The University of Southern Mississippi
Encyclopedia : T : TH : THE : The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive public university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Established on March 30, 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi was originally known as Mississippi Normal College, a college for training teachers. Southern Miss has multiple teaching sites that include the [Gulf Park Campus] in Long Beach, MS, Stennis Space Center, Jackson County, Keesler Air Force Base, J.L.Scott Aquarium, Gulf Coast Research Lab, and Pontlevoy, France. The university, through its Center for International and Continuing Education, operates a number of international programs, and is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the nation for the number of students studying abroad each year. It is particularly noted for its flagship British Studies program, which regularly sends over 200 students each summer to live and study in the heart of London.
According to the [Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning], The University of Southern Mississippi is the second largest by enrollment of the three major Mississippi universities. The university is home to a major [polymer science research center], a nationally recognized writer's center and one of the strongest music programs in the southeastern United States. The Southern Miss Wind Ensemble is considered to be among the nation's best, as is [The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra], which has performed with such world-renowned figures as singer Ray Charles, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, violinist Joshua Bell, flutist James Galway, trumpet player Doc Sevrinsen, and tenor Plácido Domingo. In the past few years, the Southern Chorale, the university's top choir, has come into national and international prominence with invitational performances at the National American Choral Director's Association Conference in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall, and abroad.
Originally called The University of Southern Mississippi Southerners, in 1971 they became the Golden Eagles. The school’s colors, black and gold, were selected by a student body vote shortly after the school was founded, and while mascots, names, customs, and the very campus itself have changed through the years, the black and gold colors have remained constant.
Institution
The University of Southern Mississippi is a world-class, comprehensive research-extensive university. Its primary mission is to cultivate intellectual development and creativity through the generation, dissemination, application, and preservation of knowledge. Southern Miss is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and its programs are fully accredited by 30 state and national agencies.The University of Southern Mississippi. (2006). [Southern Miss Profile].
A faculty of about 712 serves about 13,200 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students in the areas of 94 bachelors degree programs and 92 graduate programs. Southern Miss has traditionally drawn many of its students from Mississippi schools and community colleges, hailing from every county in Mississippi, though today the majority of undergraduates come from public schools across the southern United States and around the globe.
The University of Southern Mississippi offers more than 250 clubs and organizations, as well as intramural athletics and special events. Prominent student organizations at Southern Miss include the [Student Government Association], [The Legacy], [The Student Printz] (the biweekly student-produced newspaper), The Southerner (the yearbook), [Southern Style] (the University's student ambassadors), national fraternities and sororities, prestigious honor societies, and various religious organizations. Southern Miss has over 300 cultural events every year. In addition, the school participates in the NCAA's Division I-A, and Conference USA featuring year-round athletics in 17 sports.
Organization
The University of Southern Mississippi is governed by the University President along with the [Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning]. The President of The University of Southern Mississippi is the day-to-day administrator of Southern Miss and is appointed by and responsible to the State Institutions of Higher Learning Board.
The University is organized into five colleges, offering academic programs of study in:
- [College of Arts and Letters]
- [College of Business and Economic Development]
- [College of Education and Psychology]
- [College of Health]
- [College of Science and Technology]
History
Founded by Legislative Act on March 30, 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi was the state’s first state-supported teacher training school. Originally known as Mississippi Normal College, the school was built on 120 acres of cutover timber land donated by Messrs. H.A. Camp, A.A. Montague and Dr. T. E. Ross, and funded by bonds issued by the city of Hattiesburg and Forrest County in the amount of $250,000. A close relationship between the university, city, and county is still maintained today. The school’s stated purpose was to “qualify teachers for the public schools of Mississippi.” Mississippi Normal College opened for classes Sept. 18, 1912, and hosted a total of 876 students during its initial session (506 in the regular session and 370 in the summer term).
The first president, Joseph Anderson “Joe” Cook, oversaw construction of the original buildings and guided the school during its formative years. Cook served as superintendent of the Columbus, Miss., city schools prior to being selected as president of MNC. The school’s five original buildings were College Hall (the academic building); Forrest County Hall (men’s and married students’ dormitory); Hattiesburg Hall (women’s dormitory); the Industrial Cottage (training laboratory for home management); and the president’s home (now the Alumni House). Prior to 1922, the school awarded certificates, which required at least two terms of attendance, and diplomas, which required at least six terms. In 1922, the school was authorized to confer the baccalaureate degree, the first of which was awarded in May 1922 to Kathryn Swetman of Biloxi.
In 1924, the school underwent the first of a series of name changes. On March 7, 1924, Mississippi Normal College became State Teachers College. Many improvements were instituted following the name change as STC pursued accreditation by the Southern Association of College and Secondary Schools (SACS). One of the improvements was construction of the Demonstration School in 1927, which served as a training ground for student teachers. Sadly, on September 28, 1928, at the behest of Gov. Theodore G. Bilbo, President Cook was summarily dismissed by the STC Board of Trustees. The reason given was Cook’s age (65), but onlookers saw it as a political ploy because Cook had not supported Bilbo in the recent gubernatorial election.
The Board of Trustees selected supervisor of Rural Schools Claude Bennett to succeed Joe Cook as president. Many of the faculty and staff remained loyal to the former president and viewed Bennett with suspicion. Nevertheless, it was during the Bennett administration that the school was approved for membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1929. Moreover, enrollment continued to increase, extension courses were offered in 25 Mississippi counties, and a strong music program was set in motion. Unfortunately, Gov. Bilbo continued to meddle in the internal affairs of State Teachers College and the other state-supported institutions of higher learning. As a result, SACS revoked the schools accreditation in 1930. In 1932, due to the Great Depression, the state was unable to pay faculty salaries. Fortunately, Hattiesburg banks arranged signature loans for hard-pressed faculty members, and grocery stores extended credit to those with good payment records. In 1932, a single board of trustees was created to oversee all of Mississippi’s institutions of higher learning. This body replaced the separate boards of trustees under which the institutions had previously operated. Uppermost on the new board’s agenda was removing political appointees of Gov. Bilbo, so, in 1933, President Bennett was fired.
Dr. Jennings Burton George, a Mississippi Normal College alumnus, became the school’s third president July 1, 1933, and the first to hold a doctorate. The new chief executive inherited a huge debt, which he corrected by setting strict financial guidelines, cutting employees’ salaries, and freezing departmental budgets. His efforts not only resulted in a balanced budget, but each year of his administration ended with a small surplus in the treasury.
On February 13, 1940, the school’s name was changed for the second time. Its new name, Mississippi Southern College, reflected the fact that it was no longer exclusively a teachers’ college. During World War II, enrollment plummeted to around 300 as students and faculty members joined, or were drafted into, military service. Both head football coach Reed Green and his assistant, Thad “Pie” Vann, served in the armed forces. Looking ahead to the end of the war, President George established a $35,000 trust fund to provide scholarships for returning veterans. He also proposed graduate work in education, home economics, and music. But, in January 1945, before any of his plans were implemented, the Board of Trustees declined to rehire Dr. George, giving no definitive reason for its action. The school is deeply indebted to President George, for it was his sound fiscal policies and managerial genius that steered it safely through both the Great Depression and World War II.
Dr. Robert Cecil Cook became the institution’s fourth president, following his discharge from the Army on July 6, 1945. President Cook, whose credentials as an educator were impeccable, placed academic development at the top of his agenda. During his tenure, the Graduate Studies division was created, and the Reading Clinic, the Latin American Institute, and the Speech and Hearing Clinic were established. Greek presence on campus was increased, the band program was expanded, the “Dixie Darlings” precision dance team was formed, and enrollment soared to more than 2,000. The athletic program was strengthened, as coaches Reed Green and Pie Vann returned from military service and resumed their former positions. Over the next two decades, the combined efforts of these two outstanding coaches brought national recognition to the Southern Miss football program. In December 1954, Cook became the first president to leave the office voluntarily when he resigned to accept the position as vice president and general manager of the Jackson State Times, a new daily newspaper.
Dr. Richard Aubrey McLemore was named acting president, effective January 1, 1955, and served in that capacity until August 17, 1955. Dr. McLemore, known to the students as "Dr. Mac," had been a faculty member at MSC since 1938, and had served as professor of history, head of the social studies division, and dean of the college.
The Board of Trustees selected State Archivist Dr. William David McCain as the school’s fifth president, and he assumed the office August 18, 1955, promising to keep the campus “dusty or muddy with construction.” At least 17 new buildings were erected during the McCain administration, including Reed Green Coliseum. Dr. McCain’s driving ambition, however, was to achieve university status for MSC, a drive that was sponsored by the Alumni Association. To that end, he reorganized the academic programs into colleges and schools, and on February 27, 1962, Gov. Ross Barnett signed the bill that made Mississippi Southern College a university: The University of Southern Mississippi. The second watershed event of the McCain administration occurred in September 1965 when, for the first time in the school’s history, African-American students were admitted. The first students were Raylawni Young Branch and Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong. Other noteworthy events of the McCain era include formation of the Oral History Program in 1971 and establishment of the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus in 1972. Also in 1972, the nickname of the athletic teams was changed from “Southerners” to “Golden Eagles.” Dr. McCain retired from the presidency June 30, 1975. During his 20-year presidency, enrollment grew to 11,000.
On July 1, 1975, Dr. Aubrey Keith Lucas became the sixth president of Southern Miss, having served as instructor, director of admissions, registrar, and dean of the Graduate School, in addition to holding both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school. Among the accomplishments that punctuated the Lucas years were the formation of the Teaching and Learning Resource Center; creation of the Faculty Senate; establishment of the Center for International Education; replacement of the quarter system with the semester system; creation of the Polymer Science Institute; reorganization of the university’s 10 schools into six colleges; formation of the Institute for Learning in Retirement; and affiliation with the new athletic conference, Conference USA. After 21 years, Dr. Lucas stepped down from the presidency December 31, 1996, saying it was time for someone new.
Dr. Horace Weldon Fleming, Jr. assumed his duties as the university’s seventh president January 3, 1997. During his tenure, the School of Nursing became a college, the Office of Technology Resources was created; a master’s program in hydrographic science was added in the Department of Marine Science; a master’s program in workforce training and development was added in the School on Engineering Technology; and online classes were instituted. In addition, a strategic plan for the future was unveiled. Designed to plot the university’s course over the next three to five years, the plan envisions Southern Miss as “a national university for the Gulf South.” In 2001, Dr. Fleming introduced the public phase of a $100 million comprehensive campaign. Dr. Fleming resigned the presidency in July 2001, and President Emeritus Dr. Aubrey Keith Lucas was selected to serve until the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning hired a new president.
On May 1, 2002, Dr. Shelby Freland Thames became The University of Southern Mississippi’s eighth president. Thames has an extensive history at Southern Miss, starting in 1955 when he walked onto the campus as a student earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Southern Mississippi in chemistry and organic chemistry. His previous administrative positions at Southern Miss were chair of the Department of Polymer Science, dean of the College of Science and Technology, vice president for Administration and Regional Campuses, and executive vice president. In 1970, he was the founder of the Department of Polymer Science, and, in 1973, co-founder of the Waterborne and High-Solids Coatings Symposium. He was an inductee, in 1998, to Southern Miss’s Alumni Hall of Fame, and in that same year, the Polymer Science Research Center was named in honor of Dr. Thames and is now known as the Shelby Freland Thames Polymer Science Research Center. During Thames’ presidency, the state college board voted unanimously to establish a second campus for The University of Southern Mississippi, and on August 19, 2002, Southern Miss admitted its first class of freshmen on its Gulf Park Campus, making the university the only comprehensive university in the state with dual-campus status.
Additionally, Southern Miss has multiple teaching sites that include Stennis Space Center, Jackson County, Keesler Air Force Base, J.L.Scott Aquarium, Gulf Coast Research Lab, and Pontlevoy, France.
With an enrollment of 15,050, The University of Southern Mississippi is currently the second largest university in the state.The University of Southern Mississippi. (2006). [History of the University].
Prominent Southern Miss alumni
- Natalie Allen '84 - Co-anchor of CNN Live Today
- Jimmy Buffett ’69 - Singer, Songwriter, and author
- Brett Favre - NFL Quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
- Ray Guy ’78 - NFL punter and hall of famer.
- Margaret Loesch '68 - Founding president of FOX Children's Network (FOX Kids).
- Kathleen Koch - CNN correspondent specializing in aviation reporting and serving as back-up correspondent at the Pentagon and the White House.
- Chuck Scarborough - Emmy award-winning anchor at WNBC in New York City and author.
- Oseola McCarty '98 - The University's most humble and famous benefactor.
- Robert L. Stewart '64 - Former NASA Astronaut and retired Army brigadier general.
- Gene Taylor '80 (Graduate Studies) - U.S. Representative, Mississippi's 4th Congressional District
- Clarence Weatherspoon '93 - Basketball player for the New York Knicks.
- William Chong Wong '72 a Delta Sigma Pi fellow and native of Honduras, where he was Director of the Internal Revenue Service (1990-1992), Subsecretary of Treasury (1993), Subsecretary of Finance and Budget (Feb.2002-Aug.2004) and Secretary of Finance (Sep.2004-Jan.2006)
- Robert Hyatt '84 - author of Cray Blitz a World Chess Champion Computer Program.
- Gene Carlisle - Founder of Carlisle Corporation, which owns and operates over 95 Wendy’s restaurants throughout MS, AR, LA, NC, employing more than 3,000 people and topping $140 million in sales.
See all [Prominent Alumni of The University of Southern Mississippi].
Campus and student life
Semesters at the university run from August to December and January to May, with a 10-week summer session. There are also two four-week accelerated summer terms.
Southern Miss' clubs and organizations appeal to a wide spectrum of interests and are categorized under the following areas: Business, Education and Psychology, the Arts, Games and Athletics, Graduate Studies, Greeks, Health and Human Sciences, Honors Societies, Liberal Arts, the Military, Religious Life, Residence Halls, and Science and Technology.
The University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I-A level and a member of Conference USA. Some of the very best athletes in the country have competed as USM Golden Eagles, including NFL MVP Brett Favre. Intercollegiate sports for men are football, basketball, tennis, golf, indoor and outdoor track, and cross country. Women's sports are tennis, basketball, cross country, volleyball, golf, and indoor and outdoor track. Intramural sports include more than 40 team, dual, and individual sports activities.
Residential housing
The University of Southern Mississippi has 14 residence halls and about 5,000 students live on campus throughout the school year. Located on the eastern side of campus, the residence halls are:
- Bond Hall, a freshmen male dormitory named after W.F. Bond a Southern Miss history professor.
- Bolton Hall, located in the Freshman Quad, housing freshman freshman women and female Luckyday Scholars.
- Elam Arms Hall, an upper-class male residence hall.
- Hattiesburg Hall, houses honors college and upper-class males.
- Hickman Hall, houses male Luckyday Scholars.
- Hillcrest Hall, an upper-class female residence hall.
- Jones Hall, a female freshman dormitory located in the Freshman Quad.
- McCarty Hall Men's, named after a local washerwoman, Oseola McCarty, who donated $150,000 of her life's savings to the university, houses upper-class males.
- McCarty Hall Women's, houses upper-class females.
- Pinehaven, a complex featuring apartment-style housing for families and graduate students.
- Pulley Hall, located in the Freshman Quad housing female freshman.
- Roberts Hall, a freshman women's dormitory located in the Freshman Quad.
- Scott Hall, an upper-class women's dormitory.
- Vann Hall, an upper-class men's residence hall.
- Wilbur (Panhellenic) Hall, houses upper-class sororities.
- Fraternity Row is home to all male fraternity houses.
- The Village, currently under construction-- a community-style living area that will house the current National Pan-Hellenic Conference sororities and the National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities in summer 2007.
Gulf Park Campus
The University’s presence on the Mississippi Gulf Coast began in 1947 when then Mississippi Southern College first organized classes at Van Hook Hall, Methodist Camp Grounds, in Biloxi. In 1958, classroom space and facilities moved to Mary L. Michael Junior High School in Biloxi. To meet the educational needs of various occupational fields and interests along the Gulf Coast, the University relocated in 1964 to Keesler Air Force Base. Classroom facilities were obtained for night classes from the Jefferson Davis campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College; the addition was called the USM Harrison County Resident Center.
In September 1966, Southern Miss further extended its offerings by adding the Jackson County Resident Center, located on the Jackson County campus of the MGCCC in Gautier. The Jackson County Center was built for the University by the Jackson County Board of Supervisors, largely through the efforts of Dr. Shelby Thames when he was executive vice president of USM. The center was constructed with the hope that all four years of a number of degrees would be located in Jackson County through USM and MGCCC. Today, that wish is a reality.
In March 1972, the USM Harrison County Resident Center program was moved from the Jefferson Davis campus of MGCCC to the campus of the former Gulf Park College for Women, located on Highway 90 in Long Beach. Gulf Park was a two-year private school founded by Col. J.C. Hardy, who also founded the Gulf Coast Military Academy. The school opened for classes September 10, 1921, and held its final commencement May 29, 1971. The school’s closing was attributed to the sagging economy, damage inflicted by Hurricane Camille in 1969, and the increasing ability of community colleges to provide quality education at a low cost.
In July 1972, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning established the USM Gulf Park and Keesler Air Force Base Center as an upper-level degree completion regional campus of the University, offering programs leading to degrees at the baccalaureate and graduate levels. On August 19, 2002, Southern Miss admitted its first class of freshmen on its Gulf Park Campus, making the university the only comprehensive university in the state with dual-campus status.
Today, the Gulf Park campus serves as the central campus for several teaching centers, including:
- The Keesler Center, located on Keesler Air Force Base, provides courses for military personnel as well as the civilian community.
- The Jackson County Center, located on Jackson County campus of the MGCCC, offers courses and services for the convenience of students in Jackson County. Prominent historic landmarks at the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach are
- Hardy Hall: A three-story stucco building named for the school’s founder, Col. J.C. Hardy, Hardy Hall is one of the original buildings. Its architectural style is Spanish Mission.
- Friendship Oak: This huge live oak tree that adorns the lawns of Hardy Hall and the Administration Building dates from approximately 1487. It is about 50 feet high, and the diameter of its trunk is more than five feet. Its trunk’s circumference is more than 18 feet, and the spread of its foliage is 150 feet. The earliest available reference to the moniker Friendship Oak is found in an article written by the late Bob Davis, correspondent for the New York Sun, who described the tree in his book, People, People, Everywhere, published in 1936.
In February 2000, the IHL approved the University’s concept of Gateway to the Gulf, a complex that will be located at Point Cadet and encompass a new marine sciences education facility to replace the existing structure, a public aquarium and other attractions designed to create a destination site for visitors to the region.
On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused about $115 million in damage to Gulf Park and lead to relocation of classes to a healthcare facility in Gulfport, Healthmark Center (1520 Broad Avenue, Gulfport, MS). As of July 2006, USM Gulf Park is still being rebuilt. The Friendship Oak, however, has survived this storm as gracefully as it survived Camille and countless lesser storms that have hit the area.
Athletics and traditions
The University of Southern Mississippi enjoys a rich athletic history. That history includes winning traditions in all the sports the University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors. Bowl games, conference championships, All-American athletes, and matching athletic and academic prowess are far more the norm than the expectation.
Golden Eagle fans can quickly boast of the internationally renowned Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, founded as a 20-piece brass ensemble in 1920, and the equally famous Dixie Darlings, created in the early 1950’s. Both groups have, since their inception, represented the spirit and tradition of Southern Miss athletics.
The school’s earliest nickname was Tigers. Thereafter came such nicknames as Normalites (from Mississippi Normal College, the early name of the University), Yellow Jackets, Confederates, and Southerners. Golden Eagles was selected in a student/alumni vote in the early 1970s. Seymour d'Campus, the name of the modern-day mascot eagle, continues to thrill young and not-so-young Golden Eagle fans alike.
Eagle Fever, Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. and Go Gold! are the rallying cries that Golden Eagle students and fans have used to help create such traditions as Homecoming and EagleFest, tailgating in The District, Friday Night at the Fountain pep rallies, the Eagle Walk at The Rock, the game-day Eagle Walk parade, the Painting of the Eagle Walk, the Junior Eagle Club Tunnel, the band’s Fifth Quarter Concert, featuring a hallmark rendition of Amazing Grace, and a host of other events help fans savor a near-century-long tradition of progress and growth.
External links
- [The University of Southern Mississippi Website]
- * [Department of Marketing and Public Relations Website]
- * [College of Arts and Letters]
- * [College of Business and Economic Development]
- * [College of Education and Psychology]
- * [College of Health]
- * [College of Science and Technology]
- * [Graduate Studies]
- * [Honors College]
- * [International Studies Programs]
- [Official Southern Miss Athletics Website]
- [Southern Miss Alumni Association Website]
- [Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning]
References
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