Melinda Jackson

Dean, Undergraduate Education

Phone: 408-924-2446
Email: melinda.jackson@sjsu.edu

Biography

Dr. Melinda Jackson is the next Dean of Undergraduate Education here at SJSU! Dr. Jackson was selected after a highly competitive search across the entire California State University. I want to thank the search committee for their work in bringing such an excellent pool to campus. Dr. Jackson distinguished herself throughout the process, and I look forward to working with her closely in her new role.

Although Dr. Jackson is not new to the campus, it is valuable to remind everyone that she brings extensive leadership in undergraduate student success to the dean role. She joined San José State as a faculty member in Political Science in 2005, and has served in a number of positions including Department Chair, University Director of Assessment, and Director of the Survey & Policy Research Institute. Since 2020, Dr. Jackson has served as Associate Dean and Senior Associate Dean in the Office of Undergraduate Education. In each of these roles she has worked collaboratively to develop high-impact educational experiences to support student engagement and persistence, and to eliminate barriers to student success. Dr. Jackson brings a data and equity-informed perspective to these issues, and has led a number of projects including student and faculty success surveys, advising surveys, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis to inform policy revisions. 

Dr. Jackson holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. She has been a professor in the San José State University Department of Political Science since 2005. Dr. Jackson is an expert in public opinion and voting behavior, and has published research on these topics in a variety of academic journals. She has also contributed to several books on civic education, and political polling. Dr. Jackson serves as a frequent political commentator to local and national media outlets.