Capital Campaign

Business school launches $50 million campaign

Private supporters of the College of Business (CoB) in the spring of 2003 gathered pledges of $6.25 million and launched a fund-raising campaign aimed at financing a new state-of-the-art educational facility. Several members of the Business Advisory Council together with college officials announced the campaign during a May 7, 2003, media conference in Hattiesburg.

With a goal of $50 million, the campaign includes plans for a new building equipped with the latest technology, and funds for scholarships and professorships.

Gene Carlisle, a Southern Miss alumnus and owner of Wendy's franchises throughout Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina, made the initial gift to begin the long-term fund-raising campaign. "I know the value of a quality educational atmosphere," Carlisle said. "Our students deserve the best. The competitive nature of business demands the best of teachers, facilities and technology."

The proposed 100,000-square-foot building will provide a variety of learning environments, including six 1,600-square-foot classrooms that will accommodate 60 students each. The wireless technology setting of these classrooms will include seats with built-in laptop and internet access capabilities, as well as projection televisions. Other features of the three-story building will include a 250-seat lecture hall, a room modeled after a Wall Street trading office and a 95-car parking garage.

Preliminary architectural plans for a three-story building have been designed by the Hnedak Bobo Group of Memphis, Tenn. In April 2002, 12 friends of the College, all members of the college's Business Advisory Council, pledged $10,000 each to begin architectural planning and conceptual design work for the new building.

The college is currently housed in Joseph Greene Hall, which was opened in 1968 and was named in honor of Dr. Joseph Greene, who was dean of the former business department and the College of Business Administration from 1949 to 1985.

“Developing Leaders, Creating Opportunity”

One of Dean Harold Doty’s goals at Southern Miss is to help move the college into a position of national prominence among business schools. In order to accomplish that goal, he agrees that a new building is of the highest priority.

“We simply must have a new facility for our students and faculty. The building we are in does not meet the needs of a world-class business school. Becoming nationally ranked is where we want to be, and we have to do certain things to get there. In order to be a world-class business school, we have to do the same things that good business schools do. Our current building doesn’t have the technology that students and faculty must have to keep up with a global business environment,” said Doty.

The CoB needs, however, don’t end with a new building, says Doty. Five priorities have been identified as key elements of the capital campaign to be identified with the tagline “Developing Leaders, Creating Opportunity.”

SPACE
The ability to offer adequate teaching and learning space is one of the keys to ensuring that future generations of students will be adequately prepared for business careers. The cornerstone of the capital campaign is to secure funding for a new building. Direct access to the latest business and educational technology, computer laboratories and multimedia equipment, and new classrooms will provide an unmatched setting that will serve as a magnet, drawing quality students, faculty and staff.

STUDENTS
The CoB has always worked to provide students with an education that is not only competitive, but leading edge. The ability to provide internships, scholarships, exposure to professionals and preparation for graduate school are key factors in our ability to attract bright students and to prepare them for success.

SCHOLARSHIP
The heart of the academic enterprise in the college is embodied in the scholarship of our faculty. More than 80 faculty members in 17 disciplines serve as conduits of knowledge and scholarship for our students. Our faculty must have adequate financial support to pursue the generation and dissemination of business and management knowledge.

SYMPOSIA
A defining characteristic of the business school is that it is a community of scholars. As such, symposia prove to be a critical avenue for communication across the community and a primary tool for stimulating the intellectual curiosity of our constituents. In a modern business school, we must be able to invite corporate executives, business owners, and key government officials to address our students; invite nationally recognized scholars to interact with our faculty and students; and attract nationally recognized speakers of interest to the broader business community.

SERVICES
To more effectively meet the needs of key stakeholders, the CoB must expand its current product offerings. Expanding career and placement services, for example, will allow the college to better meet the needs of students and the corporations and businesses that hire them. Additional support for various research centers will allow the college to provide additional services for both the business and economic development communities in South Mississippi.