Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Home Baptist Society of New York. A member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, JSU holds an important place in the history of US civil rights. JSU is to be a model urban learning community for highly motivated students from diverse backgrounds, where original research and experiential learning are integrated into rigorous and internationally prominent teaching, research and service learning programs. A historically black Doctoral/Research public university, Jackson State educates a diverse student population in a broad range of baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs. The learning process is enhanced through experiential learning. Jackson State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is 1 of only 3 Historically Black Colleges to be classified as a research intensive university with high research activity by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, along with Howard University and North Carolina A&T State University.