Greetings,
February finds the Southern Miss campus in true planning mode. I have just this week appointed a new University Strategic Planning Committee. This 16-member group will lead our efforts as we develop key performance indicators, strategies and tactics toward meeting the strategic goals of the institution.
This effort will be successful only if we are able to count on the entire university community to provide timely and thoughtful feedback as we address each area of strategic interest.
We are continuing to base our planning platform on the valuable and important information collected in the fall through our campus dialogue sessions. Participants gave us a clear charge to focus our efforts on these areas:
1. Image development
2. Connection with the community
3. Top-flight educational experiences
4. A culture of healthy minds and bodies
Strategic Enrollment Planning
Because the success of what we do at Southern Miss depends, in great part, on the quality and number of students we recruit, I am also appointing a Strategic Enrollment Planning Council to work with our consultants from Noel-Levitz. Working in tandem with overall planning, this important council will be dedicated to ongoing focus and action on all the aspects of enrollment strategy. Much broader than admissions alone, our enrollment strategy is fundamental to academic and programmatic success of Southern Miss. You’ll continue to hear more about this effort in the days ahead.
Both of these new committees will work concurrently, with good cross-representation on each group, to maximize our planning efforts. Keep an eye on the Strategic Planning pages – found from the home page on the university’s Web site at www.usm.edu for frequent updates on our progress.
Provost Interviews
We are hosting interviews this month for finalists in our search for a new provost. I look forward to making this important appointment shortly after completion of the interviews. I would like to thank Dr. Joe Paul for leading the search committee and all participants in the search process. See more information here on the provost search.
What’s happening around campus
Southern Miss At The Grammys
Southern Miss student Luis Gustavo Alberto, a graduate violin performance student, will perform with the five-time Grammy-nominated rock band Foo Fighters at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 10. Alberto, a native of Brazil, is one of 15 students nationwide who competed in “My Grammy Moment,” a program created by The Recording Academy to showcase the talent of unsigned instrumentalists by bringing them together with prominent recording artists for a special Grammy performance. Read the story here or go to YouTube for the video auditions – we’ll be watching you, Luis!
Las Vegas Is Our Classroom
To four students of the Casino Enterprise Management course at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, Las Vegas has become their classroom. David Paster, MBA/MUP/CCM, an instructor with the Department of Tourism Management for the College of Business, made an agreement with the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino to allow his best and brightest students to spend one week in Las Vegas to conduct a comprehensive marketing research and analysis both internally and on 14 other competitive properties located downtown. Read more of this experience here.
Southern Miss Library Receives $2.4 Million Gift
“This is the biggest gift we’ve ever received and we’re very excited about it,” said Sherry Laughlin, associate university librarian. In March 2002, Mary and Joseph “Chip” Tatum Jr. of Hattiesburg donated real estate in Woolmarket, Miss., to The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation. Nearly six years later, the property sold for more than $2.4 million, all of which will benefit Southern Miss libraries. Get the full story here on this exciting gift. 
The Math Zone SCORES!
Efforts by The University of Southern Mississippi to improve student passing rates in college algebra are paying dividends with increased student performance for the fall 2007 semester. Six hundred students were enrolled in classes in the College of Science and Technology’s Math Zone during the fall semester and the number who earned grades of A increased by 15 percent. Just 13 percent of MAT 101 students earned As in fall 2006 while 28 percent earned the same grade in fall 2007. Read more about how the Math Zone is working for our students.
Southern Miss Lands National Grant
Seeking to expedite restoration of the woodland, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has awarded a grant for anthropology students to conduct archaeological survey work in the forest. The $670,254 grant, awarded in October, provides funding for six students to assist the National Forests in Mississippi in surveying the hurricane-damaged forest, which spans 379,000 acres. Learn more about this partnership that helps the Forest Service meet federal regulations that require archaeological testing to be conducted on public land before any ground disturbing activities such as road construction, utility installation and timber removal take place.
What’s Coming Up: Mardi Gras, Signing Day and More
The cultural delights of living back in the South are ever-present; Mardi Gras being a big one for our students. We are also gathering to support our new Golden Eagle football staff at the Signing Day Social Feb. 6 in Hattiesburg.
March holds a few big celebrations to watch for. The Village will be formally dedicated on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. You are invited to come out and meet the many national sorority dignitaries and alumni that will be on campus that day with open house celebrations from the residence houses. Also, there are many preparations going into inauguration celebrations at the end of March. Look for schedules and activities to be posted online for community celebrations and other events the week of March 24.
As always, stay tuned to my blog for my latest whereabouts. It is an exciting spring semester at The University of Southern Mississippi!
Dr. Martha D. Saunders
President