Biography
Dr. Arrick Jackson currently serves as the ninth chancellor of Indiana University Northwest. He began serving as our chancellor on July 1, 2025.
Dr. Arrick Jackson previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Minnesota State University Moorhead. In this executive role, he provided strategic leadership and stewardship for a $51 million budget (including $17 million in grant funding) while overseeing four colleges, Student Affairs Division, the International Education office, Graduate Studies office, and Library Services.
Dr. Jackson brings extensive experience across diverse institutional settings, including two-year colleges, four-year comprehensive liberal arts universities, doctoral-granting institutions, multi-campus systems, urban universities, and Hispanic Serving Institutions. His leadership spans institutions with enrollments ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 students, serving diverse populations including first-generation college students, underrepresented minorities, veterans, adult learners, online students, and students with disabilities.
Previously, Dr. Jackson served as Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, where he provided executive oversight for the Schools of Criminal Justice, Digital Media, and Education.
He also served as an academic leader at Tarrant County College (TCC) Northwest campus in Fort Worth, Texas. There, Dr. Jackson held the position of Vice President of Community and Industry Education. In this capacity, he directed two training academies — police and fire — serving over 14,000 students annually, while also leading multiple business and industry workforce development programs.
Dr. Jackson has served as a tenured Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. His scholarly work encompasses diverse areas including sexual violence, victimology, rehabilitation, policing after ethnic conflicts, race and policing, restorative justice, and police interagency cooperation.
His research has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of Interpersonal Violence; Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society; Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management; International Review of Victimology; and the Journal of Family Violence. Dr. Jackson is also co-author of the book Crime Victim Rights and Remedies.
As a highly engaged academic leader and advocate for higher education's mission, Dr. Jackson maintains that higher education — whether preparing skilled practitioners or developing thought leaders — remains fundamental to sustaining a strong democracy.
Dr. Jackson earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and completed both his master's degree in Criminal Justice and doctorate in Political Science at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
A United States Army veteran, Dr. Jackson served six years of distinguished military service as an airborne soldier in field artillery and as a Non-Commissioned Officer in military intelligence.