The University of South Alabama (USA), officially nicknamed "South" is a public, national research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. With Alabama's two older universities more than 200 miles distant, the University is strategically located in the greater Mobile area, which has a population of more than a million within a 100-mile radius. Currently, USA is divided into ten colleges and schools and includes one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. As of the Fall semester of 2016, South Alabama has an enrollment of 16,699 students. To date, the University has awarded over 80,000 degrees. As of 2014 the university maintains a 14% graduation rate for four year courses, and was named the 8th most dangerous college in the country by Business Insider.
USA has an annual payroll of $404 million (US), with over 5,500 employees, and is the second largest employer in Mobile. The University of South Alabama has an annual economic impact of US$2 billion.
Academics
University of South Alabama Campus Tour -
The university offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in ten colleges and schools. Several programs offer masters level degrees in addition to undergraduate degrees. Doctoral level degrees are offered in several areas, including Business Administration, Nursing, Medicine, Basic Medical Sciences, Instructional Design, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Audiology, Marine Science, Psychology, Physical Therapy, and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree offered in collaboration with Auburn University.
The psychology doctoral program was initiated in 2009 and offers a Combined degree, emphasizing both Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology.
USA offers classes in nearby Baldwin County at its Fairhope campus, and recently opened its new Gulf Coast Campus in Gulf Shores. In all, undergraduate students at South Alabama can choose from more than 50 bachelor’s degree and certificate programs while there are more than 40 master’s degree programs. As of 2011, USA ranks as the 22nd best public university in the southern United States, and 52nd overall (in the South). It has an acceptance rate of 86.5%.
The student-faculty ratio at USA is 22:1, and the school has 41.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. USA students are 57% female and 43% male.
Colleges
The University of South Alabama has ten colleges:
- Pat Covey College of Allied Health Professions
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Mitchell College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Chemical Engineering and Assistants
- College of Medicine
- Doctor of Pharmacy Program (Collaborative program with Auburn University)
- College of Nursing
- School of Computing
- School of Continuing Education and Special Programs
Administration
The University is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by and including the governor of Alabama. The Board appoints a president of the University. Since the founding of the University, there have been three presidents: Frederick Palmer Whiddon (served 1963â€"1998) and V. Gordon Moulton (served 1998â€"2013). John W. Smith, the current executive vice president, served as an interim president until the arrival of Tony G. Waldrop in 2014.
Athletics and traditions
The Jaguars participate in 17 NCAA sanctioned sports (8 men 9 women), and are founding members of the Sun Belt Conference. Men's sports include Football, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, and Outdoor Track and Field. Women's sports include Basketball, Softball, Soccer, Tennis, Cross Country, Volleyball, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, and Golf. All sports participate in the Sun Belt Conference, a Division I/FBS conference. The school is often referred to as simply "South", "USA", or the "Jags", but the more formal South Alabama is often used as well.
The university announced the creation of a NCAA sanctioned football team on December 6, 2007, with the goal of fast tracking the program to full FBS status by the 2013 season. The school's first ever game was played on September 5, 2009 in front of 26,000+ fans. The Jaguars football team is led by head coach Joey Jones, former Alabama player under Paul "Bear" Bryant. The Jaguars lost at NC State 35-13 during the 2011 football season, the program's first game against a FBS opponent and its first loss after going a combined 19-0 during its first 2+ seasons.
The Jaguars have future football contests scheduled with Mississippi St, NC State, Hawaii, Navy, Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma St, Tulane, South Carolina, Nebraska, Louisiana Tech, and Southern Miss, including home contests with Mississippi State, NC State, Oklahoma State, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, and Navy.
The Jaguars include current players David Freese, who was both the 2011 National League Championship Series MVP and 2011 World Series MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Juan Pierre, a World Series winner with the Florida Marlins in 2003. Coach Steve Kittrell retired at the end of the 2011 season and handed over the position to the coach in waiting, Mark Calvi, who had been on staff for that final year. Calvi was the pitching coach at the University of South Carolina when the Gamecocks won the College World Series in 2010.
The basketball program has reached the NCAA tournament eight times, with its only win coming against the University of Alabama in 1989. The Jaguars have been beaten by the eventual national champion 3 of those 8 times (Michigan, Arizona, & Florida), with the Michigan loss occurring in the second round.
Campus life
Housing
- Beta/Gamma Community consists of fifteen small buildings containing one-person, two-person, and four-person apartments.
- Epsilon Community contains both traditional and non-traditional residence halls. Epsilon 1 and Epsilon 2 are traditional halls housing first-time freshmen Learning Communities (LCs). The non-traditional residence hall of Delta 6 has of a kitchenette in every room for freshmen and upperclassmen. A total of 471 residents live in this community with 156 in Delta 6 and the remaining 315 residents in Epsilon 1 & 2.
- Delta Community is made up of four non-traditional residence halls that house 535 residents: Delta 3 â€" 5. Both freshmen and upperclassmen live in this community. Laundry Rooms are located at one end of Delta 3, Delta 4, and inside the Delta Commons.
- Stokes Hall Community opened Fall of 2011 and features 330 suite-style rooms. Stokes Hall also has one classroom, eight (study lounges, two (2) multipurpose rooms, interior hallways, and a large laundry room.
- Azalea Hall Community (previously New Hall Community) opened Fall 2013. This four-story traditional residence hall is home to 350 first-time freshmen, with two students per room. The new building includes one classroom that seats 25, two large study lounges, two community lounges, a large laundry room, two Community Director offices, and one Faculty member office.
- Fraternity & Sorority Housing Community consists of five sororities and four fraternities for a total of nine Greek chapter houses on-campus.
The Grove: is a privately owned apartment complex on campus that offers individual leases of 2br/3br apartments to only USA undergraduate and graduate students. (Not affiliated with USA Housing & Residence Life.)
Greek life
Organizations
The following are Greek organizations that existed at the University of South Alabama that are no longer active sorted by the date they received their national charter
- Delta Lambda Phi, (Beta Beta Chapter) founded in 2000 till 2005 was the first Gay, Bisexual, and progressive male fraternity at the University of South Alabama that did not discriminate on the bases of sexual orientation.
- Sigma Nu, (IFC Fraternity), Theta Mu chapter founded in 1970.
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon, (IFC Fraternity), Alabama Chi chapter founded May 8, 1971. Disbanded in 2005. Colony set to be reestablished in 2018.
- Lambda Chi Alpha, (IFC Fraternity), Phi Gamma chapter founded in 1972.
- Theta Xi, (IFC Fraternity), Gamma Gamma chapter founded February 16, 1974
- Sigma Phi Epsilon, (IFC Fraternity), Alabama Eta Chapter founded 1987
- Zeta Tau Alpha, (Panhellenic Sorority), chapter designation and founding date unknown.
- Chi Sigma Omega, a fraternity that existed in 1975 for veterans. This was not a national fraternity.
Notable faculty and alumni
Notable faculty of the University of South Alabama include:
- Alec Yasinsac, Dean of the School of Computing
Notable alumni of the University of South Alabama include:
- Tina Allen (1949-2008), sculptor
- Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, leader in the Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab (attended but did not graduate)
- Marlon Anderson (second baseman), Major League Baseball
- Glenn Borgmann, Major League Baseball
- Herbert L. "Sonny" Callahan, former United States Congressman (attended but did not graduate)
- Terry Catledge, former NBA Player
- Grant Enfinger, professional race car driver; currently competes in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
- Steve Falteisek, Major League Baseball
- David Freese, Major League Baseball; currently with the St. Louis Cardinals; 2011 World Series MVP Award and 2011 NLCS MVP Award winner
- Luis Gonzalez, Major League Baseball
- Carolyn Haines, American romance and mystery author
- Jon Lieber, Major League Baseball
- Adam Lind, Major League Baseball; currently with the Toronto Blue Jays
- Rodger McFarlane (1955-2009), gay rights activist and first executive director of Gay Men's Health Crisis.
- Mark Mostert, Professor of Special Education at Regent University author and lecturer on Eugenics, Facilitated Communication and "useless eaters.
- Mike Mordecai, Major League Baseball
- Juan Pierre, Major League Baseball
- Lance Johnson, Major League Baseball
- Dan Povenmire, co-creator of the Disney Channel Show Phineas and Ferb (Did not graduate)
- Heath Slocum, professional golfer; currently plays on the PGA Tour
- Courtney Smith, American football player
- Eddie Stanky, Major League Baseball player and manager; former head coach of USA Baseball Program
- Larry Stutts, Alabama state senator
- Jessie Tompkins, former Nationally ranking hurdler in Track and Field and civil-rights activist
- P.J. Walters Major League Baseball; currently with the Minnesota Twins
- Turner Ward, Major League Baseball; current manager of Mobile BayBears Minor League Baseball team
- Michael Kearney, world's youngest college graduate
Publications
- USA Vanguard
- The Lowdown
- The Oracle
- Due South
- College Student Journal (founded 1966).
Criticisms
Campus safety
In 2012, Business Insider listed USA as the eighth most dangerous campus in the United States, due to numerous burglaries, two counts of rape, and one killing. In 2014 there were three counts of rape, 19 counts of burglary, and one count of arson.
Federal discrimination lawsuit
On April 4, 2014, a large group of students belonging to Students for Life USA, a pro-life student organization, filed a complaint about alleged discrimination in federal court against numerous University of South Alabama officials. The university later settled the lawsuit, paying the students an undisclosed amount of money. According to a copy of the settlement document provided by the Alliance Defending Freedom, the university "denied all material allegations and Plaintiff's claims of constitutional infirmities". USA agreed to change a portion of its policy on use of its space and facilities, and to pay an unspecified sum settling "all of plaintiff's remaining claims, including liability, damages, and attorney's fees".
First Amendment violations
On April 15, 2016, campus police stopped several students who were handing out pro-concealed carry information in the student center. The students were unarmed and had not violated any laws, however police stated they would "come up with something" and cited the students for violating university policy. After an investigation, the citations were rescinded and one officer was placed on unpaid 3-day suspension.
Center for Dyslexia and Talent Banned
On August 21, 2017, a student-let group consisting of Dyslexic students was banned from campus after attempting to meet with Dr. Andrea Agnew, Director of Student Disabilities Services. The students were attempting to meet with the university official to further a discussion on the education of students suffering from Dyslexia. After attempting to meet unsuccessfully, the students were subsequently sent a letter from Dr. Michael A. Mitchell advising to "cease and desist related to associations between the Center for Dyslexia and Talent and the University of South Alabama." The letter also threatened to arrest the students for trespassing if they returned to the campus. This has caused many disability-rights groups to issue statements advising prospective students to avoid the university. As a result, the students filed official complaints with the accrediting body Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Sexual Assault Lawsuit
On August 30, 2017, a student filed a widely-reported 75-page lawsuit against the university and administrators Michael Mitchell and Andrea Agnew alleging a "biased" disciplinary system that was "skewed in favor of the accusers". The lawsuit alleges that the university administrators were grossly biased against students who had been accused of violating policy, even before any hearing. The lawsuit notes that the university allowed students to "hang banners and flyers in the common areas" where disciplinary hearings are held in an effort to intimidate accused students.
References
External links
- Official website
- Southern Alabama Athletics website
