Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board has selected a search firm to assist with Jackson State University’s president search from the 11 proposals submitted. The position has been vacant since May when Marcus Thompson resigned as president less than two years into his tenure.
The state’s governing body which oversees Mississippi’s eight public universities voted Thursday during executive session at its annual retreat to select Association of Governing Board of Universities and Colleges Search, an executive headhunting firm based in Washington, D.C, to assist with naming the historically Black university’s next leader.
The move is a departure from the IHL board’s usual pick, Academic Search, an executive firm they’ve used twice for past university president searches.
In 2023, the board hired Academic Search for $115,000 after Thomas Hudson, Thompson’s predecessor, resigned. The board also paid the firm $85,000 for the Delta State search, which resulted in Dan Ennis.
The firm presented a proposal that “best matched the qualifications outlined in the formal request for proposals,” a press statement from the board said. Trustees said it will iron out a formal contract with the firm in the next few days.
In August, the board announced to the public it began its official search process three months after Thompson’s resignation. For months, alumni and supporters of the university have raised questions and called for a fair, transparent national leadership search for the university.
The board did not announce any additional details regarding the JSU president search.
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