Many of the items on the list of things mentioned last night are not unusual for high schools and universities. Parades at national and even international festivities to name one such example. The invitee is normally obligated to pay their own expense (travel, lodging). Sometimes the institution defays the cost. Other times a benefactor helps support the tirp. I recall the spaghetti suppers we helped organize in order to pay for the festivities to which our band was invitied. USM should be proud of its band, but an invitation to a parade? What a strange thing to cite on a list of accomplishments.

"The Pride of MS Band was invited to participate in the 2005 Edinburgh Easter Parade in Scotland"

Many of items on the list are merely a rehash of accomplishments by faculty and students many years ago, sometimes decades ago. They have been cited in USM publications for years. It is the facuty that should be commended for their hard work and sacrifice for these accomplishments. I will cite but one such example. The three programs mentioned were accredited many years ago:

"Southern Miss is one of the few institutions throughout the world accredited in all disciplines of psychology, including, clinical, school and counseling psychology."

On balance, I would sum up the list like this: There is less there than meets the eye.

And the beat goes on.