Alumna honors brother with library reading room at ��ӽ紫ý

��ӽ紫ý alumna Janice I. Nicholson cutting a ribbon surrounded by Associate Dean of ��ӽ紫ý Libraries Stephen Cunetto; ��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum; Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman; and Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw — Cutting a ribbon to formally open the James W. Nicholson Reading Room during dedication ceremonies Thursday [Oct. 3] are Associate Dean of ��ӽ紫ý Libraries Stephen Cunetto; ��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum; ��ӽ紫ý alumna and facility benefactor Janice I. Nicholson; Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman; and Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw. The room on Mitchell Memorial Library’s second floor is a tribute to Nicholson’s late brother, a Glen Allan resident who died in 2017 and was an ��ӽ紫ý alumnus and longtime educator. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Overlooking Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý’s historic Drill Field in the heart of campus, a newly transformed area in Mitchell Memorial Library gives students a vantage point to appreciate the university’s beauty while devoting essential time to their academic studies.

A gift from alumna Janice I. Nicholson of Florence, Alabama, makes possible the James W. Nicholson Reading Room, a tribute to her late brother, which was dedicated in campus ceremonies today [Oct. 3].

The James W. Nicholson Reading Room honors the legacy of the Mississippi educator and two-time ��ӽ紫ý alumnus and represents the importance of education in a family of loyal and passionate Bulldog graduates. James Nicholson, a Glen Allan resident, died in 2017, and Janice, his younger sister and the room’s benefactor, chose to honor him at the university from which they both earned education degrees before forging similar career paths as longtime educators.

Gathered for the James W. Nicholson Reading Room dedication and ribbon cutting are ��ӽ紫ý alumna Janice I. Nicholson, facility benefactor, center front, with her brother’s family, front left, wife Mary Jane McGee Nicholson, an ��ӽ紫ý alumna; front right, daughter-in-law Sherri Nicholson; and back from left, son-in-law Chris Barr, daughter and ��ӽ紫ý alumna Jane Nicholson Barr, and son and ��ӽ紫ý alumnus James W. Nicholson III. (Photo by Megan Bean)

“My brother James and I were truly lifelong friends, and it brings me great pleasure to associate his name with ��ӽ紫ý in this meaningful way,” Janice Nicholson said. “A library is the center of education and naming this space within the ��ӽ紫ý campus is a fitting tribute to his life and career.”

Located behind Einstein Bros. Bagels on the library’s second floor, the reading room provides a state-of-the-art environment featuring two presentation areas and structured and casual seating. Janice Nicholson’s gift also creates an endowment to maintain the space over time.

Janice Nicholson fondly recalls growing up with her brother in Booneville. Their parents, James and Lena Rivers Nicholson, stressed the importance of education, and throughout their lives, the siblings carried the belief that education brings great opportunity.

“Education is an important equalizer for all people, and we both put that philosophy into practice in our careers, sharing a common bond as teachers and administrators as we helped educate students across the South,” she said.

She continued, “James positively impacted students during his lifetime, many of them in the Mississippi Delta, and his impact will always be felt by ��ӽ紫ý students because of the study room’s offerings.”

From Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý, James Nicholson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education in 1965 and 1970, respectively, and later his Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi. He served in public education as a high ��ӽ紫ý teacher, community college instructor, high ��ӽ紫ý principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. After retiring as superintendent of Anguilla Public Schools in Sharkey County, he continued his career as executive director of the Delta Area Association for Improvement of Schools, housed at Delta ��ӽ紫ý University. He also was a longtime District 3 secretary of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.

“The James W. Nicholson Reading Room will serve thousands of students over the course of their academic pursuits,” said Frances Coleman, dean of University Libraries. “We are grateful for the generous support of Janice Nicholson and the opportunity to prominently honor an outstanding educator in Dr. James Nicholson within the Mitchell Memorial Library.”

Janice Nicholson earned master’s and doctoral degrees from ��ӽ紫ý in 1967 and 1977, respectively, along with an undergraduate degree from Blue Mountain College and an education specialist degree from Vanderbilt University. For 37 years, she was with the University of North Alabama in teaching and administrative positions, and she is a professor emerita of the institution. She also is retired as executive vice president for Student Affairs and Graduate and Special ��ӽ紫ýs from Blue Mountain College. From 2015-2017, she was interim head of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education at Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý. At ��ӽ紫ý, along with the reading room, her financial support extends to several student scholarships, a faculty award, and athletics, in particular women’s basketball.

For more information on supporting ��ӽ紫ý Libraries or the College of Education, contact Trish Cunetto, director of development for the units, at 662-325-6762 or tcunetto@foundation.msstate.edu.

��ӽ紫ý is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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