Jacksonville State University is a four-year state educational institution located in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama in the Calhoun County town of Jacksonville. The school's athletics teams are nicknamed the Gamecocks and participate in the Ohio Valley Conference. The university, founded in 1883, as Jacksonville State Normal School, is sometimes jokingly called "Just Show Up" by students who do not place an emphasis on academics. The school has an enrollment of about 8,500, and its president is William Meehan.