Paper Transfered to Session 4, New Paper Number 4.3A

The Jackson State University (JSU) Meteorology Program, contained within the Department of Physics, Atmospheric Sciences, and General Science (and in the University's School of Science and Technology), was initiated in 1975 and has since provided quality minority atmospheric scientists to the meteorological community. The program was initially supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was originally administered through the General Science program at JSU. Since its initiation, the JSU Meteorology Program has grown in students and abilities. One of the primary missions of the JSU Meteorology Program is to increase the number of minorities majoring in atmospheric science. The JSU Meteorology Program has been quite successful in past and current endeavors. However, to continue meeting its mission and goals, and to develop further, a variety of needs must be met. These include renovation of the physical setting, the replacement of instrumentation and updating of computers, and continued growth of faculty and curriculum offerings and the research program-all of which are currently underway. The future of the JSU-MP is based on the establishment of a virtual community of minority atmospheric scientists, combined with outreach, the enhancement of the research and educational programs, and a full and integrated research program for the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast States. These will provide significant opportunities for undergraduate research and professional development, the integration of computer-based learning modules and research in the classroom, capacity and community building, and state-of-the-art visualization. In tandem, these will serve to increase and sustain the recruitment and flow of minority students--and thus diversity--in the atmospheric sciences.