John S. Jackson, the former chancellor of Southern Illinois University, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the National Lab for the Study of the College President at the University of Arkansas.

The lecture will take place at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22 in the Graduate Education Building Auditorium. The lecture is titled "The Politics and Challenges of Higher Education Today." It is free and open to the public.

Jackson is an Arkansas native, having grown up in Waldo. He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and earned his master's degree from Baylor University and doctoral degree in political science from Vanderbilt University. Throughout his career, in addition to his academic appointments, he has consulted with a number of Arkansas governors, directed the Robert A. Taft Seminar for Social Studies Teachers, and is a visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Jackson will draw upon his background in politics as well as his three-decade academic career to discuss how politics and policy are affecting higher education, and what college presidents can and are doing about it.

 "We are truly excited to have Dr. Jackson join us on campus," said Michael Miller, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "In addition to being a faculty member, he has served as a dean of liberal arts, a provost, and a chancellor, and taken together with his work in political science, I am certain this will be a provocative and thought-provoking evening."

Jackson is the author of multiple books, including The American Political Party System: Continuity and Change Over Ten Presidential Elections and The Essential Paul Simon: Timeless Lessons for Today's Politics. He has also served as the editor of The Simon Review and conducts the Simon Political Poll.

The lecture is sponsored by the National Lab for the Study of the College President, which is housed in the College of Education and Health Professions. The lab also sponsors the Journal of Research on the College President.