MADISON Miss. — The city of Madison and Tulane University officials want the state College Board to rescind what they’re calling the “premature” approval of Jackson State University’s plans to open a Madison campus this summer.
Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler said the city wants to make sure that Jackson State will not be competing for students with Tulane, which opened a Madison branch in 2010.
On Jan. 17, the College Board approved a 10-year, $1.5 million lease for 8,600 square feet in an office building in Madison for Jackson State to hold classes. JSU President Carolyn Meyers said Monday that the university’s move to open a branch in Madison is designed to make its classes more convenient for nontraditional students who live and work in the area.
Hawkins-Butler said she was surprised to hear about the lease. The mayor said she thought Jackson State was only looking at the space.
“We were very pleasant, enjoyed their company and our discussion, but it was a done deal when we visited, but they did not share that with me,” Hawkins-Butler said.
The mayor’s other concern was for the competition the JSU campus could create with Tulane’s Madison location.
Meyers said she didn’t realize that was a problem after her discussion with Hawkins-Butler.
