Dr. William B. Bynum, Jr., 11th President of Jackson State University spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s February 4, 2020, meeting. Dr. Bynum received his undergraduate education in Sociology at Davidson University in Davidson, NC and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University in Durham, NC. Prior to becoming President of JSU, Dr. Bynum served Clark University in Atlanta, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, & Mississippi Valley State University. He is a native of Rocky Mount, NC.
Dr. Bynum recounted the history of JSU, which was founded as Natchez Seminary in 1877 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. Over time, the university grew and changed. In 1934 the Home Mission Society withdrew its support. Jackson State became state-supported in 1940 and was renamed Jackson State University in 1974. JSU is consistently ranked as one of the top HBCUs in the US. The university offers some 50 graduate programs in 9 colleges and schools and 5 satellite campuses in the Jackson Metropolitan Area in addition to online learning. It is classified as a “higher research university” by the Carnegie Foundation.
Jackson State’s main campus consists of 245 acres in West Jackson. Dr. Bynum discussed plans to develop 25 acres on the east side of the main campus in a “P3” development where P3 refers to a public, private partnership. Proposals for specific developments will be received in November 2020.
When Dr. Bynum was named president, the university was in a “cash crunch” that he attributed to excessive scholarships that cut into the revenue stream. He said that the university is now cash-flow positive and is near to meeting the Institution of Higher Learning’s (IHL) cash guidelines.
We thank Dr. Bynum for his presentation and for his work on behalf of JSU. He is shown below following his talk with from Left to right: Dr. Dorothy Anderson, Dr. Bynum, Rotarian and Club Director Larry Anderson, and Dr.Theresia Ratliff, Director of Social Work Field Placement, JSU.
