Jackson State President Thomas Hudson has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.
The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) has named Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony as the temporary acting president of JSU at its meeting held in Jackson Thursday.
Dr. Hayes-Anthony currently serves as Chair and Professor at JSU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies and has held that position since 2015. She previously worked as a professor of Communications and chair of the Department of Communications at Belhaven University from 1998 until 2015.
“We are grateful that Dr. Hayes-Anthony has agreed to serve as Acting President,” Tom Duff, President of the Board of Trustees of the IHL, said. “As an alumnus and long-time administrator and faculty member at the university, she understands the campus, its students, its challenges and opportunities.”
Dr. Hayes-Anthony earned both her bachelor of science and master’s degrees at JSU, and obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication Broadcast Law at Southern Illinois, Carbondale.
She has a distinguished career in broadcast journalism. A native of Jackson, she made a name for herself as the first African-American female news anchor on WJTV Channel 12. She was appointed assistant superintendent of public information for the Jackson Public School District and spokesperson for the Jackson School Board, before accepting the position at Belhaven.
She has received a number of accolades from her work and civic involvement, including being named the 2014 recipient of the Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award.
The Board of Trustees will discuss the future leadership of Jackson State at its regular Board meeting later this month.
