February 1, 2006

To the Southern Miss Community,

There are times when a defining moment occurs that changes our lives forever, and without a doubt, Hurricane Katrina was one of those moments. With brutal force, Katrina destroyed much of our coastal campuses and research facilities, but what it did not and could not destroy are the things I love about the Southern Miss family, the spirit of our people and the very qualities our people possess that will help us rebound from this disaster – resilience, compassion, and a dedication to providing a world-class education to our students as we also strive to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Gulf Coast, our state and the nation.

In recent months we’ve seen our faculty and staff devote long hours, days and weeks to help Southern Miss recover from the storm and serve our students, despite suffering terrible hardships themselves. We commend their efforts during this difficult time.

It is heartbreaking to see fellow citizens of the Gulf Coast who continue to suffer – living in tents, remaining jobless and homeless, while bearing the pain of having lost loved ones and friends. Our university family acknowledges your spirit and fortitude.

Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as thousands of our students, faculty and staff do, is hard. And, getting and providing higher education during these times is more critical than ever. Our students will graduate and become productive alumni, and they will play a major part in the rebirth and rebuilding of coastal Mississippi, economically and culturally. Our alumni are already there providing leadership and talents to restore our beautiful Gulf Coast.

And with Katrina Relief of $27.5 million available, now is the time to apply for the upcoming semesters. The time line is for spring and summer and fall semesters before the funding period ends. Here are some things to know about the funding:
• Katrina Relief monies apply to anyone who has been indirectly or directly affected by Katrina.
• Katrina Relief monies apply to graduate, undergraduate, in-state, out-of-state, full-time, and part-time students.
• Katrina Relief monies apply to the Hattiesburg campus and all Gulf Coast teaching sites.
• Katrina Relief monies are a grant – the monies are not to be repaid – as opposed to a loan.

Fill out the simple application or call us for more information:
Hattiesburg 601.266.4774 Gulf Coast 228.865.4500.

The following are additional notes regarding Katrina-related activities:

• The Hurricane Katrina Research Center will be officially housed in the Cook Library in Hattiesburg. Headed by University Librarian Kay Wall, this important repository will hold all types of media and documentation regarding Katrina.

• Two Hancock County schools, Bay High and Hancock High, received much-needed musical instruments when Dr. Gary Adam, associate director of bands at Southern Miss, delivered band instruments donated by the University of Illinois. Read more about this story.

• The Southern Miss Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage has undertaken the task of collecting the stories of those who survived, endured and lent a helping hand during and after the hurricane. The Center has enlisted scholars trained in oral history for the project with the intent to secure more than 1,000 interviews with those who were impacted by Katrina, including emergency management officers, local officials, residents, relief workers and those displaced by the storm, among others. Read more.

• Carla Sondermeyer Ross traveled to the Gulf Coast to give back to her beloved Southern Miss. Now director of faculty development at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., this Southern Miss alumna and former staffer embarked on a mission to bring aid to the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. Employees and students of Meredith College donated $1,400 in gift cards, dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas ornaments, toys and school supplies. Read more about this story.

There are many activities scheduled for this spring. Take a look at some events and outstanding accomplishments at Southern Miss listed below:

• This spring we are honored to present Texas business magnate H. Ross Perot as the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Entrepreneur award from the College of Business (COB). Events honoring Perot are slated for Tuesday, April 18, with a luncheon and annual Distinguished Entrepreneur lecture.

In 1962, Perot started Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Over the next 22 years he built EDS into one of the world’s largest technology service firms. In 1984, he sold EDS to General Motors for $2.5 billion. Perot ran for president of the United States in 1992 as an Independent candidate, winning 19 percent of the vote, one of the largest percentages ever for an Independent. He ran again in 1996 on the Reform Party ticket.

A man who embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, Perot is a business and political icon recognized throughout the world, and we are honored to host him this spring. Obtain more information about Ross Perot’s visit.

• Continuing a longstanding tradition of receiving national recognition for scholarly achievements, our Department of English has five professors with books being published by some of the leading university presses in America. Read more about these accomplished faculty and their books.

• Congratulations to Mary Jia Guo, who after earning her high school diploma in just three years, embarked on an early admission last fall to Southern Miss. Now a sophomore, the New Jersey native has conquered another feat by becoming one of a select few from across the world to acquire a research grant award from Sigma Xi, an international honorary scientific research society. Read more about the award and this outstanding student.

• Congratulations to the graduate student management team of the fictional business Pro-Tech, which took top honors in the inaugural Golden Eagle Challenge, an MBA business plan competition held in December by our College of Business. The competition, the only one of its kind in Mississippi, is an outgrowth of the college’s entrepreneurial focus. Teams squared off and presented their business plans as if they were making presentations to venture capitalists to take products to market that are based on technologies developed at Southern Miss. All students are currently working on their Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) degrees at Southern Miss. Read more about this exciting competition and exceptional students.

• The first academic program of its kind in the United States is debuting at Southern Miss! With an aim to eliminate injuries in the sports arena, beginning this fall the Sports and High Performance Materials program, utilizing the resources of the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials (College of Science and Technology) and School of Human Performance and Recreation (College of Health), will train graduate students to become top-notch research professionals to advance the nation’s human performance industries. Learn more about this program.

• Southern Miss artist/professor Bill Baggett recently unveiled a beautiful mural that will grace the entrance of the new student life center now under construction on Southern Miss’ Hattiesburg campus. Five years in the making, the mural, titled The University’s Bounty, mirrors the spirit of the University’s motto “Freeing the Power of the Individual.” Read more.

• Lauren Read, a Southern Miss senior from Hattiesburg, is the 2005 recipient of the Mississippi Young Bankers Award (MYB) Leadership Scholarship. Each year, the MYB committee, a sector of the Mississippi Bankers Association, rewards $1,000 to a standout Mississippi student majoring in banking and finance. Congratulations Lauren! Read more.

• The University of Southern Mississippi’s head football coach, Jeff Bower, was awarded a two-year contract extension to coach the Golden Eagles through 2009. Coach Bower has devoted much of his coaching career to his alma mater, and we are excited that he will continue to bring national prominence to our program. Last season Jeff secured his 100th victory as head coach at Southern Miss and his 12th straight winning season, along with a second postseason victory with the Golden Eagles’ 31-19 victory over Arkansas State University in the New Orleans Bowl. Read more about Coach Bower.

Still feeling the effects
The hurricane struck the coast of Mississippi in August, but we are still feeling the adverse financial effects of Katrina. Student enrollment on the Gulf Coast is down significantly, and other south Mississippi areas are showing enrollment declines as well. Clearly this is attributable exclusively to Katrina, given that Southern Miss experienced increases in enrollment every semester for several years until Katrina came ashore. However, we will continue to provide quality education, outstanding student experiences, economic development for the state and region, and world-class cultural enrichment.

The spring semester has begun and we welcome our students with open arms. We are steadfast and progressive in our recovery process and in our mission of delivering quality education. To our alumni, faculty, staff and friends, thank you for your continued support.

Very truly yours,

Shelby F. Thames
President