The University of Southern Mississippi Unveils Portrait Honoring Martha D. Saunders

When Martha D. Saunders began her tenure as The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) ninth president in 2007, she hoped she could lead an institution that would become, in her words, “a little bigger, a litter richer, and a little more beautiful.”

At the conclusion of her presidency in 2012, those hopes had been realized.

On Friday, Aug. 17, USM honored Saunders, the current president of the University of West Florida in Pensacola, with a commissioned portrait that will hang in a prominent location in the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. University President Rodney D. Bennett, President Emeritus Aubrey K. Lucas and more than 100 guests attended the unveiling of the portrait, which was paid for through contributions by USM alumni and friends and painted by notable Mississippi artist Jason Bouldin.

“When I was deciding where I was going to go to school, I thought, ‘Where is it that can launch me to get to where I want to go?,'” said Saunders, a Hattiesburg native and USM alumna. “And the answer became clear, and it was Southern Miss. My Southern Miss education served me well in countless ways. I learned a lot as a student, and then as a president. Most importantly, I learned you are only as good as the people you have around you.”

Saunders first came to USM as a student in 1966, earning a bachelor's degree in French in less than three years. She then earned a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Georgia and a Doctor of Philosophy in communication theory and research from Florida State University. As a professor of communication, her areas of academic expertise include public relations and crisis communication, for which she has won numerous national awards.

After holding leadership roles at the University of West Florida, Columbus State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Saunders returned to USM in 2007. She was the first female appointed to the presidency, and she led USM to success in a wide range of areas, including:

• Achieving record increases in student enrollment;
• Securing significant private gifts, including the largest single gift ever from an alumnus;
• Allocating nearly $280 million dollars in new construction and repairs for the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses; and
• Overseeing a rise in students' academic achievement to unprecedented levels.

“Dr. Saunders' career serves as an example of the journey we hope all of our students will take — attend USM; receive a high-quality education; enjoy success in life, career, and community; and return to the University they have not forgotten,” Bennett said. “I am so pleased that the University was able to honor her contributions to our Southern Miss story with this special portrait.”