Denise Jones Gregory, Jackson State University’s interim president, is now eligible to apply for the permanent position thanks to a one-time policy waiver. 

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, which oversees the state’s public universities, voted Thursday to waive part of a policy that would prevent an interim president from applying for the permanent position at the institution they lead, according to a news release from IHL.

The waiver only applies to the current JSU president search, and the vote was unanimous, said John Sewell, IHL’s communications director. 

Without the waiver, if Jones Gregory wanted to apply for the permanent role as president, she would first have to step down from the interim position. 

The vote reflects feedback the board received from JSU alumni and some students this summer questioning the fairness of the search process and criticizing the approach for a repeated lack of transparency. At a July meeting, some JSU stakeholders asked if Jones Gregory would get a fair shot at the permanent role. 

Jones Gregory, a JSU alumna, was the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs before stepping into the interim leadership role. 

In a statement released in May after her appointment as a temporary leader, Jones Gregory expressed her appreciation for the chance to lead the university. 

“It has been my privilege to serve Jackson State as provost, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue serving my alma mater in this new role,” she said. “My commitment is to uphold the standard of excellence that defines Jackson State in every area of university life.

“As a proud graduate of JSU, I know what this university means to the people it serves because it has shaped every part of my life. This legacy grounds me and guides me.”

Jones Gregory could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. 

The Thursday vote was not the first time the IHL board temporarily waived its policy related to interim presidents applying for the permanent position. 

In 2023, the IHL board voted 7-5 to allow Elayne Hayes Anthony, who was the temporary acting president, to apply for the permanent role. Dr. Steven Cunningham, the only Jackson State alumnus on the board and the trustee leading that university’s presidential search, voted no. He said he didn’t want to dissuade outside candidates from applying for the role. After conducting an international search and interviewing 79 applicants, the board hired Marcus Thompson. 

The top role at Jackson State has been vacant since May, when Thompson resigned as president less than two years into his tenure.

Jackson State’s next president will be its fourth since 2020, when then-President William Bynum, who was appointed in 2017, left after his arrest on multiple charges including possessing marijuana, giving a “false statement of identity” and “procuring the services of prostitute.”