Dr. LaShanda Jordan, executive director of the Career Services Center has been accepted to the Class of 2020-21 Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy. The Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy is a leadership fellowship for workforce development professionals. The Academy is a partnership between the City of Jackson and the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program with support from the Kellogg Foundation.

“I feel so honored and humbled to have been selected to be a part of such a prestigious program,” says Jordan. “I am also elated to have the opportunity to represent Jackson State University in this capacity.”

The Academy will take place beginning March 25, 2020 until January 2021, and is designed to strengthen the leadership pipeline and deepen collaborative relationships within the city of Jackson. It allows these fellows and the organizations they represent are better able to advance the economic well-being of the people they serve.

“This fellowship program will provide training and networking opportunities with other workforce development professionals to help me learn new tools and approaches, collaboratively address challenges in the area of workforce, and build a network of leaders in the workforce sector,” says Jordan. “I am looking forward to growing professionally as we work through the nine themes of the program.”

The themes of the program are:

• Organizational Capacity: An opportunity for reflective practice
• Partnership and Collaboration: Working across boundaries
• Systems Thinking: Effecting change in organizations, workforce eco-system, and industry
• Race Equity, and Inclusion: Advancing equity in the labor market
• Metrics and Meaning: Data-Informed decision-making
• Program Strategies: Evidence-informed practices
• Employer Practices: Industry engagement to raise the floor and build ladders
• Funding and Policy: Influencing the local landscape

The 18-24 Academy Fellows will have the opportunity to work with leading practitioners from around the country, engage in leadership development activities, and use practical planning tools to develop effective workforce strategies and programs that build their local workforce system. For more information regarding the Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy, click here.

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The White House announced that Dr. William E. McHenry, a professor of chemistry at Jackson State University, has been awarded a 2020 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) for his pioneering work on broadening participation of individuals from underrepresented groups in the sciences.

McHenry, who serves as executive director of the Mississippi e-Center Foundation, was among 11 individuals nationally who received Presidential mentoring awards, and is the only recipient from Mississippi. He earned the recognition for encouraging tens of thousands of minority students and non-minority women students to pursue careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce.

“Jackson State University appreciates the continuous impact Dr. McHenry has made in the field of STEM education through mentorship,” said Thomas K. Hudson, J.D., acting president of Jackson State University. “Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for students in Mississippi and beyond. This honor recognizes his dedication to improving the lives of others.”

Touting the needs for a competitive workforce

Excited about his selection, McHenry said, “It is an honor to be recognized for the contributions that I have made mentoring directly or indirectly to tens of thousands of students. This award is also a win for Mississippi, Jackson State University, and the Mississippi e-Center@JSU.”

Colleagues, administrators, and students nominate individuals and organizations for the award based on their exemplary, sustained mentoring service. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) facilitate nominations and awards for the Presidential Excellence honor.

“For the United States to continue as a global leader, we must have a competitive STEM workforce that uses all our talent,” said McHenry, who was recognized for his 45 years of helping students succeed in the sciences, especially students from underrepresented groups.

Helping minorities pursue STEM degrees

McHenry’s mentoring initiatives span a wide range of activities including: assisting minorities and women students in their pursuit of graduate degrees while at Mississippi State University; helping minority students pursue undergraduate STEM degrees while at the National Science Foundation; assisting junior and high school students prepare for college while at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning; and developing an information-sharing two-dimensional Science Diversity Center at the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education.  To support these initiatives, McHenry has secured more than $60 million in grants and contracts.

McHenry currently serves as principal investigator (PI) on a $4 million NSF STEM STARS grant designed to address the science and math teacher shortages in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi by preparing 120 science and mathematics teachers.

McHenry earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Southern Arkansas University and a doctorate in chemistry from Mississippi State University.

As it relates to his latest honor, McHenry said, “It has been an honor for me to serve students throughout my life.  By helping to diversify the STEM workforce, I can be a part of all major scientific breakthroughs, including a cure for Covid-19. Being a mentor means helping to shape brighter futures for your grandchildren and their children.”

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The Office of Student Success has been awarded more than 2.6 million over a five-year period. Funding will be used to implement two TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Programs from the United States Department of Education.

“One of the responsibilities given to me in this role was to increase the TRIO programs at JSU as I did at a previous institution,” said Dr. Mitchell Shears, associate vice president for Student Success and executive director of Title III. “I am excited to see the vision become a reality, and that we are able to secure external funding to provide academic support to our students.”

The grant will provide academic and other support services to low-income, first-generation and disabled college students to increase students’ retention and graduation.

Some of the services that will be provided to students include academic tutoring; advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection; information on financial aid programs and benefits and assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the FAFSA; education or counseling services designed to improve financial and economic literacy; and activities designed to assist participants enrolled in four-year institutions in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, graduate and professional programs.

“As a product of a TRIO program, I understand the benefits to the participants and the lasting impact of the program,” Shears said. “With the funding, we plan to hire Retention and Graduation Coaches, who will be able to provide intrusive advising to students who desperately need it.”

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Dr. Isiah Marshall Jr., associate dean and professor for the School of Social Work has been named as a member of CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation. Effective July 1, Marshall will serve a three-year term ending in 2023.

“I am very excited to start as a commission, especially as we deal with the challenges due to Covid-19,” says Marshall. “In my role, I will ensure that new and existing programs meet the required standards and educational policies for graduate and undergraduate social work programs across the country.”

The work of the Commission on Accreditation (COA) fulfills the vital function of maintaining and advocating for quality in social work education through its accreditation/candidacy of more than 860 programs in the United States. The commission also acts as the policy body for developing and interpreting accreditation standards and assuring that policies and procedures are fairly and consistently applied to all social work programs. CSWE-logo

“The opportunity to serve as a commissioner has been one of my long-term professional goals,” says Marshall. “In 2005, I began working with the Council on Social Work Education as a doctoral student volunteer at the annual program meetings. Progressively, I became active with the organization in presenting research papers and giving scholarly talks. Additionally, I have served as a site visitor for the COA since 2013.”

He continued, “I have a love and a passion for the profession of social work, and I believe strong academic programs are the key to producing dynamic students who will meet the challenges of marginalized communities.”

The commission meets three times each year to review and take action on an agenda of programs seeking candidacy, initial accreditation, or reaffirmation of accredited status. Each meeting takes place in Alexandria, VA. The preparation for these meetings involves review of self-studies and associated documents and requires a minimum of 2−3 full days of effort. Members are also obliged to conduct two commissioner site visits each year.

In closing, Marshall says, “I am very proud of our highly respected social work programs here at JSU, and I would like to thank the wonderful students, faculty, and staff for their support.”

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Lance Wheeler, education and public relations manager for the Margaret Walker Center, will appear as a panelist for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s discussion, “The Power of Place: Legacy & Impact of Colonization and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade,” on Aug. 11 and Aug. 25.

The four-person panel discussion, closed to the public, will examine the roots of colonization while looking at human development from the critical historical point and the choice to subway others based on race.

Wheeler will offer a brief overview of the U.S. domestic slave trade, emphasizing Mississippi, including the importance of changing narratives as it relates to understanding the power of language and interpretation.

“This panel discussion needs to happen in our daily conversations with friends, family, coworkers and associations,” Wheeler said. “People need to recognize and understand that blackness exists everywhere in the world, and we live in a country that tries not to give us credit for our contributions. We’re in the landscape, architecture, clothing, politics, etc.  We of the African Diaspora are everywhere, and you cannot unsee us.”

Before joining JSU, Wheeler served as curator for the Two Mississippi Museums. Regarding the importance of public engagement, Wheeler said, “Museums must redefine themselves and reemerge as institutions that operate as resource centers that allow all community members to share their voices and give an honest and inclusive narrative.”

A native of New Jersey, Wheeler earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from Belmont Abbey College. He attained a Master of Arts in history with a concentration in museum studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Wheeler is also the father of a 5-year-old son, Landon.

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