Welcome to the daily email for media members that includes news and notes from The University of Southern Mississippi. Today's message include a news feature spotlighting USM alumna and former CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch, who recounts her time as a student and shares recollections of her coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, USM's National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security has announced that ESPN analyst Jay Bilas will be a featured speaker at the 2019 Commercial Sports and Entertainment Facilities Summit.

SPECIAL NOTE: All campuses and teaching sites at The University of Southern Mississippi will be closed, beginning Friday, Dec. 21 through Tuesday, Jan. 1 in observance of the annual holiday break.

Media inquiries can be directed to Van Arnold at 601.266.5568 or van.arnoldFREEMississippi or David Tisdale at 601.266.4499 or d.g.tisdaleFREEMississippi.

Today's Top Story

Southern Miss and CNN Alumna Using Katrina's Lessons to Train Leaders, Build Communities

It was a late August evening in south Alabama. The winds had already begun to blow, and the waves were already crashing onto shore. And CNN reporter and University of Southern Mississippi (USM) alumna Kathleen Koch was exactly where she needed to be to help tell the story of Hurricane Katrina, which was barreling through the Gulf of Mexico.

But she really wanted to be in Bay Saint Louis, where she grew up. Her family had owned an ice cream parlor for many years, and the seven members of her family once lived in a house on the beach.

http://news.usm.edu/article/southern-miss-and-cnn-alumna-using-katrina-s-lessons-train-leaders-build-communities

Additional News Release

ESPN Analyst to Keynote NCS4 Commercial Sports and Entertainment Facilities Summit

The University of Southern Mississippi's National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) and Duke University will bring together top safety and security industry leaders representing commercial sport and entertainment facilities during the week of Feb. 19-21, 2019 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A highlight of the event will include a keynote speech by Jay Bilas, college basketball analyst for ESPN.

http://news.usm.edu/article/espn-analyst-keynote-ncs4-commercial-sports-and-entertainment-facilities-summit

Photo/Video Opportunity

The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at USM is one of North America's leading research centers in the field of children's literature. The Collection holds the original manuscripts and illustrations of more than 1,300 authors and illustrators, as well as 180,000+ published books dating from 1530 to the present. The collection is located on the second floor of Cook Library on the Hattiesburg campus. To schedule coverage, call Van Arnold, van.arnoldFREEMississippi

Expert Availability

The University of Southern Mississippi provides a wide range of faculty experts who can address topics of local, national, and international interest. For a full list of USM media experts visit: http://news.usm.edu/resource/usm-faculty-experts-media-requests.

Did You Know?

The University Police Department earned an A+ overall crime rating according to CollegeFactual.com.

About The University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites in central and southern Mississippi, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 76 public universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Foundation's "higher research activity" designation for doctoral universities, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and sport venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 40 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $600 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of approximately 15,000, representing 71 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 35 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 21 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.