The University of S o ut h e r n M i s s i s s i p p i A l um n i A s s o c i at i o n
Annual Report 2012-13 Tradition | Pride | Loyalty | Excellence
Annual Report 2012-13 Letter from the president The 2012-13 fiscal year was certainly positive and exciting for The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association. While there are always challenges to be faced, I feel strongly that the volunteer leadership and staff of the Alumni Association have continued to work in the best interests of our alumni and our University as a whole. Although faced with unforeseen challenges, the Association’s staff has accomplished much over the past year, and as the current president of this organization, I can assure you the Association has even more planned for 2013-14. As many of you know, on Feb. 10, an EF-4 tornado hit the southern edge of the Hattiesburg campus, significantly damaging the Ogletree Alumni House. The Alumni Association staff was immediately relocated to The Accelerator in the University’s technology park and operated from that location for approximately six months. In early September, the staff was able to reoccupy the north annex of the Ogletree House. If you have had the opportunity to visit the Hattiesburg campus recently, you would have seen first-hand that reconstruction has begun on the historic structure. Repairs are expected to be completed prior to the start of the 2014 football season. Following the tornado and the extensive destruction it caused, the USM Foundation launched the Campus Beautification Campaign to raise funds to rebuild the damaged landscape on the front of the campus. The Alumni Association provided the lead gift for this project with a $100,000 contribution. The leadership of the Association felt strongly that we should play a major role in the restoration of the main entrance to the campus. We are proud of this donation and excited about the work done to restore the beauty of the campus’ front porch. An additional major focus of the Alumni Association over the 2012-13 fiscal year has been to continue to identify children and grandchildren of alumni. Once identified, it’s necessary they be educated on the importance of their involvement with the University and heavily recruited to attend Southern Miss. This focus, the Legacy Recruitment Initiative, has done just that. Since its inception, more than 6,500 children have been identified. While there is still work to be done, this is a positive start for this important program. Once recruited and enrolled in the University, legacies and first-time Golden Eagles are encouraged to join The Legacy, the student chapter of the Southern Miss Alumni Association and the keepers of the many Southern Miss traditions. Membership in this organization ensures that students maintain a strong bond with our University’s rich history and time-honored traditions, ultimately leading to Association membership and involvement following graduation. With a membership total of more than 1,000, this group has been recognized countless times University-wide and has accomplished a great deal over the past year. Lastly, the Southern Miss Alumni Association has been working to identify new opportunities to generate funding for the Robert D. Pierce II Legacy Scholars Program, an endowment that provides funding for one-time scholarships for incoming freshmen that are children and grandchildren of Southern Miss alumni. Last year the Association’s board of directors authorized the creation of the Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy brick program. I am proud to report that in its first year of existence, the program has generated more than $10,000 in additional support for the Pierce Legacy Scholarship. My wife, Pam Gillespie Waddle ’83, ’96, and I purchased a brick in memory of her father, Lamar Gillespie ’52, and I encourage all alumni to consider the purchase of a brick to support this worthwhile initiative while leaving a permanent legacy on campus. As you can see, the Association is truly making a difference for our beloved alma mater. Southern Miss is enjoying an exciting and promising time in its history, and the Alumni Association is contributing to that success. Because of you and your membership in the Association, The University of Southern Mississippi has a treasured past of which we can all be proud, and with your continued support, we are sure to enjoy the University’s golden future. Southern Miss to the Top!
Benny Waddle President
The University of S o ut h e r n M i s s i s s i p p i A l um n i A s s o c i at i o n
OGLETREE HOUSE RESTORATION EFFORtS CONTINUE As February of this year brought about feelings of helplessness due to the effects of the tornado that struck the Hattiesburg campus and surrounding areas, the month also brought feelings of gratefulness that no lives were lost as a result, as well as resilience and determination. Immediately following the storm, contractors, structural engineers, state archivists and the architect who oversaw the 2009 restoration inspected the Ogletree House, and gratefully, the damage did not necessitate the demolition of the historic structure. The Association staff immediately relocated to The Accelerator, where day-to-day operations continued as planned. BW Sullivan Building Contractor Inc. of Hattiesburg was chosen to manage the restoration of the Ogletree House and local preservation architect Larry Albert was selected to oversee the project. In April, the University announced a comprehensive landscape restoration plan. The USM Foundation also
Restoration of the Ogletree House is expected to be completed prior to the start of the 2014 football season.
launched the Southern Miss Campus Beautification Campaign to generate private gifts to help fund the plan. It was then that the Alumni Association stepped in and contributed $100,000 to the campaign. Association leadership
believed this campaign would provide the organization with an excellent opportunity to financially support the University’s efforts to restore the main entrance of the Hattiesburg campus to its original beauty.
Association Collects More than 6,500 Names of Children and Grandchildren of Alumni This year more than 2,500 gifts were mailed to children and grandchildren of alumni as part of the Alumni Association’s Growing Up Gold Program, a legacy engagement program designed for the purpose of creating a black and gold bond with children and grandchildren of alumni. Growing up Gold will provide opportunities for Southern Miss engagement from birth until age 16, and includes a biennial gift schedule that can be found at www.SouthernMissAlumni.com/growingupgold. The Association has already collected more than 6,500
The Clearman family holds nearly three generations of Southern Miss graduates. Clearman grandparents and nine Clearman grandchildren pictured below.
names of children and grandchildren of alumni! The organization will continue to foster a love for all things black and gold among the newest generation of future Golden Eagles but needs your help in doing so. If you know of a potential Golden Eagle, be sure to send their information to the Alumni Association at alumni@usm.edu today!
Annual Report 2012-13
Members of The Legacy Board attended the 2013 Homecoming Hall of Fame where they were recognized for all they have accomplished over the past year.
THE LEGACY ACCOMPLISHES SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IN 2012-13 As the keepers of tradition on campus, The Legacy, the student chapter of the Southern Miss Alumni Association, ensures that students maintain a strong bond with the University’s rich history and time-honored traditions. The organization has maintained a membership base of more than 1,000 students for the sixth consecutive year and has consistently seen an increase in event participation. In the spring, The Legacy was selected out of more than 225 student organizations on campus as the Student Organization of the Year for 2012-13. The Legacy was also recognized as one of the top five nominees in both the President of the Year and Advisor of the Year categories. Nominations for these prestigious awards were accepted from students, faculty and staff. Leading up to these campus-wide recognitions, The Legacy held “Spirit Week” in the spring, increasing University pride and demonstrating to the campus community that The Legacy appreciates them through random acts of school spirit. Random acts included surprising students with black and gold candy on their desks, department heads receiving black pens and gold highlighters to share with their employees, and
cleaning windshields of vehicles in staff parking lots. The Legacy increased its collaborative efforts with other student organizations to host a myriad of events throughout 2013, including Trivia Night at the Power House, co-hosted by the Southern Miss Activities Council (SMAC); the annual Legislative Day trip to the State Capitol in Jackson, co-hosted by the Student Government Association; and the sponsorship of, along with the Student Eagle Club and SMAC, a football gamewatching party for students in the Giannini Touchdown Terrace. Among other focuses, The Legacy strives to give back to the community. Legacy students participate in The Big Event, a campus-wide day of community service each spring, and hold Legacy Service Saturday in the fall. The Legacy Board hosts a T-shirt trade throughout the year, where students may exchange a T-shirt from another college or university for a Southern Miss T-shirt. This year, board members were able to donate more than 35 T-shirts to Christian Services of Hattiesburg. As you can see, The Legacy has accomplished a great deal in 2013, and that was merely naming a few. Legacy students are looking forward to making 2014 an even better year for the organization.
Did you know that The Legacy, the student chapter of the Southern Miss Alumni Association has maintained a membership base of more than 1,000 students for six consecutive years in a row?
The University of S o ut h e r n M i s s i s s i p p i A l um n i A s s o c i at i o n
Alumni Association Awards More than $27,000 in Scholarships Each year the Southern Miss Alumni Association helps future and current students succeed through financial assistance by annually awarding a number of scholarships. In addition to numerous other scholarships, this year the Association awarded a record-number of Pierce Legacy Scholarships, nine to be exact. Freshmen students such as Matthew McMullan, whose parents and grandparents attended the University and meet the scholarships selection criteria, are recognized for their achievements, awarded one-time $1,000 scholarships, and are instrumental in continuing their family’s Southern Miss tradition. “I’ve always bled black and gold,” shared McMullan. “My grandparents and parents attended Southern Miss and my sister is here now. I’ve always loved this University.” The Association’s ultimate goal is to one day award every legacy who enrolls at Southern Miss a Pierce Legacy Scholarship. Funds are raised through the annual Shell Finish Line/Homecoming Golf Tournament and most recently, the Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy brick campaign. Over the past year the Association has created and launched the Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy campaign. On the
4%
To view a video of the most recent group of Alumni Association scholarship recipients, visit www.SouthernMissAlumni.com/scholarships.
Hattiesburg campus, the plaza between Shoemaker Square and Cook Library has been paved with more than 75 bricks. The sale of these bricks has generated more than $10,000 for the Pierce Legacy Scholarship. With every brick sold, the Association is one step closer to achieving their ultimate legacy scholarship goal.
9%
7%
33%
2%
Alumni Association Scholarship Fund Award Distribution Breakdown
45%
The Pierce Legacy Fund Scholarship (awarded to nine) The Elmo Lang Memorial Scholarship (awarded to one) The Mary Loraine Peets Buffett Scholarship (awarded to two)
$9,000 $603 $12,134
The Powell and Frances Ogletree Endowed Scholarship (awarded to one)
$1,815
The Past Presidents Council Endowed Scholarship (awarded to two)
$1,216
The Clyde Kennard Memorial Endowed Scholarship (awarded to five)
$2,500 Total $27,268
Annual Report 2012-13 Alumni Association Financial position FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013 AND 2014
Statement of Activities for Year ENDED JUNE 30, 2013 General and Administrative $145,517 (9.6%)
Membership Revenue $335,720 (24.6%)
Membership Development $99,052 (6.59%)
Event Revenue $168,283 (12.3%) Auxiliary Revenue $87,416 (6.4%) Royalty Income $116,626 (8.6%)
Contributed Support $656,853 (48.1%)
Program Services $1,269,170 (83.8%)
Total revenue, gains and other support Investment returns
$ 1,364,898 $ 270,501
$ 1,635,399
Total expenses
$1,513,739
Proposed Budget for 2013-14 Auxiliary Revenue $84,500 (5.7%)
General and Administrative $162,500 (11.0%)
Event Revenue $80,000 (5.4%) Royalty Income $119,000 (8.1%)
Contributed Support $676,500 (45.8%)
Investment Income $271,000 (18.4%) Membership Revenue $245,500 (16.6%)
Membership Development $128,000 (8.7%) Contingency $17,500 (1.2%)
Program Services $1,168,500 (79.1%)
Total income and other support
Total expenses
$1,476,500
About the Alumni Association The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) not-forprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the State of Mississippi in 1955 by then Executive Secretary Powell G. Ogletree. As of June 30, 2013, the conclusion of the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year, the Alumni Association reported total assets of $3,146,101 and a total membership of 14,543. The 14,543 members represent 12.8 percent of the University’s 113,806 alumni-of-record.
$1,476,500 Assets
Current Assets $ 484,914 Investments $ 2,612,240 Total Property and Equipment $ 48,947 Total Assets $ 3,146,101
Liabilities
Total Current Liabilities Noncurrent Liabilities (Deferred Revenue) Total Net Assets Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$ 143,326 $ 57,859 $ 2,944,916 $ 3,146,101
The University of S o ut h e r n M i s s i s s i p p i A l um n i A s s o c i at i o n
About Our MEMBERS The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association is comprised of members from all 50 states and numerous countries outside of the United States. Its 14,543 members are residents of the states below. ME 6
VT 2 WA 22 ND 2
MT 5 OR 7
ID 3
MN 17 WI 18
SD 4 WY 4
IA 14
NE 11
NV 15
UT 12
CO 57
CA 157
IL 68 MO 53
KS 15
IN 36
NM 9
AK 12
OK 44
TX 736
LA 824
MS 8,954
AL 850
CT 14
PA 57 OH 38
WV 7
KY 41
AR 87
RI 5
NY 48
MI 21
NJ 32 DE 9 MD 58 DC 12
VA 207
NC 175
TN 306 AZ 46
NH 3 MA 28
GA 457
SC 110
FL 791
HI 11 Outside of the United States – 23
Annual Report Numbers
Active years
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2013
of Annual Membership in the Alumni Association* Number of Years Number of Members
Alumni of Record
113,806
Total Membership
14,543
0-4
3,103
% Active
12.8%
5-9
1,929
10-14
1,103
15-19
902
20-24
757
25 and more
1,645
Life Members
5,104
TOTAL
14,543
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 118 College Drive #5013 Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406-5013 Phone: 601.266.5013 | Fax: 601.266.4214 southernmissalumni.com | alumni@usm.edu