JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

'Jacksonville State University' is a public university serving Northeast Alabama on a campus with 58 buildings in Jacksonville, Alabama which is in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama. Founded in 1883, as Jacksonville State Normal School, in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State Teachers College, and again in 1957 to Jacksonville State College. The present name Jacksonville State University didn't come about until about 1967.
Jacksonville State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor’s, master's, and Educational Specialist's degrees. Today, the university offers programs of study leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees in business, communication, education, family sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and nursing, in addition to continuing education programs. JSU currently has an enrollment of 9,000 students, with 400 faculty members (300 of whom are full-time). The current University President is Dr. William A. Meehan.
229 international students were enrolled in the 2005-06 academic year. The University has run its International House program, an international exchange program, for over 60 years. [1] JSU is also nationally recognized for its marching band, the Marching Southerners, which performs before thousands each year at marching exhibitions, football games, and parades, as well as its summer performance ensemble, Spirit from JSU Drum and Bugle Corps.

Contents

Campus events

Athletics

Greek life

University slogans

Statistics

Notable alumni

External links

Campus events

In February 2006, Jacksonville State University was named the winner of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) Speech Code of the Month. At the time FIRE called the University Code of Conduct “illegally overbroad.” They considered the code to be in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution which protects offensive speech. The policy has since been changed.
In August 2007 University President Dr. William Meehan was implicated in a plagiarism scandal related to his periodic column entitled "Town & Gown".
Recent columns published in The Jacksonville News, under the byline of Dr. Meehan, contained information that was not properly cited. These columns were written by the recently retired Director of JSU’s News Bureau who was working part-time to ghostwrite the weekly “Town & Gown” column.
Dr. Meehan charged the Integrity in Communications Committee on August 9, to conduct an extensive and thorough review of all communications generated by the JSU News Bureau.
The Committee was chaired by retired Seventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge Sam Monk and also included Dr. Glen Browder, former Alabama Secretary of State, former Member of the United States Congress, and JSU Professor Emeritus of Political Science and American Democracy; Dr. Michael E. Malone, former Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and former President of Troy University – Dothan; Mr. Chris Waddle, President of the Ayers Family Institute for Community Journalism, Director of Knight Community Journalism Fellows at the University of Alabama and a former Editor of The Anniston Star; and Ms. Felicia Mason, Executive Director of the Alabama Press Association.
“I want to stress that the Committee found no evidence of culpability or failure of leadership on the part of the President,” Judge Monk said. “The exceptional integrity of Dr. Meehan is underscored by the fact that our Committee was given a charge by him to act independently and go wherever the facts might lead without regard to consequences. Additionally, he appointed as members, persons of varied disciplines with no individual agendas or allegiances other than the truth.”
The Committee made several recommendations to Dr. Meehan, which he accepted with expressed appreciation.
“I appreciate the efforts and all the hard work of the Committee,” said Dr. Meehan. “They have provided the University with a very comprehensive review of the University’s external communications and also provided us with several recommendations that we will examine.”
A copy of the report was also provided to the University’s Board of Trustees for their review.
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A groundbreaking ceremony for the Little River Canyon Center was held recently. Pete
Conroy, director of the environmental policy and information center at Jacksonville State University, said, "This is a time of celebration - after many years of preparation. It took many people working as a team to obtain the land, locate funding for the building, develop the design."
Just at that moment, a low fly-over by a U.S. Air Force jet was a real surprise - though a coincidence - and mentioned as very appropriate by Conroy.
Conroy noted the building will be and will include National Park Service offices, an exhibit hall, meeting space, classrooms and comfort stations.
The site will be the headquarters of the JSU Little River Canyon Field School - which sponsors dozens of activities, seminars and programs each year. "This has been a beautiful location," Conroy said. "It will always be beautiful. Our structure will be environmentally friendly. You can see that one of our geothermal wells has already been dug."
The center's exterior will blend with the environment. Dark wood and artificial stone will be used. The artificial stone will be very similar in appearance and structure to real stone - but it will not be necessary to "blast away a mountainside to obtain the stone," Conroy had explained in an earlier program. Tightly-compacted strips of denim (recycled blue jeans) will be used to insulate the walls and ceiling. The comfort stations will use very little water. Heating and cooling systems will use geothermal energy.
Both Conroy and JSU President William A. Meehan noted that the Little River Canyon Center will be the best university-owned example of an environmentally friendly building in the state.
Randy Owen, a member of the Fort Payne-based country band Alabama and also a member of the board of trustees of JSU, reviewed the names of many of the early families who settled the area near the canyon. "I know that our ancestors would be proud of this project, because they loved this scenic land."
Owen also praised the late Congressman Tom Bevill for his efforts to promote cleanup of the canyon and to support the inclusion of the canyon into the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. In 1992, the canyon was designated a national preserve. During the summer months, the staff includes 15 park rangers.
Other officials making comments at the ceremony were state Rep. Richard Lindsey, whose legislative district includes Cherokee and Cleburne counties and a portion of DeKalb County; Lee Sentell of the state bureau of travel and tourism, and Ron Sparks, state commissioner of agriculture and industries. An earth-blessing invocation was led by Sister Laura, who leads the Catholic Church in Fort Payne.
Two ardent supporters of hiking in the canyon said they were pleased to attend the ceremony. Kelly Gregg, of JSU, and Jason Shelton, of Pisgah, were wearing their very special shirts - which listed an elite group, the Thru-Hikers. Their group of 25 began their hike in DeSoto State Park and concluded their venture at Little River Canyon Mouth Park. The trip was arduous so the group divided the journey into five weekend sessions. Only three of the 25 completed all of the hiking event. Gregg and Shelton were two of the three.
Warick Mann Woodall, the daughter of Cedar Bluff-based historians Robert and Catherine Mann, drove from Birmingham to attend the ceremony. She has recently donated many items from her late parents' collection of historic Northeast Alabama artifacts to JSU. Much of the collection will be displayed in the center's exhibit hall.
John Bundy, National Park Service superintendent of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, said, "This canyon has been here 2 million years. With the center, we'll be able to let everyone know about this special place of great biological diversity."
Bundy emphasized the value of the center as a headquarters for learning about the canyon - as well as an environmentally conscious construction.
After the ceremony, Jay Jenkins - one of the architects with the center's design firm, Jenkins Munroe Jenkins - shared with Conroy, "I told the construction people that it would be OK to cut a few pine trees if really necessary, but don't cut the hardwoods - we'll just move our building and driveways a bit to save the trees."
Jenkins will be on site several times each week to check the progress of the construction.
The Eidson Company of Cullman won the contract for the center's construction. The project is expected to take 18 months. Jackson Paving and Construction Inc. of Guntersville and Fort Payne is doing the land preparation - as well as the storm drains, piping and paving.
The center is located along Alabama Highway 35, just a few hundred yards north of the bridge over Little River Falls and the Cherokee County-DeKalb County border. A large sign noting the "Now Under Construction" site was unveiled after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Camp McDowell Environmental Center (Nauvoo, AL) has partnered with JSU Field Schools to promote and develop environmental education and arts programs for many years. Recently, McDowell developed the Alabama Folk School (AFS) which will be offering week and weekend courses on diverse folk art topics.
JSU Field Schools Renee Morrison has been selected to serve on the Advisory Board of this exciting new organization. She will be partnering with many other talented environmental artists to assist with the creation of unique programs and to promote the cultural preservation of Southeastern arts. JSU Field Schools will be offering cultural arts programs at their new Little River Canyon Center when it opens in the spring of 2009. They will be partnering with AFS (and many other artists and arts organizations) to develop state-wide artist-in-residence programs, workshops, and “Living Arts” demonstrations.
Renee (aka Midnight the Hound Dog, Lady Cordelia Birdspeak, Granny Dollar, Dr. Darling, and so many others) will also be providing her skills as a storyteller and creative dramatist to teach future programs for AFS and for the Little River Canyon Center.
JSU Field Schools have almost completed their mission for the ’06-’07 CREATE program (Children’s Regional Environmental Arts Traveling Experience) which is funded by a grant from Legacy, Inc., a donation from Alabama Gas Corporation and a donation from Wachovia Bank.
Project Director Renee Morrison, says, “This program has been an immense success. We’ve connected more than two hundred Boys and Girls Club (BGC) members and other inner city children with our environmental partners such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, and Alabama State Parks. The participants have experienced and participated in many different forms of science, art and environmental appreciation. But by far the most important accomplishment has been the joy we have seen on the faces of these young people as they are immersed in so many diverse opportunities.”
Morrison has connected with leaders from the BGC (focusing on but not limited to the Jacksonville club) to develop programs such as Natural History Mysteries, Storytelling, Water Quality and Ecology, Living Creatures Like Me, Animal Tracks, Backyard Bugs, and many other topics that encourage young people to explore and appreciate their environment. Visits to the Talladega National Forest, Historic McClellan, JSU Planetarium, and outreach visits to the clubs have been extremely effective in meeting the goals and objectives of this unique program.
The most recent program was the BGC festival on the third of August at Thankful Park in Anniston, Alabama. Around two hundred BGC members from all of the Calhoun County and Talladega County clubs gathered to celebrate the end of school break. Music, dancing, wonderful food, and activities were enjoyed by all. CREATE provided hands-on experiences with two live animals: a hognose snake named “Puffy” and an African pygmy hedgehog named “Pumba.” Children also enjoyed the CREATE mystery bags…putting their hands inside an unseen area and trying to guess what natural object was hidden within.
Morrison says, “JSU Field Schools hope to continue this program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs. We want to continue building on the solid foundation that we established. The Field School has received calls from other environmental educators around the nation requesting information on how to develop and implement such a successful program in their particular area. We’ve ignited a spark that will influence other centers to create an environmental educational blaze across the nation.”

Athletics

Jacksonville State's athletics teams are nicknamed the 'Gamecocks'. The school is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in Division I (I-AA in football) of the NCAA. The university's football team gained national attention in 2003 when Junior placekicker Ashley Martin became the first female football player to score a point in a Division I game tallying 6 points against Cumberland University. The school fields varsity teams in 14 sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, football, men's and women's golf, rifle, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, women's track and field, and volleyball. The football team plays in 15,000-seat Paul Snow Stadium. The men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams play in Pete Mathews Coliseum. Prior to the 1993-94 academic year, Jacksonville State competed in NCAA Division II athletics, winning national championships in men's basketball (1985), baseball (1990 and 1991), and football (1992).

Greek life

Sororities

★ Alpha Xi Delta (Established 1968)

★ Zeta Tau Alpha (Esatblished 1969)

★ Phi Mu (Established 1970)

★ Delta Zeta (Established 1978)

★ Alpha Omicron Pi (Established 1990)

★ Delta Sigma Theta

★ Sigma Gamma Rho

★ Zeta Phi Beta

★ Alpha Kappa Alpha
Fraternities

★ Alpha Tau Omega (Rechartering)

★ Kappa Alpha Order

★ Delta Chi (Est. 1968)

★ Delta Tau Delta (Prospecting Establishing A Colony)

★ Kappa Sigma (Rechartering)

★ Pi Kappa Phi Delta Epsilon Chapter

★ Sigma Nu (Est. 1975)

★ Sigma Phi Epsilon (Est. 1990)

★ Sigma Pi, Colony (Est. 2005)(Defunct)

★ Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Music National Fraternity)

★ Kappa Alpha Psi

★ Omega Psi Phi

★ Alpha Phi Alpha

★ Iota Phi Theta

★ Phi Beta Sigma

University slogans

★ "The South's Best Kept Secret." new slogan used in radio and tv commercials, as well as a few billboards around the Jacksonville area.

★ "The friendliest campus in the south"

★ "We're all in this together" - Faculty/Staff

Statistics

★ Jacksonville State University is the home of the tallest University library in the Southeast, and the largest educational building in the state, the Houston Cole Library.

★ JSU is the 6th largest University in Alabama. (Behind Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Troy University, and South Alabama).

★ JSU's police department is one of fewer than ten university police departments that is nationally accredited.

Notable alumni

★ Jesse Baker - Former National Football League player with the Houston Oilers.

★ Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey - Co-hosts of the "Rick and Bubba: Morning Show"

★ Rick Bragg - Pulitzer Prize winning writer. Author of ''Ava's Man'' and ''All Over but the Shoutin''. (Did not graduate)

★ Dieter Brock - Former Canadian Football League MVP quarterback, member of the CFL Hall of Fame.

★ Amy Crawford - Entertainer in the WCW

★ Eric Davis - NFL defensive back San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions.

★ Jim Folsom Jr. - Former Alabama governor.

★ Todd Jones - Major League Baseball pitcher.

★ James Joyner - Well-know and political scientist.

★ Harlan Mathews - Former Democratic U.S. Senator of Tennessee.

★ Robert Stacy McCain - author of Donkey Cons and assistant national editor of the Washington Times.

★ Keith McKeller - Former National Football League tight end with the Buffalo Bills.

★ Darryl Malone - NFL defensive back Miami Dolphins

★ Randy Owen - Lead singer of the country music band Alabama.

★ Mike D. Rogers - Republican Congressman of Alabama.

★ Jason Sequine - Professional wrestler (as Buck Quartermain) and fooball player.

★ Heather Whitestone (McCallum) - Miss America 1995.

★ Reynolds Wolf - CNN Meteorologist and Reporter.

★ Alvin Wright - Former National Football League nose guard with the Los Angeles Rams.

External links

★ Jacksonville State University Homepage

★ JSU Athletics

★ 92J the university radio station

★ "MY JSU"

★ ''The Chanticleer'': The Student Newspaper of Jacksonville State University

★ ''The Marching Southerners''

★ FIRE Speech Code of the Month, February 2006

★ ''Column of JSU president copied content from health Web site'' - MSNBC.com

★ ''Another plagiarism accusation hits JSU chief'' - Birmingham News

★ ''JSU reviews possibel'' (sic) ''plagiarism'' - Montgomery Advertiser