The college-wide arts gala last Thursday was a tremendous success on many fronts:
1) we had almost 600 guests, many of whom drove significant distances to come to the event
2) nearly 500 students performed during the evening--singers, dancers, musicians and actors all had a chance to shine on the glorious stages at the Convention Center
3) we raised much-needed funding to replace monies lost to recent budget cuts. All areas of the arts will benefit
4) all participants--those who performed, those who attended, and those who supported us with their service on the organizing committee or in other ways--demonstrated publicly their strong support for the arts at Southern Miss