(Photo: Aron Smith/University Communications)
- Marcus Thompson had served as the JSU President since November 2023.
During a special called meeting held Wednesday afternoon, the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning accepted the resignation of Jackson State University President Marcus Thompson.
Thompson was appointed to lead Jackson State in November 2023, replacing previous president, Thomas K. Hudson, who resigned in March of that same year after being placed on administrative leave.
Hudson was appointed to the position in 2020, taking on the responsibilities of president after his predecessor, William Bynum, was taken into custody by law enforcement due to evidence gathered that implicated him in a prostitution scandal.
The IHL stated in a press release issued Wednesday evening that Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, current provost and vice president of academic affairs, will serve as interim president in Thompson’s absence.
Thompson was the university’s eighth president since 2000 and was the institution’s 13th president since its founding in 1877.
The announcement was made Wednesday, after the IHL Board held a special call meeting that had them immediately enter closed session to determine the need for an executive session. The notification for the meeting provided to the media stated the meeting was called “to discuss a personnel matter specific to an individual at Jackson State University.”
Details relating to the reason Thompson decided to submit his resignation were not provided by the IHL Board in the release issued Wednesday evening.
Before his presidency at Jackson State, Thompson served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer for IHL, overseeing statewide university operations, policy implementation and accessibility initiatives.
A former educator and school administrator, Thompson also held leadership roles in K-12 education and the Mississippi Department of Education, where he served as Chief of Staff and Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education.
