Jacksonville State University history

After presenting diplomas to the first class in 1886, Chappell left for another post, and faculty member Carleton Bartlett Gibson, a Mobile native, stepped into the vacancy.

In 1893, Jacob Forney IV, a Jacksonville native and an alumnus of the school's very first graduating class, began a six-year term as president.

In February 1897, the Alabama State Legislature established a separate public school district for Jacksonville and gave the SNS president the authority to serve as superintendent over all schools within the district.

The act also provided that the public schools would serve as teacher training schools for the SNS. Forney's brother-in-law Clarence W. Daugette, a science teacher at the school, succeeded him as president in 1899.

In 1920, the school established extension programs that enabled grade-school teachers to take classes at more convenient times and locations.

A significant change came in 1929 when the school became a four-year institution and was renamed the State Teachers College.

Also in 1930, Bibb Graves Hall was constructed to house classrooms and administrative offices; it now serves as JSU's main administration building.

The first bachelor of science degree in the field of education was awarded in 1931, and five years later, the college earned regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1935, the college acquired accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The program began in 1946 with five students from France.

In 1957, the name again changed to Jacksonville State College when the first graduate program - the master’s degree in elementary education - was created.

One year later, the legislature established an independent Board of Trustees for the university and divested jurisdiction from the BoE. Barbara Curry, who enrolled in the fall of 1965, is believed to be the first African American student at Jacksonville State College.

By 1966, many more African American students and educators began entering classes at JSU.

On August 17, 1967, the Legislature established an independent Board of Trustees for the University and divested jurisdiction from the State Board of Education.

In 1971, former State Superintendent of Education Ernest Stone succeeded Cole as university president.

He had received bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from JSU and began teaching in the biology department at JSU in 1977, later earning a doctorate of education from the University of Alabama and serving in several administrative positions.

Theron Montgomery, a former sociology instructor, became president of JSU in 1981.

William A. Meehan, JSU's eleventh president, began his tenure in 1999.

The Jacksonville State University Higher Education Consortium was established in 2003, and it houses two state schools: Jacksonville State University–McClellan Center, and Gadsden State Community College–McClellan Campus.

In October 2007, the College of Commerce and Business Administration was named one of the 290 best business schools in the world by The Princeton Review and ranked second in providing the greatest opportunities for women.

In spring 2008, the website GetEducated.com ranked the Master of Science in Computer Systems and Software Design as second on its list of "best buys" among 67 online master's programs in computer science and information technology offered by regionally accredited institutions in the United States.

The Gamecocks were coached by Annette Watts until her resignation on June 4, 2013.

Under the direction of head coach John Grass in 2014, the Gamecocks went 10-2 overall, won the Ohio Valley Conference outright, and received an automatic bid in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

JSU was approved to begin offering its second doctoral degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice, effective Fall 2017.

JSU is currently on a hybrid schedule with a plan to return to normal operations in the summer of 2021.