Jacksonville State University
Encyclopedia
Jacksonville State University is a regional public
coeducation
al university
located in Jacksonville
, Alabama
, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's
, Master's
, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and distance education programs. In the Fall semester of 2011, JSU will begin to offer their first doctoral degree, Doctor of Science in Emergency Management.
The university was founded as Jacksonville State Normal School, and in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State Teachers College, and again in 1957 to Jacksonville State College. The university began operating as Jacksonville State University in 1967. In 2008, the university celebrated its 125th anniversary.
JSU currently has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students, with 400 faculty members (300 of whom are full-time). Jacksonville State's Business School was ranked with in the nation's top tenth percentile by the Princeton Review. The current University President is Dr. William A. Meehan.
With a focus on providing a quality education, Jacksonville State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In addition, 38 academic programs (79% of programs that can be accredited) earned specialized programmatic accreditations. These programs include business, education, engineering and technology, nursing, social work, drama, art, music, computer science, family and consumer science, and communication.
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. 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.
.
In August 2007, University President Dr. William Meehan was implicated in a plagiarism scandal related to his periodic column entitled "Town & Gown," which was actually written by the school's news bureau
. 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. A committee appointed by the President found no wrong-doing on the part of Meehan other than a lack of administrative oversight, and it was decided that responsibility for the plagiarism was that of the writer.
In October 2007, the College of Commerce and Business Administration was named one of the 290 best business schools in the world by The Princeton Review
and ranked second in providing the greatest opportunities for women.
In 2007, the school broke ground for the 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) Little River Canyon Center. The building will house National Park Service offices, an exhibit hall, meeting space, classrooms, and comfort stations and will be the site of the JSU Little River Canyon Field School - which sponsors dozens of activities, seminars and programs each year. In 1992, the canyon was designated a national preserve. During the summer months, the staff includes 15 park rangers.
In spring 2008, the website GetEducated.com ranked the Master of Science in Computer Systems and Software Design as second on its list of "best buys" among 67 online master's programs in computer science and information technology offered by regionally accredited institutions in the United States.
In April 2009, allegations surfaced that University President Dr. William Meehan plagiarized his doctoral dissertation at the University of Alabama in 1999. A plagiarism expert, hired by a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the university, concluded that “extensive portions” of Dr. Meehan’s dissertation plagiarized the work of Dr. Carl Boening. Spokespersons for the University of Alabama and Jacksonville State University stated that the matter would not be investigated. The University of Alabama conducted a review of the matter in 2007, but has not yet disclosed the findings of that inquiry, or the qualifications of its investigators. The University of Alabama has not declared that Dr. Meehan did not use plagiarized material.
In September 2010, the school's marching band, The Marching Southerners, was awarded the nationally recognized George Washington Honor Medal for their patriotic 2009 shows.
In 2012, The Southerners will play in the New Year's Day Parade in London, England which will also kick off the 2012 summer Olympics celebrations.
Jacksonville State's athletics teams are nicknamed the Gamecocks. The school is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference
in Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) in football, formerly I-AA, of the NCAA
. The university's football team gained national attention in 2001 when Junior placekicker
Ashley Martin
became the first female football player to score a point in a Division I game tallying 3 points against Cumberland University.
On September 4, 2010, the Jacksonville State football team stunned Ole Miss
, 49-48 in two overtimes. This win was ranked #11 on The Bleacher Report 'Top 50 Upsets in College Football History'. JSU went on to finish the 2010 season with a 9-3 record, and an appearance in the FCS playoffs. The Head Coach is Jack Crowe
.
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 25,000-seat Burgess-Snow Field. 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).
. Initially, the program focused on languages. Today, there are forty members of the program, twenty American
students and twenty international student
s.
Each international student is from a different country and is roomed with an American student. Though emphasis is still placed on languages, greater emphasis is now placed on the overall aspects of cultural understanding. Truly, the International House Program provides "A Window on the World" for students at Jacksonville State University and the surrounding community. The International House is a stepping stone in Jacksonville which allows the growing international community to be increasingly active in student affairs. The International Student Organization (ISO) is one of many organizations at JSU committed to international and American students alike.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Alabama
Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. which is a 49% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, Master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and distance education programs. In the Fall semester of 2011, JSU will begin to offer their first doctoral degree, Doctor of Science in Emergency Management.
The university was founded as Jacksonville State Normal School, and in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State Teachers College, and again in 1957 to Jacksonville State College. The university began operating as Jacksonville State University in 1967. In 2008, the university celebrated its 125th anniversary.
JSU currently has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students, with 400 faculty members (300 of whom are full-time). Jacksonville State's Business School was ranked with in the nation's top tenth percentile by the Princeton Review. The current University President is Dr. William A. Meehan.
With a focus on providing a quality education, Jacksonville State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In addition, 38 academic programs (79% of programs that can be accredited) earned specialized programmatic accreditations. These programs include business, education, engineering and technology, nursing, social work, drama, art, music, computer science, family and consumer science, and communication.
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. JSU is also nationally recognized for its marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, the Marching Southerners
Marching Southerners
The Marching Southerners is the name for the marching band of Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Composed of students from all over the country, the Southerners and Marching Ballerinas perform for thousands each season.-History:...
, which performs before thousands each year at marching exhibitions, football games, and parades.
Campus
JSU has a 459 acres (1.9 km²) campus with 58 buildings in the Appalachian foothills of northeast AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
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," which was actually written by the school's news bureau
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
. 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. A committee appointed by the President found no wrong-doing on the part of Meehan other than a lack of administrative oversight, and it was decided that responsibility for the plagiarism was that of the writer.
In October 2007, the College of Commerce and Business Administration was named one of the 290 best business schools in the world by The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
and ranked second in providing the greatest opportunities for women.
In 2007, the school broke ground for the 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) Little River Canyon Center. The building will house National Park Service offices, an exhibit hall, meeting space, classrooms, and comfort stations and will be the site of the JSU Little River Canyon Field School - which sponsors dozens of activities, seminars and programs each year. In 1992, the canyon was designated a national preserve. During the summer months, the staff includes 15 park rangers.
In spring 2008, the website GetEducated.com ranked the Master of Science in Computer Systems and Software Design as second on its list of "best buys" among 67 online master's programs in computer science and information technology offered by regionally accredited institutions in the United States.
In April 2009, allegations surfaced that University President Dr. William Meehan plagiarized his doctoral dissertation at the University of Alabama in 1999. A plagiarism expert, hired by a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the university, concluded that “extensive portions” of Dr. Meehan’s dissertation plagiarized the work of Dr. Carl Boening. Spokespersons for the University of Alabama and Jacksonville State University stated that the matter would not be investigated. The University of Alabama conducted a review of the matter in 2007, but has not yet disclosed the findings of that inquiry, or the qualifications of its investigators. The University of Alabama has not declared that Dr. Meehan did not use plagiarized material.
In September 2010, the school's marching band, The Marching Southerners, was awarded the nationally recognized George Washington Honor Medal for their patriotic 2009 shows.
In 2012, The Southerners will play in the New Year's Day Parade in London, England which will also kick off the 2012 summer Olympics celebrations.
Athletics
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
in Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) in football, formerly I-AA, of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. The university's football team gained national attention in 2001 when Junior placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Ashley Martin
Ashley Martin
Ashley Martin is an American athlete who became the first woman to play and score in an NCAA Division I American football game, and one of the first ever to score points in any college football game. She accomplished this feat August 30, 2001 as a placekicker for the Jacksonville State University...
became the first female football player to score a point in a Division I game tallying 3 points against Cumberland University.
On September 4, 2010, the Jacksonville State football team stunned Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
, 49-48 in two overtimes. This win was ranked #11 on The Bleacher Report 'Top 50 Upsets in College Football History'. JSU went on to finish the 2010 season with a 9-3 record, and an appearance in the FCS playoffs. The Head Coach is Jack Crowe
Jack Crowe
Jack Crowe is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, a position he has held since 2000. Crowe served as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas from 1990 until he resigned one game into the 1992 season after an upset...
.
The school fields varsity teams in 14 sports: baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, men's and women's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, rifle, women's soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, men's and women's tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, women's track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The football team plays in 25,000-seat Burgess-Snow Field. The men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams play in Pete Mathews Coliseum
Pete Mathews Coliseum
Pete Mathews Coliseum is a 5,300-seat multi-purpose arena in Jacksonville, Alabama. It is home to the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team. It also hosts the annual Calhoun County High School Basketball Tournament held...
. 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).
Sororities
- Alpha Xi DeltaAlpha Xi DeltaAlpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...
(1968) - Zeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
(1969) - Phi MuPhi MuPhi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
(1970) - Delta ZetaDelta ZetaDelta Zeta is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada...
(1978) - Alpha Omicron PiAlpha Omicron PiAlpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus...
(1990) - Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
(Kappa Beta Chapter 1973; first black Greek organization on campus) - Sigma Gamma RhoSigma Gamma RhoSigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...
Mu Xi Chapter (1992) - Zeta Phi BetaZeta Phi BetaZeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
- Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
- Sigma Alpha IotaSigma Alpha IotaSigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...
Theta Beta Chapter (Music Fraternity for Women) - Gamma Sigma SigmaGamma Sigma SigmaGamma Sigma Sigma is a national service sorority founded in October 1952 at Beekman Tower in New York City by representatives of Boston University, Brooklyn College, Drexel Institute of Technology, Los Angeles City College, New York University, Queens College, and the University of Houston. ...
National Service Sorority, Inc. (Zeta Theta Reactivating Chapter)
Fraternities
- Kappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
Delta Phi Chapter (1976) http://www.jsuka.org - Delta ChiDelta ChiDelta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...
(1968) - Kappa SigmaKappa SigmaKappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
- Pi Kappa PhiPi Kappa PhiPi Kappa Phi is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina...
Delta Epsilon Chapter (1972) - Sigma NuSigma NuSigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
(1975) - Sigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
(1990) - Sigma PiSigma PiSigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee...
(2005) - Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
Epsilon Nu Chapter (National Music Fraternity, 1950) - Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
- Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
- Alpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
- Iota Phi Theta
- Phi Beta SigmaPhi Beta SigmaPhi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
- Kappa Kappa PsiKappa Kappa PsiKappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
Mu Iota Chapter (Installed as a National Chapter on March 1, 2009) - Alpha Kappa PsiAlpha Kappa PsiΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...
(2009)
International House Program
The International House program is a unique part of JSU campus life. The program began in 1946 with five students from FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Initially, the program focused on languages. Today, there are forty members of the program, twenty American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
students and twenty international student
International student
According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
s.
Each international student is from a different country and is roomed with an American student. Though emphasis is still placed on languages, greater emphasis is now placed on the overall aspects of cultural understanding. Truly, the International House Program provides "A Window on the World" for students at Jacksonville State University and the surrounding community. The International House is a stepping stone in Jacksonville which allows the growing international community to be increasingly active in student affairs. The International Student Organization (ISO) is one of many organizations at JSU committed to international and American students alike.
University slogans
- "The Friendliest Campus in the South"- According to NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement), Jacksonville State University really does live up to this nickname, which is one that has survived the test of time. JSU's high scores in the survey's Supportive Campus Environment category support this claim.
- "Where You're Going"
- "The Best Kept Secret in the South"