About University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM or Southern Miss) is a public research academe 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 tall research activity”.

Founded on March 30, 1910, the college circles is a dual campus institution, with the main campus located in Hattiesburg and the further large campus, Gulf Park, in Long Beach. It has five further 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 energetic teams became the Golden Eagles in 1972. The school’s colors, black and gold, were chosen by a student body vote rudely after the studious was founded. While mascots, names, customs, and the campus have changed, the black and gold colors have remained constant. USM offers 16 sport programs at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 45,863 in 2019. It is the principal city of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.

Development of the interior of Mississippi by European Americans took place primarily after the American Civil War. Before that time, only properties along the major rivers were developed as plantations. Founded in 1882 by civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in tribute of Hardy’s wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years unconventional with a population of 400. Hattiesburg’s population first expanded as a middle of the lumber and railroad industries, from which was derived the nickname “The Hub City”. It now attracts newcomers because of the diversity of its economy, strong neighborhoods, and the central location in South Mississippi.

Hattiesburg is home to The University of Southern Mississippi (founded as Mississippi Normal College, for the training of teachers) and William Carey University (formerly William Carey College). South of Hattiesburg is Camp Shelby, the largest US National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River.