FROM USM NEWS:

Endowment, roast will honor Southern Miss Professor Gene Wiggins
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Contact David Tisdale - 601.266.4499


Hattiesburg -- The University of Southern Mississippi will launch a fundraiser in the name of longtime journalism professor Dr. Robert Gene Wiggins at an evening roast Nov. 17 at the Hattiesburg Country Club.

The Dr. Robert Gene Wiggins Endowment for the School of Mass Communication and Journalism will support undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships for students pursuing degrees in the school.

“This is a fitting way to recognize Dr. Wiggins’ long and distinguished efforts,” said Chris Campbell, director of the School of Mass Communication and Journalism. “He has had a major impact on thousands of students who have graduated from Southern Miss and gone on to successful careers. It would be hard to find anybody in higher education who has had such a positive influence on the lives of so many people.”

“I’m tremendously flattered,” Wiggins said. “I haven’t looked at myself as someone deserving of this honor, but certainly appreciate the efforts of everyone here to put this together.

“It’s certainly a worthwhile effort, not because it has my name on it but because it will help students in our graduate program and help the school.”

A native of Forest, Wiggins has taught at Southern Miss for 33 years. He served as director of the School of Communication from 1981 to 2001. He is currently coordinator of the graduate program in the School of Mass Communication and Journalism.

When the School of Mass Communication and Journalism initiated its Hall of Fame in 2006, Wiggins was one of the first two inductees, along with Southern Miss alum Kathleen Koch, a correspondent for CNN.

Kurt Brautigam, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Miss and is currently distinguished visiting lecturer in public relations, is spearheading alumni support for the endowment. “I’m sure many of us who have been through the program here can say we were greatly helped by Dr. Wiggins,” said Brautigam. “His dedication, caring and leadership have helped create an atmosphere where students can rise to the highest levels of success in their fields. I hope we will have a great response to this fundraising effort in his honor.”

Wiggins earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Miss. After completing his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, he became a member of the USM faculty in 1973, teaching courses in journalism, media law and public relations.

Prior to completing his doctorate, Dr. Wiggins worked for The Jackson Daily News and the Hattiesburg American. He also served as a public information officer in the U.S. Air Force. He has authored numerous publications, including books, book chapters and journal articles in the area of mass communication law.

“I don’t think there’s any place on earth I’d rather be than here at Southern Miss,” Wiggins said. ‘I’ve had opportunities to go other places, but I was never tempted to leave because I always liked where I was and who I worked with, and working with the students here. I always felt like this was home.”

While the roast is the official kickoff of fundraising efforts, requests for support have already gone out to several thousand of the school’s alumni. School officials plan to provide an initial update on the campaign’s progress at the roast, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. Information about the endowment, roast, tickets and/or lodging is available by calling 601.266.4196 or visit the school’s Web site: www.usm.edu/mcj/.

The Southern Miss School of Mass Communication and Journalism enrolls about 500 students each year, offering undergraduate degrees in advertising, broadcasting, film, journalism, photojournalism and public relations. It also offers master’s degrees in mass communication and public relations and a doctorate in mass communication.

For more information, contact Kurt Brautigam at 601.266.4916 or kurt.brautigam@usm.eduThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ; Chris Campbell at 601.266.6283 or christopher.campbell@usm.edu