Jackson Free Press

Ivory Phillips, former dean of Jackson State University's College of Education, said he suspected Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr.'s proposal to merge three majority-black state universities into Jacobs State University falls in line with his recent push to downsize the university's curriculum. The Jackson Free Press broke the story here Tuesday afternoon.

"My suspicion is that this merger is related to the downsizing, but I fear the downsizing will continue whether or not the merger happens," Phillips said.

Phillips, other members of the Hinds County Chapter of the JSU National Alumni Association Political Action Committee, and the Mississippi Coalition of Black Higher Education voiced concerns last summer that Mason's push to streamline the university's curriculum would lead to a less rounded education for JSU graduates.

Mason confirmed last July that the university will be streamlining some of its courses, but referred to the process as the "regeneration of JSU." He also said he doubted the school's effectiveness or cultural heritage would suffer.

"What we've said is that we have more university than we have money to operate," Mason told the Jackson Free Press July 15, 2009, explaining that some programs would be lost through reorganization.

Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, and Rep. Billy Broomfield, D-Moss Point, confirmed that Mason approached them with the idea to downsize historically black colleges—Alcorn State University, Mississippi Valley State University and Jackson State University—into specialized campuses united under the name Jacobs State University.

Harden said Tuesday afternoon that she did not approve of the proposal: "We need to do something (about under-funded black universities), but this isn't it. I can't stand behind this."

Mason's proposal, designed to contend with "draconian budget cuts over the next two years," according to a document submitted along with Mason's PowerPoint presentation to legislators last week, calls for merging JSU into a facility specializing in liberal arts and science. Under the same plan, Valley would become "Mississippi Valley College" and would specialize in "service learning," while Alcorn University would become "Alcorn College," offering traditional degrees and remedial classes.

"It is a crisis, but there is always opportunity in crisis," Mason wrote in his presentation. "... For the sake of our children, I think it is time we consider joining forces. If we stand alone, we are more vulnerable than we have ever been. If we come together as one, we have a fighting chance."

Mason did not return calls for comment.

The proposal ultimately calls for the resulting new university—named after former slave and Jackson State founder H.P. Jacobs—to split the three campuses up over seven sites throughout the state. Legislative prerequisites for the merger include: a one-time appropriation of $10 million over the course of two years for legal, accounting and marketing; and maintenance of state funding from the $503 million settlement from the 1957 Ayers lawsuit, which was brought against the state for its unequal funding of its three historically black universities.

Phillips said he had no faith in the merger: "It's a terrible idea that will diminish education opportunities for African Americans in Mississippi. I know it plans for JSU to have a dominating position in the merger, but I'm not interested in JSU having a dominating position. I'm looking at the overall picture of education opportunities."

The proposal—a document containing numerous typos obtained by the JFP Tuesday—was meant to be a privately shared file shown only to a handful of people, Mason told The Clarion-Ledger today. The black legislators to whom Mason carried the proposition reacted harshly to the prospect, however, and gave the proposal to the Jackson Free Press Tuesday, along with their outrage.

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, had earlier considered putting all possibilities for meeting the state's budget shortfalls on the table, including the possibility for university mergers. Flaggs stepped away from that position a few weeks ago, arguing that the relatively small amount of money saved ($35 million, according to Gov. Haley Barbour's estimate) didn't justify the sacrifice, and refused to endorse the Mason plan.

"I'm not touching that," Flaggs said resolutely. "I've said before that I stand against mergers, and I still do. It just doesn't offer the cost benefit for the sacrifice."

Alcorn graduate Jack Wilson complained that the proposal reduced his alma mater to a lower status. "It turns Alcorn into a place to educate high school students who graduated without the necessary skills for a college education," Wilson said.

Previous Commentsshow

Came today from Ed Blackmon, verbatim: Subject: Edward Blackmon, Jr.'s Response to Othor Cain's January 23, 2010 E-mail Over the last twenty-four hours I have been contacted by numerous individuals who expressed concern about the dissemination of an email of January 23, 2010, authored by Othor Cain, wherein, Mr. Cain reports that a "source close to the situation" reported to him that I, along with others, were "on board" with Dr. Mason's alleged plan to create a new university, comprised of Alcorn, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State Universities. For the record, Mr. Cain's report concerning my support for such a merger is an unmitigated lie. I was never contacted by Mr. Cain to determine my position on this matter before he published and repeated the lie alleging that I supported the demise of these three great universities. I resent having to defend myself and waste the time of others in hearing my defense on an issue which has a reality only in the mind of the author of the January 23, 2010 email, titled, "Oppose Mergers". However, when my reputation is maligned, such as is the case here, I am compelled to respond. I appreciate the support of friends who have come to my defense against Mr. Cain's report, but it is now time for me to speak on my own behalf. My financial support for our historical black colleges over the years, is an indicator of my continuing support for their existence. My wife Barbara and I, have contributed more than $700,000,00 to Jackson State University and more than $1.5 million dollars to Tougaloo College. My twenty-eight year battle in the Mississippi House of Representatives to secure adequate funding for our historical black colleges, is another indicator of my continuing support for their existence. I challenge Mr. Cain to do something other than initiate rumor and pass on unsupported allegations to show his support for these institutions. I will continue to support the mission of these vital institutions with words, deeds and the same energy that I have put forth all of my adult life. Again, the report by Mr. Cain concerning my position on the existence of the sacred institutions of Jackson State University, Alcorn University and Mississippi Valley State University is false. Sincerely, Edward Blackmon, Jr. Edward Blackmon, Jr., Esq. BLACKMON & BLACKMON, PLLC 907 West Peace Street Post Office Drawer 105 Canton, Mississippi 39046 Telephone: (601) 859-1567 Facsimile: (601) 859-2311 Email: edblackmon@blackmonlawfirm.com

DonnaLadd

Jan 27 2010

Ed Blackmon writes like he went to Tougaloo College. To the point and without biting his tongue, et al

Walt

Jan 27 2010

As I think more about this whole situation; I am suspecting this is all a smokescreen and divide-and-conquer technique. I agree with Mr. Blackmon, rumor and innuendo are the marks of a weak argument. We will find out what the true motives and goals are within the next few weeks. I am going to scrutinize everything- Gov. Barbour is a master of propoganda and misdirection. Keep your eyes open.

revdrstewart

Jan 28 2010

Based on the C-L's reports this morning, Mason appears to be standing behind his proposal, which he admits to being a work in progress. This idea may very well cost him his presidency.

Jeff Lucas

Jan 28 2010

If there is anything leaders at Jackson State do not get, it's public relations. And I don't just mean sending releases about big events right before the event so we can't write about them, but I mean that, too. Grrrr. In Mason's case, he should have at least staged a public forum so people could talk about this instead of acting it out in secret. To my knowledge, he still hasn't returned the call to the reporter who broke the story (Adam), which doesn't make him look any more forthcoming about it all. Reminds me of the bulldozer nightmare. Indicates very little situational awareness.

DonnaLadd

Jan 28 2010

And all that is true, PR-wise, regardless of whether this could be a good idea, or have kernels of a good idea in it. Sounds like he's going to kill it before it's vetted by sneaking around the proposal. He needs a good communications adviser at the least.

DonnaLadd

Jan 28 2010

@ladd but that has been his problem for years he does that in almost all his interactions with the student body as well and then stands back and looks stunned when they don't trust him. I think it is one thing to have an unpopular proposal or idea its other to act shady and he is coming out shady. Much like the imminent domain situation had he just clearly stated the university's intent to begin with he wouldn't have been running around looking crazy. He doesn't know how to talk to people and Anthony Dean doesn't do a good job in helping him.

multiculturegirl

Jan 28 2010

I don't understand why legislators will not look at cutting the MDOC budget. We want to reduce the opportunities for our students; however, we are willing to throw bad money after bad money to MDOC. House arrest is far less expensive than incarceration. Obviously we don't feel safe with murderers, rapist, pediphilles, and the like on house arrest; however, there are numerous inmates who are not threats to society who could be at home. It cost way more to incarcerate an individual than it does to educate.

Powerman

Jan 28 2010

Baquan, I've heard that Alumni giving pabulum before and it doesn't fly with me. Look at the Mason proposal. He actually does a good job of laying out the problems with HBCU's and the state. The purposeful legacy of crippling human potential of blacks by the state has created an atmosphere where not only have blacks suffered, but the state’s white citizens have benefitted. According to the proposal, 70% of the CEO’s in the State have Degrees from U of MS and 15% have degrees from MSU. Now, if your alumni base has more millionaires than actual living alumni at, say MS Valley (not to mention the vast differences and inequities in wealth and access to capital between the two bases), then you can see where alumni giving can’t and shouldn’t make up for the effects of hundreds of years and present practice of discrimination and adverse policies and practices by the state. Simply put, why punish the black schools because of the state’s injustices? If anything, cuts should be applied deeper and more swiftly to the PWCU’s before they are applied to the HBCU’s simply because A) the PWCU’s have the alumni giving and fundraising acumen to sustain deeper and more broad cuts and 2) the state owes it to its HBCU’s to ensure their continued growth and development. But hey, this is MS, so the status quo dictates otherwise.

Renaldo Bryant

Jan 28 2010

@ baquan I agree that alums need to step it up but I think it is unfair to rest it at their feet. These schools has one of the same problems with alumni investment that my CC does broke alumni. I am tired of people acting as if HBCU's no longer serve a purpose in our society because they do. So what PWI's are increasing their minority recruitment mostly they are recruiting our top students and then what about everyone else? That's one thing Mason did get right. Are they are suppose to be relegated to CC? Statistics show that AA graduates of HBCU's are more likely to go on to graduate school, HBCU's mission's have changed and I think its time that they publicly define that but as long as their is still an achievement gap and public education in many areas remains largely segregated not law but by de facto segregation and AA students graduate from inferior school, HBCU's will still be relevant in closing that gap. Additionally for the record there is a college fund for PUBLIC HBCU's the Thurgood Marshall College Fund it not as old as the UNCF but they are kicking behind in fundraising and the programing they are doing is fabulous! Also enrollment at Jackson State has not been declining for the last several years it was increasing or staying the same Alcorn and Valley are another story. I can't speak for Valley but I do know that Jackson State does actively recruit non black students and has been working on ways to make sure they are being accommodating and cultural sensitive to international students

multiculturegirl

Jan 28 2010

I am well aware that we have not met the Ayers requirement (which for the record I think was stupid but no point in arguing about it) my point was that they are recruiting, and I have heard about ole school "hood" Dixon. LOL but it's suite style now so that ain't happening. And not really agreeing on the increase in enrollment issue due to facilities because you have to also look at what is happening with tuition and availability of financial aid. I know my mom went back to school in the 80's and she barely had to take out a loan her Pell grant covered most of her tuition. I came out of CC in debt not to mention JSU and I'm not even finished now because partially because I'm broke!

multiculturegirl

Jan 28 2010

Baquan, I agree it’s deep, but this simply isn’t about enrollment numbers. Black schools have always been smaller than white schools in enrollment. Black students are using our black schools as a “last resort” because the resources just don’t stack up. From facilities, to faculty, to degree programs, the resources at the white schools would attract better and more students. In light of that reality, the answer ain’t to do a “Animal House” pledge response and say “Thank you Sir, may I have another!!!” and fold up shop. The answer is to lay out the problems and solutions that will strengthen the offerings for more students; black and white, at the black schools. I went to a black school as well, and I can tell you, the deeper issue with JSU is mission. Many recruiters and lobbyist for JSU are still talking about the school as if there are still recently freed slaves running around barefoot and toothless in the MS delta. The historic mission of black schools was remedial. But, you can’t go to a good black student, or any good student for that matter, talking about “our mission is to educate the underprivileged; the students who have historically and educationally been disadvantaged by the unjust educational system” if that means lowering admission standards and academic expectations. This contributes a great deal to the inequalities that we see. Granted this reality is characterized by a lack of resources and could be remedied with a serious investment in the school by the state, who owes it such an investment. But ultimately, we have to start rethinking the mission of our black schools if we want to attract more and better students. But, merging the schools and not demanding justice will just perpetuate the status quo, not actually “empower” the economic and professional base in the black community.

Renaldo Bryant

Jan 28 2010

@Blackwatch I do agree and I have often said if we would recruit for academics have as hard as we do for football and the band then well..... I would like to publicly say though that I gave up a scholarship offer at Millsaps, Tulane, and Loyola Chicago,to go to Jackson State. (and just in case someone is wonder why then I'm in debt my scholarship was only two years and I wasn't done!)High achieving students do choose to go to Jackson State the problem lies in when they get there and are disappointed because they are never challenged in class and they are stuck with bad services all over campus and then they wonder why they bothered. That's bad for business.

multiculturegirl

Jan 28 2010

I'm curious, Blackwatch, what you do see as the new mission for HBU's in the 21st century - how do you see a recrafted mission that speaks to current lives as much as it does to history? I think your point on that was interesting. Also, I agree about to much football and sports, and not enough challenge. That puts me in the minority, maybe. I was talking about merging ALL Mississippi public universities with a friend, like they do in California (UC-Berkeley, UCLA, etc) and my friend was like, the football fans will NEVER let that happen. How is it as a state we put football before learning? Curious.

Izzy

Jan 29 2010

Then again, I went to a very unique undergraduate liberal arts college that had no fraternities and sororities, and absolutely no organized sports. Just lots of pick up games, bands playing in the commons and tons of people very interested in the material they were learning. For me it was the best.

Izzy

Jan 29 2010

Baquan And Izzy, HBCU's new mission isn't really new, and in fact is the only mission that has made and will make them relevant and necessary in the 21st century-to empower the black community through a liberating educational experience for students and advocacy for black communities. The mistake JSU and the others in MS are making is that they believe that educating black people is about teaching them how to get a job, not about how to become collectively empowered. I work with too many JSU alums who do not understand the opportunities they have to engage, challenge, empower and transform the political, educational, economic, and social landscape of MS. They know all too well how to go to work everyday and not get fired, but they don't understand structural analysis, critical thinking, political organizing, strategic planning, and the historical machinations of social change, all of which would have been learned in a liberating educational experience that you should receive at an HBCU. These issues are not unique to the HBCU's in MS, but nonetheless they need to be highlighted. This is the only model that has ever really worked for HBCU's. Of course, when students come, they maybe behind and lacking many academic skills. But make sure that when they leave, that degree is worth something. This is what hampers the recruiting efforts more so than sports and band. It is only trumped by resources, which I won't go into again.

Renaldo Bryant

Jan 29 2010

Yeah. To me, a state-wide merger of all administrative, HR & other operational costs is not out of the question, though I could be convinced it wasn't a good idea, also - I'd need to see the data and the actual proposals. But I do think it is possible to retain individual identity and still join a larger system. I'm wondering what Florida does - they have a website listing all of their campus universities and it seems central but I don't know for sure how much they share. But I know from going to high school and college in Florida that the universities there all had unique flavor and plenty of football excitement. The issue with Jackson State, though could be separate conversation from the larger one. Is Prairie View an HBCU?

Izzy

Jan 29 2010

So that is a model where the school merged into the state system yet kept a unique identity. I see many, many schools struggling right now, even ones with successful endowments. The market in 2008 was so bad and also in 2009, many schools lost ground and many are trying to get back on track. Costs rise, and how to keep up? I don't know answers but I think that analyzing all options and going down the list, point by point, of pros/cons is one way to assess what to do in difficult financial times. Looking at models in other states can reveal possible solutions. As to the mission of universities - to liberate and teach social theory - I get that completely. My undergrad experience was all about the power of thought, how to analyze all sides of an argument, how to think for myself and how to find moral purpose when there are many ambiguous issues at play. But I wonder, do many people see the function of education as this? I see many who want to get tutored on getting a job, and then have fun drinking and going to sporting events.

Izzy

Jan 29 2010

I wonder how much difference it would have made if President Mason had made his recommendation before the Governor's?

WMartin

Jan 29 2010

lmao @ baquan really dude ol' school and lil joe you went there! lol but your right it wouldn't have mattered if he had said it first because people don't like or trust him AT ALL. Plus he through in a name and mascot change people are too hot at him idk what he was smoking when he decided to share it with whomever but he was stupid for doing it. As I stated before he is known for talking out both sides of his mouth. Baquan I too appreciate the great building that has occurred during his presidency but let us also remember that he is not responsible for all of it many of the progress that we see now was put in motion by those that came before him he is reaping the benefits just like if he left today a new president would get the photo op with the next new building and few will remember that it was Mason who started it.

multiculturegirl

Jan 29 2010