasizes our ongoing efforts as an institution to support student success, research excellence, and connecting with the broader community and beyond.   We hope that you will enjoy reading our newsletter on an ongoing basis.

Newsletter Committee

Dr. Ivan Elezovic, Music

Mr. Mark Geil, Art & Theatre

Dr. RaShell R. Smith-Spears, English, Foreign Languages, & Speech Communication

Ms. Shannon Tatum, Journalism & Media Studies

Ms. Lauren Washington, Student, Journalism & Media Studies

JSU's Creative Writing Program hosts Kentucky’s Poet Laureate

The Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) awarded JSU’s Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communication a $5,000 grant, matched by a private donor to the Creative Writing Program, to support its Writers Series’ inaugural event on October 27, 2022. The awarded funds hosted poet Crystal Wilkinson for a public forum, poetry reading, and Master Class for select Creative Writing Program students.

Students Complete JSU/HCSO Internship

The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce the completion of the semester internship program with Jackson State University for three students with the College of Liberal Arts.

COLA Students Shine

Jose’ McBride, a second year clinical psychology doctoral student, has been awarded a

prestigious fellowship by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation HPRS program. He recently

returned from the Fall Health Policy Institute for RWJF Scholars which was held at John

Hopkins University. His mentor is Dr. James Broussard.

COLA Students Shine

Students at Jackson State University were filmed for an episode of The College Tour. The College Tour is a TV series that streams on various platforms, putting viewers in the shoes of college students amongst various universities. The episode featuring Jackson State University was filmed this November and will premiere in March 2023. 

The tour takes viewers through the college campus, introducing them to the inner workings of each university. Jackson State’s episode is the 2nd filmed at an HBCU, letting the viewers see a day in the life of a Black college student. The show is hosted by Alex Boylan, award winning producer and graduate of Jacksonville University to show more of an inside perspective of different colleges. There are seven seasons of The College Tour available to watch now. https://www.thecollegetour.com/

JSU’s Political Science Department receives $14,000 grant from SPLC

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has awarded JSU’s Department of Political Science a $14,000 grant as a part of their Vote Your Voice initiative.

DEPARTMENT OF ART AND THEATRE ALUMNA PROFILE

Assistant Professor of Art History Dr. Brittany Myburgh interviewed 2016 graphic design graduate Latrice Lawson. Ms. Lawson is currently the Associate Creative Director at the Mississippi Museum of Art and a practicing artist and designer.

COLA Faculty Highlights

English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communication

Smith, Shanna. “Distance Mentoring & Virtual Collaboration between Black Women Faculty: Navigating Academic Waters. “Association for the Study of African American Life and History Conference. Montgomery, AL. October 1, 2022.

Smith-Spears, RaShell R. “You Ain’t Mad, Is You? Black Women’s Anger in Green’s Lovecraft Country and Clark’s Ring Shout.” Popular Culture Association of the South/American Culture Association Conference. New Orleans, LA. October 2022.

History and Philosophy

Luckett, Robert. Keynote Speaker. Association of African American Museums conference. Miami, FL. August 2022.

Turnipseed, Cassie. “The Global Impact of Cotton—The Cotton Pickers’ Monument Project.” Black Doctoral Network Conference. Atlanta, GA. Oct 27-29, 2022.

Alumni Highlights

Jackson State University hosted The Black College Live Show on December 3rd, 2022 as they broadcasted live for the SWAC Championship game. ESPN commentators Jay Walker and Tiffany Greene met again at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the pregame tailgate show at 11:00 A.M.. The 2022 SWAC Championship set a record attendance, with 53,754 fans total in support of Jackson State and Southern University. 

The Black College Live show is a space created to focus on HBCU football. The tailgate featured various talents and shoutouts to Jackson State fans as the crowd prepared for the SWAC Championship game. The Black College Live show also broadcasts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. https://www.facebook.com/BlackCollegeLive/

COLA Faculty Highlights

Music

Elezovic, Ivan. “Circle Noise for audio-visual media.” Convergence 2022, Music Technology Ideas. De Montfort University, Institute for Sonic Creativity–MTI, Leicester, England. September 2022

Website of the conference: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/research/research-faculties-and-institutes/technology/mtirc/convergence-2022.aspx

Conference program: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/documents/research/faculties-institutes/convergence-programme-outline.pdf

 

Psychology

Banks, Pamela and Donovan Taylor (Student). “COVID-19 and the Belief Adjustment Model.” Research Engagement Week. Jackson, MS. October 2022.

McLin, Dawn “Taking Action: Using multimedia technologies to reduce vulnerability to disasters among underrepresented communities.” Research Engagement Week Colloquium. Jackson, MS. October 2022 

2022 MEDIA APPEARANCES by Cassie Turnipseed:

  • BBC-Scotland, “Global Impact of Cotton”– Ruairidh Maciver (interviewer), 11/9/22
  • MPB/Ashley Norwood Productions, “Ayers Case & HBCU Documentary,” 11/3/22  
  • Washington Post, “Global Impact of Cotton,” Deneen Brown (interviewer), 10/1 & 10/16/22
  • The Guardian Newspaper, London, England, Courtney Yusuf (interviewer), 10/17/22

Sonic Boom Learning Lab Opens

The grand opening for the Sonic Boom Learning Lab occurred on November 3, 2022. The lab, born of an idea from Ms. Shelbie Jamison, the COLA retention and compliance coordinator, under the direction of the former College of Liberal Arts Dean, Dr. K.B. Turner, is designed to provide extra academic assistance and mentoring to band students.

Professor Publishes 7th Book

2022-23 Psychology PhD Cohort

Christmas Party 2022