Welcome to the daily email for media members that includes news and notes from The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Today's message includes a news release about the University being recognized as a Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll institution and a reminder about the Conference USA Baseball Tournament that gets underway Wednesday in Biloxi.

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

USM Recognized as Phi Kappa Theta Transfer Honor Roll Institution

For the second consecutive year, The University of Southern Mississippi has received national recognition as a member of Phi Theta Kappa's annual Excellence in Community College Transfer Honor Roll.

The Honor Roll institutions will be featured in the 2019 Phi Theta Kappa Partners in Excellence publication, which goes to higher education leaders nationally. They also have been recognized on PTK's website and at PTK Catalyst, the 2019 annual convention, in early April in Orlando, Fla.

http://news.usm.edu/article/usm-recognized-phi-kappa-theta-transfer-honor-roll-institution

Special Coverage Opportunity

The Conference USA Baseball Tournament gets underway Wednesday at MGM Park in Biloxi with USM set to play the second game of the opening round at 12:30 p.m. against Rice. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a 38-18 record and a second-place finish in the conference race making them the No. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament. Florida Atlantic enters the tournament as the top seed having captured the C-USA regular season title. USM is the defending tournament champion.

Photo/Video Opportunity

The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) School of Social Science and Global Studies and School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Security are co-sponsoring a Forrest County sheriff election candidate forum today at 5:30 p.m. The event will be held on the USM Hattiesburg campus in the Liberal Arts Building, room 108 (Gonzales Auditorium), and is open to the public. To schedule coverage, contact David Tisdale.

Did You Know?

The University of Southern Mississippi has earned Gold status as a Military Friendly® School for 2018-2019 by Victory Media, Inc., one of only 10 research institutions in the U.S. to receive that distinction.

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 130 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education's "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation, 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 36 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 24 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.