Dr. Joseph Anderson Cook was selected as the university’s
first president, one of nine to serve the university since its founding.
Following Dr. Cook, who served from 1911 to 1928 were Dr. Claude
Bennett (1928-1933); Dr. Jennings Burton George (1933-1945); Dr.
Robert Cecil Cook (1945-1954); Dr. Richard Aubrey McLemore (1955);
Dr. William D. McCain (1955-1975); Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas (1975-1996;
and 2001-2002); Dr. Horace Fleming (1997-2001);and Dr. Shelby F.
Thames, 2003-present.
As the school grew, so its name changed along the
way in reflection of that growth. On March 7, 1924, the State Legislature
changed the school’s name to State Teacher’s College. On February
8, 1940, the State Legislature changed the name to Mississippi Southern
College; and on February 27, 1962, the name was changed to the University
of Southern Mississippi.
On April 8, 1922, the Legislature authorized the
awarding of the first Bachelor of Science degree. On May 26, 1947,
the Board of Trustees authorized the initiation of graduate work
and the awarding of the Master of Arts degree. Doctoral programs
were first authorized by the Board of Trustees on May 20, 1959.
Southern Miss is the only dual-campus university
in Mississippi, with teaching sites on the Gulf Coast. The university
is organized into five Colleges: the College of Arts and Letters;
College of Business; College of Education and Psychology; College
of Health; College of Science and Technology; and the Honors College.
In a tradition of academic excellence, we garner regional, national
and international distinction as hallmarks of our campuses. Through
the years our students have excelled as alumni with a degree from
Southern Miss they hold with pride.
Southern Miss formally adopted the Golden Eagle
in 1972 as its athletic mascot. With a tradition of outstanding
athletic achievement, Southern Miss has been twice national intercollegiate
football champions (1958 and 1962); National Invitational Tournament
basketball champions (1987); and boasts of 21 athletes in the professional
ranks including two-time NFL MVP, Brett Farve. Bringing honor, Southern
Miss has been recognized for high athletic graduation rates and
is consistently ranked in the top tier of athletic programming nation
wide.
