Jackson State University

Jackson State University

Former names	Natchez Seminary Jackson College Jackson State College
Motto	"Challenging Minds, Changing Lives"
Type	Public, HBCU
Established	October 23, 1877 (1877-10-23)
President	Roderick Paige (interim)
Academic staff	450
Administrative staff	1,200
Students	9,811
Location	Jackson, Mississippi, United States 32°17′46″N 090°12′28″W / 32.29611°N 90.20778°W / 32.29611; -90.20778Coordinates: 32°17′46″N 090°12′28″W / 32.29611°N 90.20778°W / 32.29611; -90.20778
Colors	Navy blue and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I – SWAC
Nickname	Tigers
Mascot	Bengal the Tiger
Website	www.jsums.edu

Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a historically Black college and university ("HBCU") in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It was founded during the Reconstruction era in 1877 in Natchez, Mississippi as Natchez Seminary by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York City. The Society moved the school to the capital, Jackson, in 1882, renaming it Jackson College. It developed its present campus in 1902.

It became a state-supported public institution in 1940. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Jackson State University is classified as a research university with high research activity. In the fall of 2015, Jackson State University reached a student population of nearly 10,000 students, an increase of 11% since Fall 2012. The university ranked as the fourth-largest HBCU in the nation.

The campus contains 51 academic and administrative buildings on 245 acres (0.99 km²). The main campus is located on JR Lynch Street (named for the African-American Congressman of the 19th century) between Prentiss and Dalton streets in the central region of the city.

Ayer Hall was constructed in 1903 and is the oldest structure on campus. It was named in honor of the first president of the institution. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Green-Gibb Pedestrian Walkway (Plaza) was named in honor of those who died in the Jackson State killings in 1970. The Walter Payton Health & Wellness Center was constructed in 2006.

Jackson State also has satellite campuses throughout the Jackson Metropolitan area, including the Universities Center (Ridgewood Road location), JSU-Madison campus, JSU-Holmes campus, JSU- Mississippi E-Center, and JSU Downtown (Building 100 on Capital Street).