Alcorn State University will hold its 86th Annual Honors Convocation on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 10 a.m. in Oakland Memorial Chapel. The theme of the year’s event is “Striving for Excellence.”
Dr. John E. Walls Jr., a retired Mississippi educator and Alcorn State alumnus, will serve as keynote speaker.
Walls, a native of Philipp, Mississippi, has more than 40 years of experience in public education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Alcorn A&M College, a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Mississippi College, and a doctorate in educational administration from Jackson State University.
His career includes teaching positions in Chicago, Hinds County, and Claiborne County, as well as counseling roles at Alcorn State University and the Vicksburg Warren School District. He also served as an assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and deputy superintendent for the Vicksburg Warren School District, retiring in 2010. Walls has also served as an adjunct professor at Alcorn State University.
Walls is a member of several professional organizations and has received numerous awards, including Alcornite of the Year in 1997, induction into the Alcorn State University Hall of Honor in 1999, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999. He is a past national president of the Alcorn State University Alumni Association and a past president of the Omicron Rho Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Walls and his wife, Jo Ella (Harrison) Walls, have two adult children and two granddaughters. He is a trustee at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Honors Convocation recognizes students for their academic achievements.
