Jackson State University President Marcus Thompson has submitted his resignation, continuing the challenges and leadership turmoil at Jackson’s largest university.
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning announced Thompson’s resignation Wednesday afternoon, May 7 in a one paragraph release. A specific reason was not given, but said the resignation was “effective immediately.”
Thompson’s departure continues the steady churn at the top of the state’s largest HBCU. Thompson was the is the seventh president at Jackson State in the last 16 years.
The resignation comes barely two years after his predecessor, Thomas K. Hudson, resigned in March of 2023. Hudson had been on paid leave after the faculty senate had given him a vote of no confidence.
Thompson’s resignation also comes just days after JSU graduation.
Denise Jones Gregory, provost and vice president of academic affairs will step in as interim president.
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Controversy around hiring of Marcus Thompson
Thompson’s path to presidency has been the subject of public discourse and litigation since the IHL promoted the president from within instead of hiring an applicant from the national search; Thompson at the time was the IHL’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer.
During the last IHL meeting of 2023, the agenda was nearing the end without the board publicly naming a permanent JSU president. In the eight months prior, Elayne Hayes-Anthony had served as acting president after the IHL put former Hudson on paid administrative leave.
As the Nov. 2023 meeting was nearing a close, applause broke out from behind closed doors, and board trustees did not explain why. Later, the applause was linked with the appointment of Thompson as the 13th permanent JSU president.
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During the national search, Hayes-Anthony publicly advocated to stay in the position as permanent president. When the JSU Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence for Hudson, which eventually led to his resignation, the university’s faculty publicly supported Hayes-Anthony as the next president.
Hayes-Anthony did not make it past initial interview rounds in the national search for a new president.
On Nov. 16, the same day the IHL appointed Thompson, Debra Mays-Jackson, the JSU chief of staff, filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi alleging sex discrimination by the IHL as Mays-Jackson was denied an interview during the national search.
According to a Jan. 6, 2025 court order, Thompson was not one of the 79 applicants in the national search.
On May 28, 2024 Mays-Jackson filed suit again against the IHL alleging violations of Title VII. In the suit, Mays-Jackson said that the IHL practice of hiring individuals who did not apply has only ever benefitted male candidates.
In early Feb. 2024, just over 70 days after Thompson began his new role, the JSU president sat down for an exclusive interview with the Clarion Ledger. When asked about his path to presidency, Thompson said he had no reservations or concerns about his appointment from an internal search rather than a national search.
At the time, Thompson told the Clarion Ledger that every time an internal promotion had occurred, “great things have happened.”
Denise Jones Gregory was named interim president of Jackson State University on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
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Thompson’s appointment was the second time in recent years the IHL has chosen a university president from within. In 2019, Glenn Boyce, the IHL commissioner at the time, was named as the new chancellor of the University of Mississippi. The decision, which came after a lengthy national search, was met with backlash from some University of Mississippi students and community members who felt the national search has not been taken seriously.
Before becoming JSU president, Thompson had an education career spanning more than 20 years, in which he served roles in early childhood, K-12 and higher education as well as a liaison between the IHL Commissioner’s Office, the IHL and Mississippi’s eight public universities, including JSU.
Pam Dankins, Charlie Drape, Ross Reily and Lici Beveridge contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Marcus Thompson resigns as Jackson State University President
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