Tyrone Jackson hit the ground running Monday as Southeast Arkansas College’s new president, and the stack atop his desk inside the Welcome Center is proof.
The first two days on the job has been, in his own words, packed with meetings with staff members.
“In the midst of all the meetings, the staff had a welcoming reception for me, and it went extremely well,” Jackson said. “Everyone has gone above and beyond to roll out the red carpet, so to say, and make me feel right at home. That transition has gone extremely well.”
Jackson, most recently the president at Mississippi Delta Community College, has settled in less than two months after he was named to succeed Steven Bloomberg at SEARK. Bloomberg left in February for the chancellor role at a California community college system, and Stacy Pfluger served as interim chancellor at SEARK.
Jackson said his desire to give 110 percent to the college has been the biggest message to his employees.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“I expect every faculty and staff member to give me 100 percent because it’s all about the students,” Jackson said. “It’s about doing everything in our power to empower our students to matriculate through the system to achieve their educational goals. Every decision, every piece of paper I sign, I’m going to ask the question, ‘What impact will this have on student success?’
“It’s not about me. It’s about doing everything in my power to ensure that our students achieve their educational goals.”
Jackson, 52, has found life in the Arkansas Delta is similar to that in his native Mississippi Delta, where he grew up in Rosedale and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees all from Delta State University.
“It’s got a lot of challenges, but I like the small communities,” Jackson said. “I think Pine Bluff is the size of Greenville, which is about 25 miles from where I was at Mississippi Delta. Similar traits.
“Same opportunities and challenges in both places. Again, not only has the college community been welcoming, but the community has as well.”
Although not specific, Jackson said he was excited about the preliminary enrollment number for the fall semester, which begins Aug. 19. Enrollment last fall was 975 and in the spring was 869, but Pfluger said in May the college saw an increase in the total number of student semester credit hours during the same time period.
“I want every employee at this college to be a recruiter,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t matter to me how many students we get in a year, but we want more students in the fall.”
To grow the institution, Jackson’s charge to his employees is to not just go outside the proverbial box, but “to be creators of the box.” A priority on his to-do list is continue SEARK’s plan to establish a student union and residential center on its main campus at 1900 S. Hazel St. The college’s first residential hall, The Reef, is 4 miles south, across from its recently acquired athletic center, and opened last August.
“We’re in the process of assessing the paperwork, in particular, but residential living on campus is beneficial to students,” Jackson said. “Research shows that — of course, all situations are different — people who live on campus are more involved. They have higher persistence rates, so it’s important for students, those who are interested, to have that total collegiate experience.”
Jackson is tasked with selling SEARK to high school graduates in the same city where a four-year university is located. Throughout his educational career, he’s relied on promoting the affordability of a community college, where students can attend for two years at a fraction of the cost of attending a four-year institution.
There’s also the prospect of having more than one college degree for those who advance from community college.
“Having two degrees on your resume makes the student more marketable,” Jackson believes.