Jackson State’s new president will get leadership training for a role previously marked by turmoil

Jackson State University’s new president will receive a year of outside leadership training as she transitions into the job, which has been tumultuous for her predecessors.

Denise Jones Gregory took the permanent role of president on May 1 after holding the interim role for a year. She is entering a position that has been held by four people in six years. And she will be in charge of leading an institution dealing with a number of challenges, including a student housing shortage and frayed relationships with alumni because of the constant leadership turnover and skepticism of the presidential hiring process.

The coaching she will receive was part of the $97,500 contract Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board signed with AGB Search in September, according to a copy obtained by Mississippi Today. The firm leads executive searches at universities.

It marks the first time a Jackson State president has received such training when moving into the role.

Kim Bobby, a principal with AGB Search, said the training helps presidents get familiar with their new institution and the region and build relationships with the board, faculty, and community members. The firm took Jackson State’s cultural significance as a historically Black university into consideration when shaping the training, she said.

“It’s not a generic process,” Bobby said. “It’s really designed looking to initiate a close relationship and establish communication expectations and protocols around the transition.”

Gregory, a Jackson State alumna, enters the permanent role at a time when colleges and universities across the country are facing significant pressure from state lawmakers scrutinizing how well they are preparing students and from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pushed universities to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and has threatened their research funding.

University presidents are serving shorter tenures than ever — 5.9 years compared to 8.5 years two decades ago — according to the American Council on Education.

Gregory said in an email statement to Mississippi Today that, like every university, JSU “faces challenges that require steady attention and measurable progress.” Those challenges include helping students stay enrolled and ensuring they have access to academic support and real-world opportunities.

There are also infrastructure needs that must be addressed, she said. The university struggles to maintain enough housing and complete building renovations on schedule, she said. A key win happened recently: On Tuesday, the university broke ground on a new dining hall, which will have a capacity of 550. Several housing projects are ongoing and set to be completed next year, she said.

Gregory also said she’s working to expand scholarships and sustain donor support for the university.

“Students and families want to invest in institutions where they can clearly see momentum, opportunity, support and long-term vision, and that is exactly what we are working to build,” she said.

The role of president at JSU is historically one marked by turmoil and leadership scandals.

In 2016, Carolyn Meyers resigned from JSU, leaving behind unresolved financial issues. William B. Bynum Jr., Meyers’ successor, resigned in 2020 after he was arrested in a prostitution sting.

The next two presidents, Thomas Hudson and Marcus Thompson, both resigned suddenly without explanation.

Gregory said she hopes to bring stability. Shifting from interim to permanent helps “to ensure continuity with strong governance support and an effective transition,” she said in an email statement.

College presidents are stepping down earlier than ever due to the demands of the job and sometimes their lack of experience, said Judith Wilde, a George Mason University professor who studies college presidential searches. Training like what AGB Search offers can help a president navigate an increasingly complex role, she said.

“I don’t think any president, even if they’ve been president before, is ready to become a president right now,” Wilde said. “Things are so different with the current administration. It has also become a job that is not Monday through Friday, nine to five.”

Presidential search firms interact with alumni, faculty, students and board members during the search process. That gives them a unique perspective that helps them see what an institution needs, said Felecia Commodore, an education policy professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies HBCUs.

Women presidents, particularly at HBCUs, are often scrutinized for their ability to lead a university in ways their male counterparts aren’t, Commodore said. Gregory is the second woman in a decade to hold the permanent title at JSU.

“We see it happen more so with women, especially black women, that after there have been some challenges and sometimes crises at an institution, women are either put in as interim president or president and expected to fix everything,” Commodore said.

Gregory’s experience as JSU’s interim president for nearly a year may help her transition into the top job, Wilde said.

Gregory told Mississippi Today in an email statement that she spent the last year fostering relationships, including with staff, faculty and leaders within the university community.

“If she showed that she is serious and does position herself with the knowledge, skills and expertise to lead a university, that shows her commitment to the institution and serving the community,” Wilde said.

Earlexia Norwood, incoming JSU National Alumni Association president, said Gregory deserves this type of coaching. Alumni in recent years have clashed with JSU and IHL over presidents not receiving the support needed to lead Mississippi’s largest historically Black university.

“All the support possible should be given to her just like support is given to all Mississippi university presidents,” Norwood said. “That support is well overdue.”

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This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.