University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi

Former names	Mississippi Normal College Mississippi State Teachers College Mississippi Southern College
Type	Public University
Established	March 30, 1910 (1910-03-30)
Academic affiliation	AASCU APLU SURA ORAU
Endowment	$116.8 Million
President	Rodney D. Bennett
Provost	Steven Moser
Students	14,554 (Fall 2016)
Location	Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. 31°19′47″N 89°20′02″W / 31.329638°N 89.333847°W / 31.329638; -89.333847Coordinates: 31°19′47″N 89°20′02″W / 31.329638°N 89.333847°W / 31.329638; -89.333847
Campus	Urban, 300 acres (1.2 km2)
Colors	Black and Gold
Nickname	Golden Eagles / Lady Eagles
Mascot	Seymour d'Campus
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – Conference USA
Website	www.usm.edu

The University of Southern Mississippi, known informally as Southern Miss, is a public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is situated 70 miles (110 km) north of Gulfport, Mississippi and 105 miles (169 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. Southern Miss is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award baccalaureate, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees. The university is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a "Research University" with "High Research Activity" (designation "RU/H").

Founded on March 30, 1910, the university is a dual campus institution, with the main campus located in Hattiesburg and the Gulf Park campus located in Long Beach, with five additional teaching and research sites.

The university has a particularly extensive study-abroad program through its Center for International Education, and is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the nation for the number of students studying abroad each year. It is especially noted for its British Studies program, which regularly sends more than 200 students each summer to live and study in the heart of London. The university is also home to a major polymer science research center, and one of the strongest fine arts programs in the southeastern United States.

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.

The university's primary mission is "to cultivate intellectual development and creativity through the generation, dissemination, application, and preservation of knowledge." Southern Miss is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and its programs are fully accredited by 30 state and national agencies.