University of South Alabama

The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first classes were held in June 1964, with an enrollment of 276 students; the first commencement was held in June 1967, with 88 bachelor's degrees awarded.[7]

University of South Alabama
Former name
Mobile Extension Center of the University of Alabama (1944-1963)[1]
Motto"Research, Teaching, Service"
TypePublic research university
EstablishedMay 3, 1963 (May 3, 1963)[2]
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliations
Endowment$667 million (total of USA's two separate endowment funds 2021)[3]
PresidentJo Bonner
Administrative staff
992
Students13,463 (Fall 2022)[4]
Location
Mobile
,
Alabama
,
United States
CampusMidsize city[5], 1,224 acres (495 ha)
Other campuses
NewspaperThe Vanguard (member of the combined student media group Jag Media)
ColorsBlue, red, and white[6]
     
NicknameJaguars
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FBS – Sun Belt
MascotSouth Paw
Websitewww.southalabama.edu

USA is divided into ten colleges and schools that include one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. In the fall semester of 2018, South Alabama had an enrollment of 15,093 students.[4] By the spring of 2019, the university had awarded over 90,000 degrees.[8] It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[9]

USA has an annual payroll of more than $400 million (US), with over 6,000 employees, and is the second-largest employer in Mobile.[10] The university claims to have an annual economic impact of US$3 billion.[11]

Academics
The Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health and College of Nursing
Academic rankings
National
Forbes[12]616
U.S. News & World Report[13]299-391
Washington Monthly[14]234

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 a Doctor of Pharmacy degree offered in collaboration with Auburn University.

USA also offers classes in nearby Baldwin County at its Fairhope campus,[15] and in 2015 opened its new Gulf Coast Campus in Gulf Shores.[16] 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%.[17]

The student-faculty ratio at USA is 18:1,[18] and the school has 44.1% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. USA students are 57% female and 43% male.[17] As of 2018, the university had a 44% six-year graduation rate and a 22% four-year graduation rate for bachelor's degree programs.[19]

Colleges
Shelby Hall - Home to the College of Engineering and School of Computing

The University of South Alabama has ten colleges and schools:

  • Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Mitchell College of Business
  • College of Education and Professional Studies
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Medicine
  • College of Nursing
  • School of Computing
  • Honors College
  • Graduate School

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. Frederick Palmer Whiddon served as president from 1963 until 1998 and was succeeded by V. Gordon Moulton who served until 2013. John W. Smith, the current executive vice president, served as an interim president until the arrival of Tony G. Waldrop in 2014 and after his retirement in 2021. Jo Bonner was appointed as university president in 2021.[20]

Athletics
Main article: South Alabama Jaguars
Jaguar statue and Mitchell Center Arena

The Jaguars participate in 17 NCAA sanctioned sports (8 men's and 9 women's), 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.

Football

The university announced the creation of an NCAA sanctioned football team on December 6, 2007, with the goal of fast tracking the program to full FBS status by the 2013 season. Since starting the football program from scratch, South Alabama has built a football facility and practice fields. The Hancock Whitney Stadium opened in 2020.

Basketball

South Alabama men's and women's basketball play in the 10,000+ seat Mitchell Center.

Baseball

South Alabama's home park is Eddie Stanky Field, which is a 4,500-seat stadium featuring a natural grass playing surface. The Jon Lieber Clubhouse was originally constructed in 2005, but was torn down following the 2019 season to build a new Jon Lieber Clubhouse that was completed prior to the 2020 baseball season.

Moulton Bell Tower and Alumni Plaza

Police shooting

On October 12, 2012, 18-year-old freshman Gil Collar was shot by a campus police officer,[21] after appearing naked outside the police station.[22] The university released a statement saying a campus police officer "was confronted by a muscular, nude man who was acting erratically."[21] Collar was 5 foot 7 and weighed 135 pounds.[22] Authorities state that Collar appeared to be on drugs when the incident occurred.[23] The student's family filed suit against the university, the officer involved, and the police chief, Herbert Earl "Zeke" Aull.[23] In February 2013, a Mobile County judge ruled that the university was not liable for the student's death.[24] in 2014 the case moved to federal court.[25] In 2015, the officer was cleared in a civil suit.[26] The shooting inspired Brian Burghart, then editor of the News & Review in Reno, to found Fatal Encounters, a database that tracks killings by law enforcement officers.[27][28]

2014 federal discrimination lawsuit

In 2014, a group of students belonging to Students for Life USA, a pro-life student organization, filed a complaint about alleged discrimination in federal court against 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".[29] 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".[30][31]

Abuse lawsuits

In September 2021, a lawsuit was filed against a former University of South Alabama volleyball coach due to alleged sexual and mental abuse in 2019 and 2020.[32][33] The lawsuit included eight former players as plaintiffs.[34] The amendment also alleged that university administrators had knowledge of the abuse and added the university's athletic directors and coaches as defendants.[34] A second lawsuit was filed in 2022 by a former player uninvolved in the first lawsuit.[33] WKRG-TV reported that the claims of abuse made by the second lawsuit was similar to the first and that both allegations included inappropriate touching and overtraining.[33] The volleyball coach was hired by the University of South Alabama in December 2018 and resigned in February 2021.[35]

Student life
Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity[36] Total
White 61% 61
 
Black 22% 22
 
Other[lower-alpha 1] 7% 7
 
Hispanic 4% 4
 
Asian 3% 3
 
Foreign national 2% 2
 
Native American 1% 1
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[lower-alpha 2] 41% 41
 
Affluent[lower-alpha 3] 59% 59
 

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the University of South Alabama include:

Publications
  • USA Vanguard[39]
  • The Lowdown
  • The Oracle
  • Due South
  • College Student Journal (founded 1966).[40]

Notes
  1. Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
  2. The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References
  1. "Encyclopedia of Alabama".
  2. "Brief History".
  3. As of June 30, 2021. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  4. University of South Alabama, Historical Enrollment Numbers
  5. "IPEDS-University of South Alabama".
  6. USA Brand Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  7. "USA: A Brief History". University of South Alabama. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  8. University of South Alabama, 2019 Spring Commencement (PDF)
  9. "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Center for Postsecondary Education. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. University of South Alabama, Office of Public Relations, "Quick Facts.". Southalabama.edu (2011-01-25). Retrieved on 2012-05-25.
  11. "University of South Alabama Engagement". University of South Alabama.
  12. "Forbes America's Top Colleges List 2023". Forbes. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  13. "2023-2024 Best National Universities". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  14. "2022 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  15. "USA Baldwin County Campus". University of South Alabama. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  16. "USA Opens Gulf Coast Campus in Gulf Shores". Southalabama.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  17. South Alabama | University of South Alabama | Best College | US News. Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-25.
  18. "About USA Page". University of South Alabama.
  19. "University of South Alabama - 4 Year Graduation Rates, Gender, Race - Scholarships.com". www.scholarships.com.
  20. "University of South Alabama names new president". www.southalabama.edu.
  21. Gray, Melissa (7 October 2012). "Campus officer kills naked freshman at University of South Alabama". CNN.
  22. Fambro, Cassie (October 6, 2014). "Two years later, the death of Gil Collar still haunts the University of South Alabama in Mobile". AL.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  23. Kirby, Brendan (26 July 2014). "University of South Alabama student fatally shot by officer was seeking help, lawsuit says". al.com.
  24. "Ala. Judge Dismisses Shooting Suit Against College". www.apr.org. Associated Press. 8 February 2013.
  25. "Gil Collar death suit will become a federal case". WSFA. July 28, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  26. Fambro, Cassie (September 15, 2015). "Campus cop who shot and killed Gil Collar cleared in civil case". AL.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. Johnson, Bert; Christiansen, Rachel (June 5, 2020). "Interview: For 7 Years, This Journalist Has Tried To Track Every Police Killing In The U.S." CapRadio. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  28. Lozano, Alicia Victoria (July 11, 2020). "Fatal Encounters: One man is tracking every officer-involved killing in the U.S." NBC News. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  29. "In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama Southern Division" (PDF). Alliance Defending Freedom. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  30. Perez, Andrew (9 April 2014). "Pro-life students file suit against University of South Alabama". Fox 10 TV. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014.
  31. "USA, pro-life student group settle free speech lawsuit". Al.com. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  32. Benbow, Dana Hunsinger. "Purdue-Fort Wayne volleyball coach put on leave after allegations of abusing former players". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  33. "Second sexual harassment lawsuit filed against former University of South Alabama women's volleyball coach". WKRG News 5. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  34. "New claims contend South Alabama officials knew of alleged abuse of athletes". al. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  35. "Lawsuit claims former USA women's volleyball coach abused former players". ABC17NEWS. 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  36. "College Scorecard: University of South Alabama". United States Department of Education. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  37. "Texas boy, 12, preps for life at Cornell". Ithaca Journal. Retrieved 3 April 2019. Michael Kearney, a child prodigy, graduated from the University of South Alabama at the age of 10
  38. Hevesi, Dennis. "Rodger McFarlane, Who Led AIDS-Related Groups, Dies at 54", The New York Times, May 18, 2009. Accessed May 19, 2009.
  39. "The Vanguard | South Alabama Student Newspaper". thevanguardusa.com. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  40. "A Journal Pertaining to College Students: College Student Journal". projectinnovation.com. Project Innovation, University of South Alabama.

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