Jax State News

Angle Hall

Jax State’s Marching Southerners Selected to Perform in 2027 Rose Parade Presented by Honda

Jacksonville State University's famed Marching Southerners will soon take center stage at one of the world's grandest traditions, having been selected to perform in the 138th Rose Parade Presented by Honda in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 2027. 

 
Jax State Crowns 2025 Homecoming King and Queen

The Jacksonville State University student body has elected Coby Bonner and Coral Church as 2025 Homecoming King and Queen. The announcement was made Thursday evening during the Homecoming Carnival, just before fireworks lit the sky over campus.
 
Jacksonville State Named No. 1 Employer Headquartered in Alabama by Forbes

Jacksonville State University has been recognized by Forbes as the top-ranked employer headquartered in Alabama on its 2025 list of America’s Best Employers by State. Jax State placed No. 7 overall among 45 employers that made the Alabama rankings and was the highest-ranked university on the list.
 
Elite Lettermen Club Honored as Grand Marshals in Farewell Year

Even icons retire. Though they must eventually join the ranks of us mere mortals, none can resist the chance to bask – one last time - in the contagious joy and excitement their presence incites. That is the bittersweet reality of Jax State’s beloved Elite Letterman Club (ELC).
 
Spanish study abroad program allows students to ‘live like the locals’

Jax State's Department of History and Foreign Languages is planning an educational study trip to Seville, Spain, from May 9 through June 7.
 
Jacksonville State Achieves Historic Enrollment Record, Surpasses 10,000 Students

For the fifth consecutive year, Jacksonville State University (Jax State) has broken its all-time enrollment record – yet this fall’s achievement stands apart. For the first time in its history, the university has surpassed 10,000 students, a milestone long envisioned by the institution.
 
Trail Science Institute receives grant for outdoor recreation projects in Appalachia

Dr. Ross Martin and Jax State’s Trail Science Institute have received a $25,000 grant to partner with the Trust for Public Land to benefit Appalachia. The grant enables Jax State to collaborate with local leaders to plan, fund, and implement outdoor recreation projects that will create jobs, enhance health, attract visitors to the region, and build climate resilience.
 
Management and Marketing professor co-presents program at regional conference in Norway

In June, Michael Walker, business instructor for the Lyons and Company, Inc. Department of Management and Marketing, co-presented at the 2025 regional conference for the Association for Business Communication (ABC) in Bergen, Norway, alongside his wife, Dr. Angela Walker, English professor at Talladega College.
 
Jax State Student James Nichols Located Safe in New York

Jacksonville State University confirms that student James Nichols, of Ohatchee, Alabama, has been located safe in New York. Nichols has spoken with his family.
 
Jax State Seeks the Public’s Help to Locate Student James Nichols of Ohatchee

Jacksonville State University (Jax State) is seeking the public’s assistance to locate student James Nichols, of Ohatchee, Alabama. University Police received a report late Tuesday, September 2, 2025, that Nichols had not been seen since the early morning hours of Thursday, August 28.
 
Jax State faculty awarded multiple grants to study career-based applications for AI

Jacksonville State University's Dr. Jianping Huang, Dr. Mark Sciuchetti, and Jodi Poe received grants from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) for Artificial Intelligence research.  
 
Dr. Daniel P. Mertens Named Glenn Huie Eminent Scholar Chair in Jax State’s College of Business and Industry

Jacksonville State University President Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr., has announced that Dr. Daniel P. Mertens, the Inaugural Endowed Professor of Business Strategy, has been appointed the new Glenn Huie Eminent Scholar Chair in the College of Business and Industry.
 
Jax State special education major awarded prestigious fellowship

Trey'Vionne (Trey) Marshall, a junior special education major from Brantley, Ala., has been awarded the national Jordan Smith Fellowship Award, which recognizes undergraduate students who support first-year student success on their campus.
 
Cowboy Outlaw performance comes to Jax State with unexpected family connection

Every family has its dubious characters. However, Jax State Vice Provost, Dr. Staci Stone, has a distant relative named Elmer McCurdy, a bank robber and train robber, so notorious, his life – and afterlife - has been the subject of numerous songs, movies, comic books, documentaries, even a Tony-nominated Broadway musical.
 
Swisher3x Brings “The Vibes” to Jax State

Jacksonville State University kicked off the fall semester with an extra dose of energy and positivity, thanks to a special visit from musical artist Swisher3x.