HATTIESBURG - The Alumni and Student Government Associations at The University of Southern Mississippi will co-host a celebration of the university's 93rd anniversary March 27.

The public is invited to the Founders Day celebration, which starts at 2:30 p.m.on the Lucas Administration Building lawn. In case of bad weather, the program will be moved to Bennett Auditorium.

With the theme, "Celebrating our Heritage with a Vision for the Future," the event will feature a historical presentation by Southern Miss archives specialist Yvonne Arnold titled, "Pieces of the Past." In it, she will highlight some of the key milestones in the university's history. Following Arnold's presentation, newly elected officers of the Student Government Association (SGA) will be inaugurated and a reception will follow.

A Hattiesburg native, Arnold graduated from Southern Miss in 1990. Since 1992, she has been employed in the William D. McCain Library and Archives, where she works with materials that pertain to the founding and traditions of Southern Miss. As a result, Arnold has become a specialist on the school's history, and each semester she speaks to several general studies classes on that topic.

New SGA leaders to be inaugurated during the day are Jared Loftus, a junior from Sumrall, president; Sarah Spigener, a sophomore from Gulfport, vice president; Alicia Lane, sophomore, Pearl, treasurer; Chad Cornett, a junior from Brandon, attorney general; and Alex Thames, a senior from Florence, election commissioner.

Outgoing SGA President Blake Hamm, a senior from Stringer, will introduce the new officers, who will be sworn in by outgoing SGA Attorney General Rob Peebles, a senior from Jackson.

Also on the afternoon program are Dr. Kim Davis, associate professor in the School of Music, who will sing the Southern Miss Alma Mater, accompanied by members of The Pride Tailgate Band.

Founded by legislative act on March 30, 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi was the state's first state-supported teacher-training school. The school, named Mississippi Normal College (MNC), opened for classes on Sept. 18, 1912, and enrolled a total of 876 students during its first regular and summer terms. Joseph Anderson Cook served as the first president.

The school underwent a series of name changes over the years. On March 7, 1924, MNC became State Teachers College. On Feb. 13, 1940, the school's name was changed for the second time, becoming Mississippi Southern College. The final change came in Feb. 27, 1962 when the name was changed to The University of Southern Mississippi.

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