Jackson State receives over $23 million in state funds for campus projects. What is on tap?

Charlie Drape, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Jackson State University is set to receive millions from the state after a bill was signed into law that dishes out funds to Mississippi's public universities for capital improvements.

Senate Bill 2468 includes more than $820 million in state expenditures. That sum includes funds to cities such as Jackson, which received $9.4 million for various projects. A total of $110 million is headed to seven universities within Mississippi's Institutions of Higher Learning, as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the appropriation bill on Monday.

Jackson State University and Mississippi State University received a majority of the funds; both universities received just over $23 million. JSU received just over $8 million from the IHL in 2023 for construction and furnishing of a residence hall.

For JSU, exactly $7 million will go to "repair, renovate and purchase a new residence hall." Another portion of those funds, just over $16 million, will be used for further repairs to campus facilities. Specifically, McAllister-Whiteside Hall, JSU's women's residence hall, was mentioned in the bill. The funds will also be used for the "development of alternative water resources."

At the start of the 2023 school year last August, hundreds of JSU students were put on a waitlist and placed in off-campus housing. The university released a statement at the time, saying JSU is "experiencing positive growth that is outpacing its physical plant."

Jackson State University's McAllister-Whiteside Hall, a women's residence hall, is one of the campus facilities that will see repairs and renovations after a bill that allocates JSU more than $23 million was signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.
Jackson State University's McAllister-Whiteside Hall, a women's residence hall, is one of the campus facilities that will see repairs and renovations after a bill that allocates JSU more than $23 million was signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

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The university didn't go into specifics about when the new residence hall will be built or what "alternative water resources" entail, but released a statement from Marcus Thompson, JSU's president.

“We so greatly appreciate our appropriation and the invaluable support of Gov. Reeves, our legislators, policymakers, and stakeholders," Thompson said. "This infusion of resources will help enhance the educational experiences and quality of life for our present and prospective students. We look forward to ongoing collaboration and opportunities to amplify Jackson State's standing as a world-class institution.”

Other area schools have experienced a shortage of on-campus housing as well. Mississippi College announced this week that more than 70 admitted students for next fall are on a wait list for campus housing due to the popularity of the Speed Scholarship.

Every state university under the IHL flag received project funding except the Mississippi University for Women.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State University receives millions in state funds, what's next?

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