University of South Alabama University of S. Alabama : Making a Difference
Mobile Register, February 23, 2003 Section: L Page: 2
Author: E. Ransburg

By In just 40 years, the University of South Alabama has become a major educational force in Alabama .  

Since being chartered in 1963, USA has served as an important center of high quality and accessible undergraduate, graduate and professional education for metropolitan Mobile , the state, the Gulf Coast region and the southeastern United States .  

The university actively embraces teaching, research, public service and health care, and it pursues the discovery and application of new knowledge.  

Teaching is at the heart of every great university. USA offers high-quality instruction in its:  

• College of Allied Health Professions
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Mitchell College of Business
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Medicine
• College of Nursing
• Graduate School
• School of Computer and Information Sciences
• And the School of Continuing Education and Special Programs.

• Renovation of the Mitchell College of Business.
• The $10 million renovation and addition of 53,000 square feet to the University Library.
• Renovation of the Humanities Building classrooms and more than $1 million in campuswide classroom renovations and technological upgrades.

• USA has more than doubled its academic scholarships to 2,788 in 2003.
• USA Honors Program has been implemented.
• Increased graduate student teaching and research assistantships.
• Provided supplemental instruction to assist students in historically difficult courses.

• Net enrollment growth from 11,385 in fall 1999 to 12,510 in fall 2002.
• Becoming the fastest-growing public university in Alabama for the combined 2000 and 2001 academic years.
• Record freshman classes in 2000 and 2001, and double-digit percentage increases in new freshmen from area high schools in 2002.
• Record graduate student enrollment of 2,345 in 2002.
• USA alumni number more than 50,000.

USA is one of the state's leading universities in competitively funded research, which is Making a Difference in a wide range of human issues - from the environment to health care to education and the arts and humanities.  

Students benefit from working with faculty who have first-hand knowledge of their field gained through personal exploration.  

USA 's research program is an industry in itself, providing a strong economic impact to the Mobile community and the state.  

The new USA Research Park will strengthen the Mobile area economy through academic-corporate partnerships to create and retain high-technology jobs. A national computer software company has signed on as the first partner in the park and this fall will move into a new 61,000-square-foot operations center that will be home to 130 high-technology jobs, a number expected to rise to 200 within five years.  

The park will further benefit USA by providing the university's brightest students with job opportunities at home, preventing "brain drain."  

USA is also Making a Difference as a vital provider of health care, using the latest scientific and medical technology in providing treatment to patients. The USA Health System - the College of Medicine, USA Medical Center, USA Children's and Women's Hospital, USA Knollwood Hospital and the USA Cancer Research Institute - each year serves more than 250,000 patients. In close association with USA 's academic programs in medicine, nursing and allied health professions, the USA Health System provides an important classroom for educating the next generation of health-care professionals.  

The University is further dedicated to Making a Difference through the promotion of continuing education and the enhancement of access to education for a variety of individuals and communities. The university provides programs designed to meet the needs of evening, weekend, off-campus and special program clients who seek both credit and noncredit learning experiences.  

Through such programs as USA 's Brookley campus, its Baldwin County campus, as well as technology-based approaches such as the USA Online Internet-based degree programs, USA is adapting to a wide range of educational needs of students of all ages and personal circumstances.  

Another way USA Makes a Difference in the community is by providing art, music, cultural and entertainment opportunities, adding richness and providing opportunities that might not otherwise be available.  

The University of South Alabama is Making a Difference by serving as a powerful economic engine that directly employs more than 5,600 people - one of the largest employers on the upper Gulf Coast and the second largest employer among all of Alabama 's universities. Each year, the university's economic impact to the area is well over $1 billion.  

In support of the community's economic health, USA will continue to:

• Teach the latest generation of young people for productive careers in the marketplace.  
• Increase funded research to add to our base of knowledge.  
• Provide serve to the community, especially in the form of leading-edge medical care.  
• Work closely through teacher education, in-service and other programs to support the vital efforts of our public schools in preparing tomorrow's work force.  
• Support industry and business through cooperative research programs, student internships and sharing of faculty expertise.   Through its programs of teaching, research, public service and health care, the University of South Alabama is Making a Difference in the lives of millions of people.  

You are invited to learn more about Making a Difference at the University of South Alabama at one of our "Get Acquainted Days," which are special Saturdays we set aside for your visit. You may also schedule an individual appointment to meet with an admissions officer and tour the campus and residence halls. Tours are held most weekdays at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. by appointment.  

For more information about degree programs, financial aid, student services or application procedures, contact the Office of Admissions, Administration Building , Room 182, Mobile , Ala. 36688-0002 . You may also call 460-6141 or (800) 872-5247 (USA-JAGS), or visit the school's website at www.southalabama.edu. CUTLINES: Courtesy of USA The completion next month of the University Library expansion and renovation will be a crowning moment in USA 's 40-year history. Courtesy of USA USA's annual fall Move-in Day sees administrators, faculty, staff and alumni helping move newly arriving freshmen into the dormitories. Courtesy of USA More than 50,000 people, including 1,600 practicing physicians, have earned USA degrees. Fall enrollment topped 12,500.

This article reproduced with special permission from the Mobile Register.