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Thomas Hudson, the president of Jackson State University in Mississippi, was put on administrative leave with pay by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). IHL shared the news in a press release on Thursday, March 2.
However, the press release did not shed light upon the circumstances that required the Board of Trustees to decide to place Hudson on leave. A local news outlet, Mississippi Today, tried to contact Hudson, but he did not return their calls or text messages.
The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning met twice on Thursday to hold a special meeting to discuss a matter involving Jackson University personnel.
Both times, board members discussed the subject in an executive session. No member was present in person at IHL’s office in Jackson, where the public meeting took place. Everyone who attended the meeting did so via Zoom.
Spokespeople from Jackson State University said that the university doesn’t share its comments on personnel matters and directed the questions to IHL.
Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony is temporarily replacing Thomas Hudson as the acting president at JSU
Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, a Jackson native, was chosen to serve as the university's temporary acting president during the meeting on Thursday.
Hayes-Anthony currently works as the Chair and Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University.
She expressed her contentment at being given an opportunity to lead the university that set her career in motion. In a text message to Mississippi Today after IHL revealed her appointment on Thursday night, Hayes-Anthony exclaimed:
“I am so pleased to lead the university that launched my career. I plan to work with faculty and staff for the betterment of the students, alumni, and community we serve.”
She started her career at JSU and served for 10 years before moving to Belhaven University, where she worked for 17 years. In 2015, she returned to Jackson State University.
Tom Duff, the president of the Board of Trustees of IHL, said in a statement:
“We are grateful that Dr. Hayes-Anthony has agreed to serve as Acting President. As alumnus and long-time administrator and faculty member at the university, she understands the campus, its students, its challenges and opportunities.”
However, the news came after the Institutions of Higher Learning voted in January to renew Thomas Hudson’s contract till 2027.
Jackson State University's faculty senate reportedly expressed no confidence in Thomas Hudson and his leadership during a meeting a few weeks before Hudson's resignation in January 2023.
It was a rare but symbolic step taken to demonstrate one’s dissatisfaction with the president of the university. The faculty senate explained that there was a continuous pattern on Hudson’s part of failing to respect shared governance and other professional norms of higher education.
When this was voted on, Hudson stated that he was proud of the work and achievements his administration had accomplished. He said he was:
“committed to continuing the work to collaboratively execute the strategic plan to make Jackson State the best institution it can be.”
Thomas Hudson is a Jackson resident and a JSU alum who was appointed by the IHL board as JSU’s president in November 2020. Former President William Bynum resigned from the post in February 2020 after being charged with possession of marijuana, making false statements of identity, and procuring the services of a prostitute.
Bynum was convicted of all these charges by a Clinton municipal judge. Before taking on the role of the president himself, Thomas Hudson served as the university's interim position.
Thomas Hudson’s yearly salary is $300,000 from IHL, and he also received a $5000 annual bonus from the JSU foundation. What Hayes-Anthony would be paid as acting president isn't immediately apparent. IHL stated that the board would hold another meeting on March 23 to discuss the future leadership of JSU.
