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The University of Southern Mississippi is a world-class 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 USM Wind Ensemble, the university's premier performance group, 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 . 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. The school participates in the NCAA 's Division I-A, and Conference USA . INSTITUTION The University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive research extensive university. Its primary mission is to cultivate intellectual development and creativity through the generation, dissemination, application, and preservation of knowledge. Organization The University of Southern Mississippi has five world-class academic programs of study:
In addition to its five academic colleges, The University of Southern Mississippi also offers the following programs: Administration The University of Southern Mississippi is governerd by the University President along with the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning . Structure:
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. Presidents of The University
Prominent Southern Miss Alumni
''See all Prominent Alumni of The University of Southern Mississippi .'' CAMPUS AND STUDENT LIFE Notable Student Organizations 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:
In addition, other USM units in the Gulf Coast region are the elements of the College of Marine Sciences; the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs; the J.L. Scott Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Point Cadet in Biloxi; the Hydrographic Science Research Center; and the Center for Marine Sciences at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. 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. ATHLETICS AND TRADITIONS .]] The University of Southern Mississippi enjoys a rich athletic history and the traditions that have helped create that history are as important, if not more important, in today’s modern world than they were in the eras in which they were being developed. They continue to afford Golden Eagle fans a rich heritage that encourages bold actions today and bright dreams of tomorrow. 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 process 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 with the certain knowledge that the best years are yet to come. LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE ...taking Southern Miss to the Top! EXTERNAL LINKS
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