Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus Honors Outstanding Students, Faculty and Staff
Tue, 06/03/2025 - 12:38am | By: Gabriela Shinskie

Every Spring, members of the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus celebrate the dedication and outstanding work of students, faculty and staff with the Gulf Coast Awards Day ceremony. This year, the ceremony highlighted numerous members of the Southern Miss and local community dedicated to academic and student success, research and service.
Awards presented include the Ready for Life Student Employee, Gulf Coast Outstanding Staff and the Butch Oustalet Distinguished Faculty in research, teaching and service. The ceremony concluded with the Friendship Oak award given to a community partner for their ongoing support and dedication to Southern Miss.
Dr. Jeff Hinton, associate provost for Gulf Coast and lifelong learning success, recognizes Southern Miss' impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond.
“During our Gulf Coast Awards Day ceremony, we celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of our talented faculty, dedicated staff and student leaders. Our faculty, staff and student accomplishments this year significantly contribute to our success as a university and positively impact the quality of life for coastal Mississippians,” said Hinton.
This year’s winners include:
- Megan Gima, Gulf Coast Outstanding Staff
- Millie Medina, Gulf Coast Outstanding Staff
- Brittany Tellefsen, Gulf Coast Outstanding Staff
- Misty Manning, Ready for Life Student Employee Award
- Kim de Mutsert, Butch Oustalet Distinguished Professorship Excellence in Research Award
- Kalyn Lamey, Butch Oustalet Distinguished Professorship Excellence in Teaching Award
- Kemal Cambazoglu, Butch Oustalet Distinguished Professorship Excellence in Service Award
- General Joe Spraggins, Friendship Oak