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 16 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
For more information, visit www.usm.edu.
The University of Southern Mississippi
Mission
The University of Southern Mississippi is a community of engaged citizens, operating as a public, student-centered, doctoral-granting research university serving Mississippi, the nation, and the world. The University is dedicated to scholarship and learning, integrating students at all levels in the creation and application of knowledge through excellence in teaching, research, creative activities, outreach, and service. The University nurtures student success by providing distinctive and competitive educational programs embedded in a welcoming environment, preparing a diverse student population to embark on meaningful life endeavors.
Vision
The University of Southern Mississippi aspires to be a model student-centered public research university that prepares students to thrive in a global society by providing high quality programs and transformative experiences in a community distinguished by inclusiveness.
Values
The mission of the institution is supported by the following values:
- Research and instructional excellence focused on student success at all teaching sites and through campus-based and distance education
- Student engagement that fosters personal growth, professional development, and a lifelong commitment to wellness
- An inclusive community that embraces the diversity of people and ideas
- Institutional governance that respects academic freedom and faculty inclusion
- A campus culture characterized by warmth and mutually-supportive connections among students, faculty, staff, and alumni
- An approach to academics, research, and personal conduct based on integrity and civility
- An evolving curriculum that fosters lifelong curiosity and critical thinking
- Community participation that promotes social responsibility and citizenship
Institutional Strategic Goals
- Support student success to foster retention, progression and graduation
- Promote teaching, research, and creative excellence
- Strategically expand undergraduate and graduate enrollment
- Strengthen economic and community partnerships
- Invest in faculty and staff to maximize their potential
- Promote a culture of inclusiveness of people and ideas
- Enhance physical, technological, and financial infrastructure to support our mission, vision, and values
- Improve efficiency and effectiveness of institutional processes and systems
Accrediting Agencies
The University of Southern Mississippi is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award degrees at the baccalaureate, masters, specialists and doctoral levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of The University of Southern Mississippi.
SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS COMMISSION ON COLLEGES
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, GA 30033-4097
404.679.4500 sacscoc.org
Specific programs are accredited by the following agencies:
ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR EDUCATION IN NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
312.899.5400
ACCREDITING COUNCIL ON EDUCATION IN JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION
201 Bishop Hall
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
662.915.5504
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION STANDING COMMITTEE ON PARALEGALS
Approving Agency
321 N. Clark St., MS 19.1
Chicago, IL 60654-7598
312.988.5483
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
111155 16th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
202.872.4600
AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION (ACCE)
825 W. Bitters Rd., Suite 103
San Antonio, TX 78216
210.495.6161
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)
750 First Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
202.336.5500
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302
Rockville, MD 20852-3110
ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL
1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
800.423.3563
ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF BUSINESS
777 South Harbor Island Blvd., Suite 750
Tampa, FL 33602-5730 USA
813.769.6500
BEHAVIOR ANALYST CERTIFICATION BOARD
7950 Shaffer Parkway
Littleton, CO 80127
720.438.4321
COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION OF ALLIED HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS
25400 US Highway 19 North, Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727.210.2350
COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION OF ATHLETIC TRAINING EDUCATION (CAATE)
6850 Austin Center Blvd.
Suite 100
Austin, TX 78731-3184
512.733.9700
COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2795
312-280-2432
COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY EDUCATION
112 South Alfred Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3061
703.838.9808
COMMISSION ON COLLEGIATE NURSING EDUCATION
655 K Street, NW, Suite 750
Washington, D.C. 20001
202.887.6791
COMPUTING ACCREDITATION COMMISSION OF THE ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
415 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
410.347.7700
COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
400 N. Columbia Street, Suite 202
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.706.4600
COUNCILFOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22202-3557
888.232.7733
COUNCIL FOR INTERIOR DESIGN ACCREDITATION
206 Grandville Ave., Suite 350
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.458.0400
COUNCIL ON ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION IN AUDIOLOGY AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard #310
Rockville, MD 20850
301.296.5700
COUNCIL ON ACCREDITATION OF NURSE ANESTHESIA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
222 S. Prospect Avenue
Park ridge, IL 60068-4001
847.655.1160
COUNCIL ON EDUCATION OF THE DEAF
P.O. Box 10076
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX 77710
409.880.8175
COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH (CEPH)
1010 Wayne Avenue
Suite 220
Silver Spring, MD 20910
202.789.1050
COUNCIL ON SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION
1725 Duke Street, Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.683.8080
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY ACCREDITATION COMMISSION OF THE ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
415 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410.347.7700
MASTERS IN PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING ACCREDITATION COUNCIL
595 New Loudon Road #265
latham, New York 12110
518.369.1472
NATIONAL ACCREDITING AGENCY FOR CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-511119
773.714.8880
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN
1313 L St. NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
800.424.2460
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
4340 East West Highway, Suite 402
Bethesda, MD 20814
301.657.0270
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF ART AND DESIGN
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
703.437.0700
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF DANCE
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
703.437.0700
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF MUSIC
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
703.437.0700
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF THEATRE
11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
703.437.0700
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION OF COACHING EDUCATION
1900 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191
703.476.3410
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION OF TEACHER EDUCATION
1140 19th Street, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
202.223.0077
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS
1906 Association Dr.
Reston, VA 20191-1502
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHER ASSOCIATION
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
SOCIETY OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATORS
1900 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191
800.213.7193
University Libraries
University Libraries provides a dynamic physical and virtual learning environment that supports the intellectual development and creativity of the University community. Joseph Anderson Cook Library, William David McCain Library and Archives, the Gulf Coast Library and the Gunter Library at the Gulf Coast Research Lab offer services that meet information needs and support the research, teaching, learning, and service of the University’s faculty, staff, and students. An extensive Web site provides access to the libraries’ holdings, including full text and article databases, electronic journals and books, and digitized collections and services such as reference and research assistance, tutorials, and document delivery.
The Joseph Anderson Cook Library
The Joseph Anderson Cook Library contains the principle holdings of books, journals, microforms, music, media, and other materials, which support the research and instructional programs of the University. Cook Library has five floors of book stacks, study areas, and computers, and access is provided to over five million books and microforms and over 150,000 journals. Library services, such as circulation, reference and interlibrary loan, can be found on the first and second floors with the collections being housed on all five floors.
Special Collections
Special Collections offer a variety of historical resources ranging from fifteenth-century illuminated manuscripts to Civil War letters, Civil Rights documents and current Mississippiana. The University of Southern Mississippi’s Special Collections are located in the William David McCain Library, built in 1976. Four units comprise Special Collections: University Archives; Rare Books and Mississippiana; Historical Manuscripts; and the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection. Research services are directed from the Cleanth Brooks Reading Room and are available to the public and University community. Materials are discoverable through the online catalog and additional descriptive finding aids.
The Gulf Coast Library
The Gulf Coast Library, located on the Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach, has print and non-print materials that support the research and curriculum needs of the students, faculty, and staff. All of the University Libraries’ electronic holdings are accessible to the students on the Gulf Coast, and materials are available for campus-to-campus loan. The Gulf Coast Library includes 37,000 volumes of curriculum resource materials and provides study space and access to computers throughout all three floors of the facility.
The Gunter Library
The Gunter Library, located in the Richard L. Caylor Building, at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs provides technical information for the research staff, resident faculty, and students. A collection of 1,663 print journals and over 30,000 books, reprints, reports, and gray literature, environmental impact statements; fishery management plans; and other materials supporting the research and teaching done by the Department of Coast Sciences and GCRL scientific staff are available to support research, education, and services in the coastal sciences.
The Aquila Digital Community
The Aquila Digital Community is an open access digital repository containing all of the scholarly works created by The University of Southern Mississippi faculty, staff, and students. Aquila also hosts digital journals and newsletters published by the University, as well as information and resources from events hosted by the University. All submissions to Aquila have open access availability and are indexed, making them highly discoverable through internet search engines, such as Google, thereby extending the University’s scholarly output to a wider audience.
Mississippi Digital Library
Hosted and managed by University Libraries, The Mississippi Digital Library (MDL) is the collaborative digital library program for the state that provides online access to primary source materials held by repositories in the state of Mississippi. MDL includes materials covering a wide range of subject areas, with contributions from museums, public libraries, historical societies and other cultural institutions throughout the entire state. MDL’s collections represent more than 150 years of history and culture from Mississippi’s Delta to the Gulf Coast. From photographs to oral histories, the treasures contributed to the Mississippi Digital Library exhibit the incredible diversity of resources that can be found in the state.
The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art
Originally established in 1977 as the C. W. Woods Gallery through a generous donation from the Woods family, the gallery was later expanded and renamed The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art in 1997 by the Board of Trustees. Previously located in the Fine Arts Building, the museum now has a new gallery space, The Gallery of Art & Design located on campus in the historic George Hurst Building on Southern Drive.
Recent exhibitions hosted by the Museum of Art have included: A Century of Drawing Alumni Invitational; Aquaflora, a contemporary painting exhibition and collaboration with the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art and Oddfellows Gallery; In Becoming Stone: The Woodfired Sculpture of Scott Ross; and Literary Effigies and Blues Portraits: Woodcuts by Charles D. Jones.
In addition to exhibiting the work of nationally and internationally recognized artists, the museum also exhibits the work of Southern Miss Department of Art & Design faculty with a biannual faculty exhibition, and the work of Art & Design students and graduating seniors.
The museum also displays works of art from the permanent collection. The collection includes works by Joan Miro, Georges Rouault, Max Papart, Thomas Downing, Ed McGowin, Thornton Willis and many well-known Mississippi artists such as Walter Anderson, Dusti Bongé, Marie Hull, and Richmond Barthé. Many select pieces from the permanent collection can currently be seen on long-term display in the Cook Library Art Gallery.
Other General Information and Services
iTech Help Desk
Cook Library 103
helpdesk@usm.edu
601.266.4357
Wireless Internet Access
The University of Southern Mississippi offers students, faculty, staff and guests access to wireless services. For more information about wireless services offered, go to the iTech website at www.usm.edu/itech/network-and-wireless-services.
E-mail Accounts
The university provides Microsoft Office 365 licenses to all current Southern Miss students, faculty, and staff. Microsoft Office is available to all active students for free. In addition to having access to web versions, licensed users will be able to download Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus applications on up to 5 devices (PC, Mac, and/or mobile devices - Android or iOS). For more information, please visit https://www.usm.edu/itech/microsoft-office-365.
CampusID and Password Reset
After you have established your username and password, you can reset a lost or forgotten password by going to www.usm.edu/itech/campusid. CampusID will allow you to conveniently reset your password 24 hours a day.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (F-E-R-P-A)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended deals with one subject only: educational records. The purpose of the law is to define, more precisely than ever has been done, who may or may not see these records. On the one hand, the law grants students guaranteed access; on the other hand, it takes from the universities the privilege of indiscriminate disclosure.
The FERPA sets forth these main requirements:
- It allows a student access to each educational record that a university or college keeps on himself or herself.
- It requires the institution to establish a policy on how students can access specific records.
- It requires the institution to inform all students as to what rights they have under the amendment, how they can act on these rights according to school policy, and how they can see a copy of the policy.
- It requires the institution to seek student permission, in writing, before disclosing any personally identifiable record to individuals other than professional personnel employed in the university or college and others who meet certain specified requirements.
The University of Southern Mississippi may release directory information on students to any interested member of the public unless the student requests in writing that it be withheld. Directory information is defined as the following: student’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, major, dates of attendance, classification, degree(s) earned, previous educational institutions attended, participation in university-recognized organizations and activities, weight and height of athletic team member, and honors and awards.
The university has developed and put into writing a policy for handling requests from students and for disclosing personally identifiable information about students. Students are notified of their rights under the law by publishing the university policy on the Registrar’s Web page at www.usm.edu/registrar.
Individuals have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of F-E-R-P-A Students should contact the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Since 1992, students and faculty of The University of Southern Mississippi have benefited from its membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities. ORAU is a consortium of 96 colleges and universities, and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) located in Oak Ridge, Tenn. ORAU works with its member institutions to help their students and faculty gain access to federal research facilities throughout the country; to keep its members informed about opportunities for fellowship, scholarship and research appointments; and to organize research alliances among its members.
Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), the DOE facility that ORAU operates, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates as well as faculty enjoy access to a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Students can participate in programs covering a wide variety of disciplines including business, earth sciences, epidemiology, engineering, physics, geological sciences, pharmacology, ocean sciences, biomedical sciences, nuclear chemistry and mathematics. Appointment and program length range from one month to four years. Many of these programs are especially designed to increase the numbers of underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science- and engineering-related disciplines. A comprehensive listing of these programs and other opportunities, their disciplines and details on locations and benefits can be found on the web at http://orise.orau.gov.
ORAU’s Office of Partnership Development seeks opportunities for partnerships and alliances among ORAU’s members, private industry and major federal facilities. Activities include faculty development programs, such as the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, the Visiting Industrial Scholars Program, consortium research funding initiatives, faculty research and support programs, as well as services to chief research officers
For more information about ORAU and its programs, contact
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Dr. Gordon Cannon
Vice President for Research
ORAU Councilor for Southern Miss |
Monnie E. Champion
ORAU Corporate Secretary
(865.576.3306) |
Visit the ORAU home page at www.orau.org.
Retention of Students and Program Completion Information
A University of Southern Mississippi Fact Book that includes information on retention and graduation is located in the reserve material at the Circulation Desk in Joseph Anderson Cook Library and is available upon request and online at www.usm.edu/ir.
Sexual Harassment
The University of Southern Mississippi, in its efforts to foster an environment of respect for the dignity and worth of all members of the university community, is committed to maintaining a work-learning environment free of sexual harassment. It is the policy of the university that no member of its community shall sexually harass another. Any employee or student who violates this policy is subject to disciplinary action, including termination. Sexual harassment is illegal under federal law (Southern Miss Student Handbook 2006-07, p. 22).
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
The University of Southern Mississippi complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act. No otherwise qualified individual with a disability, solely on the basis of his/her disability, will be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination in the administration of any educational program or activity, including admission or access thereto or in treatment or employment therein by The University of Southern Mississippi. All reasonable accommodations must be approved through the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for students, or the Human Resources director for faculty/staff. Students who need assistance in reasonably accommodating a disability in the classroom or on campus should contact ODA at 601.266.5024 or 228.214.3302; faculty and staff should contact the director of Human Resources at 601.266.4050. Individuals with hearing impairments can use Mississippi Relay Service at 800.582.2233 (TTY) to contact campus offices.
The University Press of Mississippi
The University Press of Mississippi was founded in 1970 to encourage the dissemination of the fruit of research and study through the publication of scholarly works. Functioning as the scholarly publishing arm of the state-supported universities in Mississippi, the University Press is governed by a board of directors made up of one representative from each of the eight state universities, one representative from the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and the director of the Press.
The University Press publishes more than 50 books each year. Primary areas of interest are Mississippi history and literature, but manuscripts in all areas of study are welcomed.
Administrative offices of the University Press are located in the Education and Research Center of Mississippi, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211.
The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association
The Alumni Association was established in 1917 as an organization mainly involved in functions relating to placement service. Since its rebirth in 1946, when the executive committee recognized the need for a working Alumni Association with organized alumni groups in the various counties of the state, the Association has operated in its present form, serving as a link between the university and its former students.
Southern Miss alumni and former students are encouraged to become active in the Alumni Association through its many geographic chapters and constituent societies. Of more than 130,000 graduates since the university’s founding, nearly 14,000 are currently listed as paid members of the Association.
The Association provides a number of benefits to its members, including a subscription to its award-winning quarterly magazine The Talon, which helps alumni and friends stay informed of campus developments and provides updates on former classmates. Other benefits include resident tuition rates for children of members who meet certain requirements, select university library privileges, car decals, eligibility to join the Payne Center, complimentary admission to the Association’s Eagle Landing pre-game events and exclusive early access to other special events. The Association also maintains a website and distributes an electronic newsletter, Alumni Mail.
The Association is active in developing other programs to support all areas of the university. Some of these include the Pierce Legacy Scholars Program, which awards one-time scholarships to select children and grandchildren of alumni, sponsoring arts events, organizing meetings across the country and spearheading the Growing Up Gold legacy engagement program.
The Alumni Association also sponsored the drive to raise funds necessary for the construction of the first R.C. Cook University Union building, helped set up the USM Foundation (the repository for all gifts to the university) and organized the Student Alumni Association, one of the largest dues-paying student organizations on campus. Known as the Keepers of Tradition, the SAA serves as the campus leader in promoting spirit and enthusiasm by protecting the traditions and history at Southern Miss.
Organized alumni groups are encouraged to host an event each year on or around March 30. This date was selected by the Association as Founders’ Day in commemoration of the founding of the university on that date in 1910. All former students of Southern Miss are encouraged to get together in honor of the university on this date.
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