Elayne Hayes-Anthony, former journalism professor who served as acting president of Jackson State University in Mississippi, passed away on March 5. She was 73 years old.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Hayes-Anthony earned her bachelor’s degree in speech communication and broadcasting from Jackson State University. Her early career was in broadcast journalism, including being the first Black woman to serve as an anchor, producer, and reporter at WJTV Channel 12 in Jackson. While working as a journalist, Dr. Hayes-Anthony returned to Jackson State to complete her master’s degree in educational technology. She then went on to become the African American woman to earn a doctorate in communication from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
As an academic, Dr. Hayes-Anthony spent nearly two decades on the faculty of Belhaven College in Jackson, where she founded the department of communications. At Jackson State University, she had stints as director of graduate studies for the mass communication department and chair of the journalism department. She was named acting president of Jackson State in 2023.