In a development that underscores ongoing leadership challenges at one of the nation’s premier historically Black universities, Jackson State University President Dr. Marcus Thompson abruptly resigned, effective May 7, 2025. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) announced the resignation in a brief statement Wednesday afternoon, offering no specific reason for Thompson’s departure.Thompson’s exit marks the seventh presidential transition at Jackson State in the past 16 years, highlighting a pattern of leadership instability that has plagued Mississippi’s largest HBCU. His tenure lasted just 18 months, coming to an end shortly after the university’s spring commencement ceremonies.Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, JSU’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, has been appointed interim president while the institution navigates yet another leadership transition.
