But for Fall 2017, FAMU has 9,913 students and JSU has just
8,583, which is a loss of 1,228.
Former JSU President Carolyn Meyers stepped down effective
November 1, 2016 after having led the school since 2011. She had clashed with
the Mississippi College Board over her spending to add facilities and expand
operations in response to increasing student numbers.
According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education, “Over the
last five years, JSU’s cash on hand has plummeted from $37 million to $4.2
million as of June 30. Meyers has defended her spending decisions, citing
growth and upgrading facilities as the biggest expenditures. The university
also had announced a plan to replenish its cash reserve by $10 million in the
current fiscal year by controlling expenses.”
New JSU President William B. Bynum Jr. is now making big
cuts to student financial aid his reductions in spending.
“Jackson State University has and is aligning its current policies with best practices,” Bynum said. “The university is requiring payment earlier in the semester, which allows us to manage our resources more effectively. Also, JSU reduced institutionally funded scholarship offerings in order to stabilize these expenditures.”
A press release also said that JSU “eliminated some waivers
for out-of-state fees.”
The overhaul of the federal financial aid program in 2011
led the enrollment at JSU to go from 8,903 in Fall 2011 down to 8,819 in Fall
2012. But Meyers reversed the decline while enrolling higher achieving students
each year.
Meyers got enrollment up to 9,134 in Fall 2013 with freshman
average GPAs at 2.93. She continued improving the enrollment results through
Fall 2015, when freshman average GPAs reached 3.03.
The Clarion-Ledger reported in Fall 2015 that JSU had
the top three-year rate of enrollment growth in the entire state of
Mississippi. JSU had a rate of 10.8 percent compared to 10.3 percent at Ole
Miss.
The freshman average GPA at JSU slipped down to 2.90 in Fall
2016. FAMU had a higher freshman average at 3.54, but it took a $1.4M loss in
tuition and fees for 2016-2017 due to the enrollment decline.