Jackson State wins approval for Madison courses

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The state College Board has approved 42 courses for Jackson State University's planned campus in Madison.

Board officials say that's only the beginning of the classes that JSU will offer in Jackson's northern suburb. The list included nine business courses, four education courses and six gerontology courses.

JSU's plans to open a campus in Madison have been disputed by Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler, who says JSU will improperly compete with a branch of private Tulane University.

However, in its justification to the board, JSU wrote there's plenty of room for more expansion in Madison and noted that some Tulane courses offered there aren't accepted for degrees on Tulane's main campus in New Orleans.

JSU also noted that its tuition was cheaper than either Tulane's Madison campus or nearby Tougaloo College.