University of Southern Mississippi

"Southern Miss" redirects here. For the University of Southern Mississippi athletics program, see Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles.

University of Southern Mississippi
Former names
Mississippi Normal College (1910–1924)[1]
State Teachers College (1924–1936)
Mississippi State Teachers College (1936–1940)
Mississippi Southern College (1940–1962)
Motto"Southern Miss to the Top!"
TypePublic research university
EstablishedMarch 30, 1910; 114 years ago (1910-03-30)
Parent institution
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning[2]
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliation
Endowment$103.5 million (2020)[3]
PresidentJoseph S. Paul
ProvostLance Nail
Academic staff
899 (Fall 2017)[4]
Students14,606 (Fall 2020)[4]
Undergraduates11,451
Postgraduates3,155
Location
Hattiesburg
,
Mississippi
,
United States

31°19′47″N 89°20′02″W / 31.329638°N 89.333847°W / 31.329638; -89.333847
CampusSmall city[5], 300 acres (1.2 km2)
Other campuses
MediaStudent Media Center
ColorsBlack and gold[6]
   
Nickname
Sporting affiliations
MascotSeymour d'Campus
Websiteusm.edu

The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".[7]

Founded on March 30, 1910, the university is a dual-campus institution, with its main campus in Hattiesburg and its other large campus, Gulf Park, in Long Beach. It has five additional teaching and research sites, including the John C. Stennis Space Center and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL).

Originally called the Mississippi Southerners, the Southern Miss athletic teams became the Golden Eagles in 1972. The school's colors, black and gold, were selected by a student body vote shortly after the school was founded. While mascots, names, customs, and the campus have changed, the black and gold colors have remained constant. USM's 17 sport programs participate in NCAA Division I athletics, mainly as members of the Sun Belt Conference.

  1. ^ Hickman, Alma (1966). Southern As I Saw It: Personal Remembrances of an Era, 1912 to 1954. Hattiesburg, MS: University of Southern Mississippi Press.
  2. ^ "IHL System - About".
  3. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Office of Institutional Research. "USM Fact Book 2017–2018" (PDF). Fact Book 2017–2018. University of Southern Mississippi. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "IPEDS-University of Southern Mississippi".
  6. ^ University Colors (PDF). University of Southern Mississippi Office of University Communications. July 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2019. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carnegie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).