Points of Pride

- In 2003, College supporters launched a $50 million capital campaign to build a new business building and to enhance programs.

- Three faculty members serve as editors of prestigious, international professional publications. They are Alvin Williams, editor, Journal of Supply Chain Management; Barry Babin, associate editor-marketing, Journal of Business Research; and Chang tseh-Hsieh, editor, Journal of International Technology and Information Systems.

- The College has enhanced services to students with the addition of a comprehensive and full-service Career Services Office located within the college and is dedicated to assisting Hattiesburg and Gulf Park students throughout their academic careers.

- In July 2004, the College completed renovation of a classroom into a Career Services Interview Suite that will provide a professional setting for companies interviewing students for jobs or internships.

- The Certified Public Accountant exam passage rate for Southern Miss graduates exceeds the national average and is the highest in the state of Mississippi.

- The College of Business is the first College within the university to independently adopt an academic integrity policy that will apply to all research and academic endeavors of faculty and students. It will be implemented in the fall of 2004.

- The inaugural class of students in the Stennis MBA Program graduated in May of 2004. The program is targeted for working professionals employed at the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County.

- The Personal Financial Planning program at Southern Miss received certification in December 2003 by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Students in the program are eligible to sit for the national CFP Certification Examination administered by the CFP Board.

- A Southern Miss Accounting graduate (May 2004) is one of a select few students nationwide who made a perfect score on the Educational Testing Services Major Field Test in business that is given to graduating seniors each semester. In addition, three Southern Miss students scored in the 95th percentile nationwide and five others scored in the 90th percentile on the spring 2004 test. The test measures students’ knowledge on a wide range of business principles.

- Dr. Tom Lindley, professor of finance, was named a research fellow of the Academy of Economics and Finance in the fall of 2003. The award is the organization’s most prestigious and recognizes lifetime achievements.


- Alumnus Jim A. Payne, a 1964 business management graduate, was inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in May 2004. He also was recognized by Southern Miss as the College of Business and Economic Development’s 2004 Distinguished Alumnus.

- The most relevant and current business news is available to students and professors through the College’s participation in the Wall Street Journal’s Academic Partnership Program. Southern Miss is one of 29 business schools across the country whose participation in the program makes The Wall Street Journal print and online editions available to all students and professors.

- Southern Miss became the first Mississippi university to gain approval to offer courses that will help prepare students for management positions in the casino and resort industry. In April 2004, the state College Board approved the BSBA in Tourism Management degree program which offers three emphasis areas -- casino/resort management, hotel management and restaurant management.

- The College of Business offers these graduate degree programs – Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Accountancy, and the Masters in Business Administration/Masters in Public Health Dual Degree. .

- The Center for Financial Services (CFS) houses the first student trading room in the state providing real-time access to world financial market information. Finance students in the senior-level Principles of Investments class each semester also manage a $200,000 CFS Student Investment Fund that resulted in more than $21,000 in profits for the university during 2003.

- Project Outreach, a program funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, was completed in 2003 under the leadership of Dr. Farhang Niroomand, associate dean. The two-year program provided for faculty training and curriculum development in international business education to community colleges through workshops and study abroad opportunities for more than 50 participants.