A Message from the President

August 30, 2004

Dear Colleagues,

We've made it through the first week of school, and I would say it was a busy one.

I love this time of year. No matter how many times I've experienced it, I still get excited when I see students moving into their residence halls, getting textbooks and finding their way around campus for the first days of class.

This class of freshmen is the largest in our university's history. Their spirit is fantastic and the weekend they had becoming familiar with our campus was fun for everyone. I appreciate all of you who helped make Golden Eagle Welcome Weekend a success. I also want to thank the many volunteers, from both on-campus and off-campus, who helped with Freshman Move-In Day. It was great to see the relief on the faces of the many parents dropping off their loved ones for college when they were met by volunteers ready to help them unload their cars and carry their items to the dorm rooms. I received many compliments from both new students and their parents who appreciated our efforts. It really helps the day move along smoothly when so many of you are out helping the new Golden Eagles feel welcome to our campus.

On Monday, August 23, our new College Board members, Robin Robinson, Aubrey Patterson, Ed Blakeslee and Bob Owens, board member Scott Ross, and Frank Alley toured both our Gulf Park and Hattiesburg campuses. They visited all the state Institutions of Higher Learning in an effort to assess the condition of campus buildings and facilities. During their visit on our campuses, they were shown the good and the "needs improvement facilities," and I think they left with a good understanding of our needs.

All reports I have received from Dr. Joe Paul, vice president of student affairs, and the Office of Admissions indicate that enrollment is trending upward across the board. This is a reflection of the continuing good work of our faculty and staff who have done a very good job in the classroom and have helped recruit excellent students. I know all of us will work just as diligently to ensure these students will remain at Southern Miss throughout their entire academic career.

On Wednesday, we hosted a reception in the Theatre and Dance Building as our formal farewell to Dr. Tim Hudson. Dr. Hudson and his family are headed to the University of Houston-Victoria, where he will serve as president. We wish the Hudson family the very best in their future endeavors.

On Thursday, many of our deans and several of our faculty members met with faculty and staff of Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss. The meeting was arranged by Dr. Joan Exline, assistant to the president for articulation and accreditation. It was a very productive meeting. Dr. Horace Holmes, a Southern Miss alumnus, and his faculty and staff were wonderful hosts. They were pleased to hear about the accomplishments of our academic programs and requested that we continue programmatic communications. They are very interested in job placement opportunities for their students who attend Southern Miss. We also enjoyed the opportunity to exchange ideas about transfer students and articulation issues. I continue to be encouraged by meetings with our junior/community college colleagues. The junior/community colleges are very important to Southern Miss, and they rely on our cooperative spirit to ensure a smooth transition of their students to our fine university. We must and will continue communications and follow up to meet the needs of our transfer students.

I hope you will all join me Wednesday for Golden Eagle Revelry! Click here to view the invitation. This will be an afternoon of fun, where we can leave our jobs at the office and enjoy food, friends and entertainment at The Rock. It will be hot, so come prepared. Wear your Southern Miss gold and stay cool. Come enjoy The Pride of Mississippi, the Steel Drum Band and the Southern Miss cheerleaders. I hope to see you there.

Very sincerely yours,

Shelby F. Thames