May 2nd, 2024
Jackson State Community College (JSCC) will hold its 56th commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 4, at the Carl Perkins Civic Center and feature Dr. Frank McMeen, President of the Community Foundation of West Tennessee, to speak at both the 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ceremonies where JSCC will graduate more than 370 students.
Dr. Frank McMeen, who has served as president of the Community Foundation of West Tennessee for more than 26 years, has served the Jackson and West Tennessee community in a variety of roles over the years. In addition to his position as president, he is currently in his first term as a member of Jackson’s City Council representing the city’s 5th district.
He has also served in numerous educational roles such as former vice president of University Advancement at Freed-Hardeman University, president of Columbia Academy, and adjunct faculty at the University of Memphis and Freed-Hardeman University.
Dr. McMeen has been highly involved in nonprofits both locally and state-wide. He is the current treasurer for the Tennessee Dental Association Foundation and previously served as its secretary. He was selected as president and vice president for multiple terms of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA), Tennessee’s oldest preservation organization.
Other local nonprofits where Dr. McMeen serves are the Boys & Girls Club, the Jackson Rotary Club, the Jackson Equity Project, and Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association (LANA). He has also served previously on the boards for Jackson Symphony and Jackson Downtown Development Corporation.
Dr. McMeen was awarded the Leadership Jackson Emerging Leader Award in 2006, the Leadership Jackson Harbert Alexander Award in 2018, and is a three-time Jackson Rotary Club Rotarian of the Year award recipient (2001-2002, 2007-2008, 2021-2022).
Dr. McMeen has also authored two books, “Let Me Tell You A Story: Finding Hope in a Hopeless World” and “It’s All About A Story, Be Encouraged.”
As part of this year’s graduation ceremonies, 41 high school students will graduate with associate degrees from JSCC through Jackson Central-Merry Early College High (JCM-ECH). Students that graduate from ECH receive both a high school diploma and an associate degree or certificate.
Early College High started in 2015 and is headed by Principal Dr. Nathan Lewis. It initially began as a school-within-a-school during its pilot stage and has quickly expanded since. The original class of ECH, which graduated in 2019, included 17 graduates who earned an associate degree. As of the 2023-2024 academic year, 179 students have received a degree through ECH and JSCC.