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Date 5-10-06
Contact Jana Bryant 601.266.4497
WITH PHOTOS
Hattiesburg—As
the University of Southern Mississippi continues its recovery from
devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina last August, help continues
to come from other universities as far away as Japan and Kansas.
Within the past
week, Southern Miss was the recipient of a combined $20,000 in donations
from Emporia State University (ESU) in Emporia, Kan., and Kaetsu
University in Tokyo, Japan.
Student government
leaders from ESU met via teleconference May 5 with their Southern
Miss counterparts in making an official presentation of $15,000
to the university’s Katrina Relief Fund.
Brett Bruner,
ESU’s associated student government president, said that 30 campus
groups, including student organizations, academic departments and
other university entities, worked since last September to host a
variety of fund-raising events from bake sales to bowling to raise
the money. “When we heard about the hurricane and its impact, we
really wanted to do something to benefit our peers,” said Bruner.
The university
contacted Southern Miss in the days following the storm after seeing
stories on television, said Mike Mitchell, Southern Miss assistant
dean of students. “They had a group of students who said they wanted
to help, so they set a goal of $15,000 and reached it,” Mitchell
said.
Gene Gouaux,
Southern Miss student government president, accepted the donation
on behalf of the university along with Dr. Eddie Holloway, Southern
Miss dean of students, and Tim Ryan, director of the USM Foundation.
Kaetsu University
representative Simon Clay also was in Hattiesburg last week to formally
present $5,000 on behalf of his institution to Southern Miss President
Shelby Thames. “We are deeply grateful for this donation and for
our ongoing relationship with Kaetsu University,” said Thames.
Five undergraduate
students from Kaetsu were in Hattiesburg last fall as part of a
study abroad program with Southern Miss when Hurricane Katrina hit
the Gulf Coast. “Our students were very well cared for afterward,
and this is a gesture of real concern and affection on behalf of
the Kaetsu family,” said Clay.
Southern Miss
and Kaetsu have been academic partners since the early 1990s, exchanging
both students and faculty as well as Japanese business executives
who visited Hattiesburg to learn about American culture and business
practices.
Click to enlarge
University of Southern Mississippi Student Government Association president, speaks via teleconference to his counterparts at Emporia State University on May 5 thanking them for their $15,000 donation to the Southern Miss Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. (Southern Miss Public Relations Photo by Jana Bryant)
Click to enlarge
Kaetsu University's Simon Clay, left, visits with Southern Miss President Shelby Thames and marketing professor Dr. Alvin Williams during a recent visit to Hattiesburg, where he presented a $5,000 donation to the Southern Miss Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. (Southern Miss Public Relations Photo by Steve Rouse)
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