The end of an era approaches not only for students but also Murray State President Bob Jackson.
As the school year enters its final two weeks, Murray State President Bob Jackson’s retirement draws closer, and he said he feels like he owes the entire campus community a thank you.
“To our faculty, staff and especially our students, just simply thank you,” Jackson said. “To lead your alma mater is a very special event; it doesn’t happen very often in higher education. It’s pretty rare, actually.”
When someone reflects on their time in a role, they will mostly think back to the positive impacts made during that time. For Jackson, that was recruiting and retaining students at Murray State.
“Everything we do, (everything) this administration has done, is through the lens of ‘Is this good for our students? Is this going to help advance this University from an academic quality standpoint?’” Jackson said. “Without (the students), we don’t need Murray State University.”
Jordan Smith, assistant vice president of public affairs, mentioned that Jackson gave up a presidential investiture when he was sworn in. An investiture is a formal ceremony held for the president as they assume the presidential role.
“(Dr. Jackson) said, ‘I don’t want it, I don’t need it, and I’d rather put that money in student scholarships,’” Smith said.
Smith also mentioned that Jackson actively listens and enjoys talking to students. He mentioned the E-Sports lounge and the plethora of dining options that are available on campus as examples, as students had been asking for these things for a long time. These things were brought to campus because Jackson values student voices and worked with the administration to bring these things to campus.
As Jackson sat back and continued to reflect on his time, he said he didn’t have one regret since he took over in August 2018.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Jackson said. “I walked on this campus more than 43 years ago as a freshman student. I’m proud of this University, I’m proud of the accolades (and) I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role.”
Jackson said there are always things you would like to get done, but he didn’t want to get into any of it. He wants current students and alumni of Murray State to be proud of the campus that “we’ve” put together.
“I don’t mean ‘me’ and I don’t say ‘I,’ it’s we,” Jackson said. “Our administrative team, our faculty, our staff and especially our students. We’ve done it together and we’ve done it well and we all should be very proud.”
While Jackson reflected on everything accomplished during his tenure, he also thought ahead to what some challenges for higher education could be over the next few years.
Jackson said the amount of “college-going students” and students who are eligible for college is getting smaller. He said the rate in the state of Kentucky alone has slipped under 50%.
“(In) seven years or so, about 75% of all jobs in this country will require some form of higher education,” Jackson said.
Jackson discussed the disconnect between what families of high schoolers may believe and what reality is. He also mentioned filling in the gaps with needs such as a new building for nursing and health professions to expand opportunities, a veterinary science building, subsequent curriculum, cybersecurity and other high-tech programs and the school of engineering. These things are being done to help bridge the gap and help students find a place where they can get their degree to help place them right in their career field out of college.
Jackson said funding is “always going to be a challenge.” When he served on the state senate, 70% of their budget came from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and 30% came from tuition fees. Jackson said the figures have flipped and more than 70% of the state senate budget comes from tuition fees and less than 30% comes from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
While everyone wishes they could simply cruise to the finish line as they near retirement, those people still have to live in the moment, and that’s no different for Jackson. On Wednesday, April 9, a lawsuit was filed by Student Government Association president-elect Ali Khatib against Jackson prior to the SGA’s second election. Jackson said he stands by the original statement that was put out but had an additional statement he wanted to share with everyone.
“The Student Government Association is an important component of shared governance,” Jackson said. “It is the position of the University that this matter has been handled correctly and it will continue to be handled correctly as we move forward. We look forward to working with this group of newly elected students.”
To end the interview, Jackson said he wanted to share some advice and wisdom with the graduating class as they prepare for the next part of their lives. He had four pieces of advice to share: the first was to continue learning.
“Be lifelong learners,” Jackson said. “Whatever environment we’re in, no matter how it changes, how fast it changes, whatever the future brings, be lifelong learners.”
One of “Bob’s firm beliefs” is working hard at whatever you choose to do.
“You’ll be the best you can be at whatever you choose to do,” Jackson said. “I firmly believe that. I still practice that personally, and I think others on campus could attest to that. No matter what field you may be in, be your very best and work hard at it to make a difference.”
Something Jackson tells students privately all the time is to enjoy the journey and enjoy your professional career.
“We all work, we all have jobs and we all have careers, but enjoy those things,” Jackson said. “Enjoy that process and love what you do. If you don’t love what you do, find something that you do love. Love what you do because it’s going to help you get through hard times too.”
His last piece of advice is to make the world a better place.
“That sounds simple and even corny in a sense,” Jackson said. “No matter what our fields may be, we should all work to make our field, and most importantly, the world, a better place. If we all do that and we leave things better than we found it, pretty much everything else will work out.”
