It’s the last call for input concerning the next president of Jackson State University. The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning arranged an online survey to assist in the presidential search. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, March 17 — also the date the board expects to compile a list of best individuals to consider.

The survey is part of the president search website, which provides news, answers to frequently asked questions and an update on the search to fill the position vacated by Dr. Carolyn Meyers last October.

Last month, the board hosted five consecutive listening sessions at JSU as part of its search. Dr. Rod Paige, who became interim president Nov. 7, members of the Campus Advisory Search Committee present and IHL trustee C.D. Smith opened the floor for input from the university’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and community individuals.

In October 2016, the Institutes of Higher Learning trustees reported that Jackson State’s cash reserves declined from $37 million to $4 million over four years. The board hired Ridgeland-based Matthews, Cutrer & Lindsay P.A., an accounting analytics firm, to assess the university’s finances between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2016.

Ashley F.G. Norwood

Ashley F. G. Norwood, a native of Jackson, earned a bachelor's degree in English from Jackson State University and a master’s degree from the Meek School of Journalism at the University of Mississippi. Norwood, who specializes in multimedia journalism, has been recognized nationally for her documentary film the fly in the buttermilk, which covers the history, perceptions and principles of black Greek-lettered organizations at the University of Mississippi.