From left, David Marhall, Ph.D., dean of the College of Media, Arts & Communication; Nicholas Silberg, department chair, Arts and Creative Leadership; Turkesha Jackson, Fred and Mattie Jackson Board member; Cyrus Jackson, a 1977 Savannah State alumnus and founder of the Fred and Mattie Jackson Foundation; and Juliana Trammel, Ph.D, chair, College of Media, Arts & Communication.
The College of Media, Arts, and Communication (CMAC) at Savannah State University (SSU( has received $7,150 in combined support from the Fred and Mattie Jackson Foundation. The support includes a $5,000 gift to launch The Fred and Mattie Jackson Student Success Storytelling Initiative and a $2,150 scholarship, awarded by the foundation’s founder, Mr. Cyrus Jackson, to help a deserving CMAC student continue their education at SSU.
The storytelling initiative is a new effort designed to elevate student voices, showcase achievement and provide hands-on professional experience for students in media and communications. The initiative will support the creation of a series of digital and video student success stories highlighting persistence, achievement, creative excellence, career readiness and entrepreneurial aspiration. Funding will also help support student participation and professional development opportunities, underwrite a CMAC Majors Day experience, and convene a strategic planning session with faculty, staff, and industry partners focused on workforce preparation and student success.
In addition, a $2,150 scholarship was awarded to Kairi Russell, a sophomore Arts and Creative Leadership student in the College of Media, Arts, and Communication.
“This investment is about more than funding a program. It is about investing in students in a way that is direct, personal, visible and lasting,” said David Marshall, APR, inaugural dean of the College of Media, Arts, and Communication. “From the storytelling initiative to direct scholarship support for one of our students, this gift affirms the promise of Savannah State University and strengthens our ability to connect student success to community impact.”
Cyrus Jackson, a 1977 Savannah State alumnus and founder of the Fred and Mattie Jackson Foundation, said the support reflects the foundation’s belief in the power of student-centered storytelling — and in investing directly in students.
“The Fred and Mattie Jackson Foundation is proud to support storytelling on campus that highlights the outstanding students of Savannah State University who are working hard to fulfill their dreams,” Jackson said. “The social media storytelling work that Dean Marshall, along with the faculty, staff and students in the College of Media, Arts, and Communication, are doing is extraordinary and eloquently captures student success, and the impact of a Savannah State University education, and that is something our foundation is happy to support.”
The gift aligns with #TheUpRoar2030, Savannah State’s strategic plan, particularly its priorities of Student Success, Brand Strength and Community Impact. The university’s plan calls for cultivating an exceptional student experience, elevating the university’s reputation through bold storytelling and strategic marketing, and expanding partnerships that advance workforce development and civic engagement.
Jackson is a Savannah native, entrepreneur and longtime supporter of the university. He was the first Savannah State student to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing and went on to build Professional Products Unlimited into a major company in the ethnic hair care industry. Jackson and his family established the Fred and Mattie Jackson Foundation in 2014 in honor of his parents, Fred and Mattie Jackson, with a commitment to education, entrepreneurship and student opportunity.
The Fred and Mattie Jackson Student Success Storytelling Initiative will culminate in a public reveal of the completed student stories and a post-project impact package featuring student testimonials, photography and communications-ready materials that can support recruitment, alumni engagement and future philanthropic storytelling.
