Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson—one of the nation’s most prolific educational researchers—has been tapped to be the next dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University. He is the first African American to hold the post at MSU.
Jackson—who is currently the Rupple-Bascom Professor of Education and the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison—will also hold the title of MSU Foundation Professor of Education when he arrives to the land-grant university in July.
“Michigan State University’s history of acknowledging Black leadership through senior-level appointments was a key part of my decision making,” said Jackson, who in addition to his faculty role at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently serves as the chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and is the founder, director and chief research scientist of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (WEI LAB).
“Whether you go back to 1970 with the appointment of Clifton R. Wharton as the first Black president of a major U.S. university or to recent hires such as Linda S. Greene as dean of the College of Law, or Alan Haller as vice president and director of athletics, I found comfort in my decision to step into leadership of one of Michigan’s State’s most prized academic colleges,” he said.
Greene said that Jackson's "commitment to collaborative research, his commitment to inclusive excellence, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of diverse education scholars," is a major win for MSU. "His presence and his networks will enrich Michigan State University. “
A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and Auburn University, Jackson earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Iowa State University and joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000, becoming the first African American faculty member in his department.