Campaign Report
The University of South Alabama launched the Upward & Onward Campaign in October 2015 with an ambitious goal of $150 million. On September 30, 2020, USA completed the campaign, exceeding its goal by $10.9 million, raising a total of $160.9 million. The Upward & Onward Campaign supported five strategic priorities:
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
• Student Access and Success • Enhancement of Research and Graduate Education • Global Engagement • Excellence in Healthcare • University-Community Engagement
— 2
Thank you for your generosity. When we began the Upward & Onward campaign in 2015 we held a shared vision of how this ambitious initiative could impact our students, our community and our world. What we did not know is that we would end the campaign in a year with a global pandemic, resulting in many challenges and unknowns for our students, faculty and healthcare providers. However, this did not deter our supporters from helping us exceed our $150 million goal by raising more than $160.9 million. Throughout the campaign our alumni, friends and the community showed their support by generously investing in our five priority areas: Student Access and Success, Enhancement of Research and Graduate Education, Global Engagement, Excellence in Healthcare and University-Community Engagement. Our students inspire us every day. They are the heartbeat of the University, and because of our donors, we raised more than $35 million for scholarships that will allow our students to follow their dreams. USA’s faculty and graduate students are leaders in groundbreaking research that impacts our region and the world. Now, thanks to our donors, we have nine new endowed faculty positions to help ensure our University can attract and retain the best and brightest. Students who study abroad gain new perspectives about the world in which they live. This unique educational experience is essential in creating the next generation of global leaders, and since 2015, 600 South students have been impacted through our Study Abroad programs and scholarships. The importance of a strong healthcare system has never been more evident than during this year. Through the investments of our donors, USA Health is able to reach even more patients in the Gulf Coast region and beyond with life-saving care. “Stronger Together” has served as our mantra this year. The University, USA Health and the entire community are stronger when we tackle issues collaboratively. This year, through an ongoing relationship with 100 Black Men of Greater Mobile, two new scholarships were established to support students who are making a difference in the fight against systemic injustice. These are just a few examples of the incredible impact the Upward & Onward campaign has made in the lives of our students, faculty, healthcare providers, patients and the region. Through your support, the University of South Alabama will continue to reach heights never before thought possible.
Tony G. Waldrop, Ph.D. President University of South Alabama
Dr. and Mrs. Steven and Angelia Stokes Co-Chairs Upward & Onward campaign
3
Campaign Totals OCTOBER 2015 – SEPTEMBER 2020
T O TA L R A I S E D
160,900,915
$
EXCEEDED C A M PA I G N G OA L O F $ 150 MILLION BY
7%
6,356 U S A E M P LOY E ES
GAV E
7,718,272
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
$
— 4
T O TA L DONORS
23,130 15,297 F I R S T-T I M E DONORS
DONORS FROM
50
S TAT E S
9
COUNTRIES
17,539,285
$
M AT C H E D T H R O U G H T H E M I T C H E L L- M O U LT O N S C H O L A R S H I P I N I T I AT I V E
Upward & Onward Campaign Leadership Committee Dr. Steven and Mrs. Angelia Stokes Co-Chairs, Upward & Onward Campaign
Tony G. Waldrop, Ph.D. President, University of South Alabama
Margaret M. Sullivan Vice President, Development & Alumni Relations
Dr. William E. Blaylock
Hugh D. Keating
Michael Perhaes
Joseph F. Busta Jr., Ph.D.
Zorrya M. Kelley
Paige B. Plash
John Cleary, Ph.D.
Justin H. Labrato
Ravi S. Rajendra
Sheila A. Cochran
Joseph L. Lilley
William M. Reichert, Ph.D.
Edward T. Corcoran
Laureen H. Lynn
Jabari K. Robinson
Joshua Crownover
Shannon R. McClure
Dr. Charles B. Rodning
W. A. Denny
Susan E. McCready, Ph.D.
Mike R. Saxon
Dr. Jack A. Di Palma
Robert R. McGhee
Dr. Chris Semple
Timothy K. Driggers
Roddy L. McKinney
John E. Shell
Patrick Dungan
Herbert A. Meisler
James H. Shumock
Mark D. Fillers
Christopher C. Melton
Kenneth O. Simon
Samuel H. Fisher, Ph.D.
Christie D. Miree
John W. Stubbs
Elizabeth D. Freeman
Abraham A. Mitchell
David F. Sweet
Dr. Steven P. Furr
Arlene Mitchell
Carl Thomas
Gregory S. Gabel
James E. Moore
Dr. John L. Todd
Cameron Grier-Shepperd
Eric M. Nager
Margie Malone Tuckson
Perry A. Hand
Grace M. Newcombe
Elizabeth VandeWaa, Ph.D.
Janet R. Hayes
Alyson T. Nguyen
Sahilee T. Waitman
Paul A. Helminger, Ph.D.
Tia Nickens
Kevin N. West, Ph.D.
Mark S. Hoffman
Richard D. Ollis
Douglas Whitmore
Rufus W. Hudson
Dr. Kitti K. Outlaw
James A. Yance
Michael S. Jones
John M. Peek
Shirley Y. Zhang
5
— 6
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
Student Access and Success The University of South Alabama will award more than $24 million in scholarships and aid this year to help thousands of students on their path to earning a degree. Much of that will come through the Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative, or MMSI, one of the most valuable acronyms on campus. The Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative was announced at the University’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2013. The initiative began with a $25 million challenge gift from longtime University benefactor Abraham “Abe” Mitchell, and it was named after Mitchell and the late President Emeritus Gordon Moulton. Mitchell, who understood the transformative power of education, pledged to match each contribution dollar for dollar. “The Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative is a powerful example of inspired philanthropy,” said Dr. Brooke Moore, director of Student Financial Success at USA. “It is creating much-needed scholarships for students as well as a new family of South donors. These scholarships help to fill a gap and open up opportunities to students who may not have previously thought attending college was possible.” Moore likes to assure donors that every dollar they donate goes directly to student aid. Some scholarships are established as need-based, while others reward academic and athletic excellence.
“IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE SAYING, ‘WE WANT TO INVEST IN YOU BECAUSE WE’VE SEEN WHAT YOU’VE DONE. WE’D LIKE TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT. WE WANT TO BE THERE FOR THAT.’”
“It was almost like they were saying, ‘We want to invest in you because we’ve seen what you’ve done. We’d like to see what you do next. We want to be there for that,’” Ho said. “I thought if they were willing to do that, they could do much more. So, the scholarship was one of the main reasons I came here.” One of the latest University scholarship programs is called South CARES, which is short for Collaborative Access, Resources and Emergency Support. A student assistance fund offers aid to those who encounter unexpected financial challenges. Even a few hundred dollars can make the difference between a student withdrawing from school and a student picking up a diploma at graduation. “Often,” Moore said, “it’s that little bit of money to get them across the finish line.”
Davina Ho, a junior from Mobile, earned an academic scholarship to attend South. The money was important. So was the message.
Davina Ho is one of hundreds of students who have benefited from the Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative.
7
Student Access and Success We are creating new pathways to education through scholarships, while providing support to help our students complete their academic journeys. Ensuring that more students have the opportunity to realize their dreams will enrich our student body and enhance our community.
433 NEW OR ENHANCED ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS
$176,212 PANDEMIC EMERGENCY FUNDS raised since March
3
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
NEW FACILITIES including the Health Simulation Building, Mobile County Commission Center for Academic Success and Marx Library renovations
— 8
126 STUDENTS GRADUATED FROM THE HONORS COLLEGE since its establishment in 2017
9
— 10
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
Research and Graduate Education Dr. Kevin White still remembers the surprise he felt when results of a field study he led revealed that 50 percent of rural households in Bibb County, Ala., had raw sewage pooling on the ground surface. That study was conducted more than a decade ago in an effort to address similar problems in the state’s Black Belt region.
Bibb County lies just on the north edge of the Black Belt, and it was results from that initial study, White said, that pushed him to seek support from the Alabama Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find solutions to the region’s lack of adequate wastewater management.
“I’M CONFIDENT THAT WITH FOCUS, FINANCING AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, WE CAN TACKLE THIS PROBLEM.”
Today, as chair of the University of South Alabama’s department of civil, coastal and environmental engineering, and with years studying poor wastewater management in Alabama’s rural Black Belt counties, White said the issue is getting attention across the state and nationally. Fixing the wastewater problem would mean giving firmer footing to some of Alabama’s poorest areas, where a general lack of wastewater infrastructure — including both municipal sewer and functional onsite systems — is among the maladies stunting development and economic prosperity. The Black Belt’s namesake dark, clay soil provides poor support for traditional onsite wastewater systems, including both septic tanks and drain fields. Because the soil cannot adequately infiltrate wastewater into the ground and purify it, raw wastewater has no place to go but the ground surface.
Dr. Kevin White has spent years researching ineffective wastewater management in rural Alabama.
Dr. Mark Elliott, assistant professor in the University of Alabama’s department of civil, construction and environmental engineering, is White’s co-author on the summary. Their plan proposes starting in a single county to identify municipal wastewater systems that can be improved and expanded, then addressing homes where traditional onsite wastewater systems are not possible. Implementation practices would be documented and then replicated across the rest of the Black Belt. To adequately address infrastructure and onsite wastewater management needs, White said, stakeholders will need to secure funding and push for regulatory flexibility. For public health and economic development in the Black Belt, White said, ignoring the problem would be costly. “There is no doubt in my mind that if we improve the wastewater infrastructure in these counties it will improve economic development conditions,” he said. “In order to attract businesses, jobs and housing to these rural areas, you have to have all the critical infrastructure — power, water, roads and sewer. If you don’t have sewer, business and industry are not going to locate in your area — it’s impossible. I’m confident that with focus, financing and innovative solutions, we can tackle this problem.”
11
Research and Graduate Education Research is the cornerstone for innovation. By enhancing graduate education and giving our faculty and students the tools and infrastructure to promote quality research, South will become a more influential and collaborative partner in social and economic advancement.
$11 MILLION TO SUPPORT GRADUATE EDUCATION and to enhance life-changing research
8 NEW RESEARCH ENDOWMENTS
9 NEW ENDOWED FACULTY POSITIONS
$1.2 MILLION U P WA R D & O N WA R D
TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE in medically underserved areas of Alabama
— 12
13
— 14
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
Global Engagement In 2019, a delegation of South Alabama students traveled to Mérida, Mexico, to represent the University at the 17th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is an annual gathering that provides a platform from which the laureates can promote their messages of peace around the world. The youth program, Leading by Example, runs parallel to the summit and gives participants the opportunity to learn from and interact with the laureates and their peers from around the world.
“THE PERSPECTIVE AND MINDSHIFT I UNDERWENT WHILE ABROAD CHANGED MY LIFE.”
The group of 12 South students had the opportunity to meet and work with students from other institutions, including Yale University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University and other notable universities from across the nation and the globe. The experience had a profound effect on students like Olivia George, a senior from Gulf Breeze, Fla. “The Nobel Summit was hands-down the best experience of my life,” George said. “The perspective and mind-shift I underwent while abroad changed my life.” The educational platform included workshops that covered topics such as human rights, the environment, abolishing nuclear weapons, ending child labor trafficking, peace through nonviolence and political
leadership, among others. Workshops were often led by the laureates and provided opportunities for youth delegates to interact with them and other members of their teams. Attending the World Summit allowed Gnyata Patel, a senior from Pass Christian, Miss., to become more aware of global issues and to learn from fellow students. “I was amazed at how diverse we were in terms of culture, heritage and views,” Patel said. “At the end of the day, we all wanted the same things: peace, human rights, freedom and opportunities for growth and success. No matter where we come from, there are some basic things that we all need.” Dr. Doug Marshall, director of South Alabama’s Honors education, led the student group, along with Dr. Kathy Cooke, dean of the Honors College. “This program helps students grasp that peace is not something that just happens, but a goal that must be actively pursued by people like them, if it is to happen at all,” Marshall said. “Plus, the chance to hear from and meet so many prize winners, like Lech Walesa, David Trimble and Jodi Williams, makes the recent past come alive for them.” The Summit allowed South students, like junior Ebonie Williams, to learn real-world solutions that can be applied in both personal and professional settings. “The conflict resolution workshop was very enlightening,” Williams said. “It provided useful information about the issue, which is a necessary tool for various fields of occupation.”
Ebonie Williams, Dr. Kathy Cooke, Lizbeth Soto Jacome, Gnyata Patel and Marianna Oditt attended the 2019 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.
15
Global Engagement By strengthening the connections and collaborations between USA and the rest of the world, we broaden our students’ perspectives and understanding of other cultures, expand the ability of our faculty to connect and engage with their peers around the globe and create new opportunities for our entire community to participate in our global society.
16 SCHOLARSHIPS established or enhanced for Study Abroad opportunities.
7 SCHOLARSHIPS ESTABLISHED or enhanced for international education
600 U P WA R D & O N WA R D
STUDENTS IMPACTED through Study Abroad programs and scholarships
— 16
STUDENTS EXPERIENCED LEARNING IN
52
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES SINCE 2015
17
— 18
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
Excellence in Healthcare Longtime USA Health supporters Louis and Melinda Mapp donated more than $1 million to USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s Hollis J. Wiseman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2018. USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital NICU is the region’s only Level III unit, offering the most advanced care for premature and critically ill newborns. It has the area’s only neonatal transport team, and they admit approximately 900 babies annually. In early 2017, Louis Mapp began volunteering for USA Health Children’s & Women’s in the NICU, where, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent time each week rocking babies.
Delivered at just 22 weeks and weighing only 13.9 ounces, Molli and Robert Potter’s son, Cullen, was one of Mapp’s babies he cared for in the NICU. “We live over an hour and a half away,” Molli Potter said. “We definitely appreciated that Mr. Mapp was able to be here and hold him and cuddle with him and that he had someone here to give him that one-on-one time when we couldn’t.” Owen Bailey, CEO of USA Health, emphasized that partnerships with families like the Mapps are vital to the achievements at Children’s & Women’s, which has one of the largest and most successful neonatal intensive care units in the country.
“SUCCESS LIKE THIS DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN. IT TAKES A LOT OF COMMITMENTS, A LOT OF DEDICATED PEOPLE, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF SUPPORT OF BOTH MONEY AND TIME.”
“These babies are so precious; it’s hard to put into words,” Mapp said. “We decided we wanted to do something that, after we’re gone, would carry on, and that’s why we established the endowment for the NICU.” The Mapp’s gift established an endowment that enables Children’s & Women’s NICU staff to identify and offset unforeseen needs within the unit. “We wanted (the endowment) to be large enough that it would produce enough income so the caregivers, when they recognize a need during the year that might not be in the budget, they would have funds available,” Louis Mapp said.
“Success like this doesn’t just happen,” Bailey said. “It takes a lot of commitments, a lot of dedicated people, and it takes a lot of support of both money and time. We greatly appreciate our partnership with Melinda and Louis Mapp.” Louis Mapp witnesses the impact that Children’s & Women’s makes on families every day. “A lot of people don’t realize what a wonderful facility this is, what they do here, how many lives are affected and how many lives they save,” Mapp said. “It’s an honor for us to share our blessings, and we can’t think of a better place to do it than here at the NICU unit of Children’s & Women’s Hospital.”
Longtime supporter and volunteer, Louis Mapp, rocks Cullen Potter.
19
Excellence in Healthcare USA Health is a leader in serving the health needs of the region. As we educate future generations of healthcare providers and deliver patient-focused care, we will continue to expand our medical research and advanced treatment options to bring new hope and better health for the people of the Gulf Coast and beyond.
4 NEW OR EXPANDED FACILITIES including the Strada Patient Care Center, Fanny Meisler Trauma Center, Children’s & Women’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department and USA Health Mapp Family Campus, Baldwin County.
$5.5 MILLION RAISED THROUGH FUNDRAISING EVENTS
16,000
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
CANCER PATIENTS SERVED in Mobile and Baldwin counties
— 20
11,400+ USA HEALTH EMPLOYEES DONATED TO THE CAMPAIGN
21
— 22
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
University – Community Engagement Madison English, a freshman at the University of South Alabama, plans to follow several women from her family into the field of nursing. Her grandmother, JoAnn Dunning, was a nurse who worked for many years in Mobile. She had some advice for her granddaughter. “She told me to make sure to join a study group,” English said. “It’s not going to be easy. Stay on top of everything you do.” Just before the start of her first semester, the 18-year-old from Mobile got a financial surprise. She was selected to receive a full scholarship called the 100 Black Men USA Scholars of Perseverance and Social Justice. The new award is funded by the University and the 100 Black Men of Greater Mobile organization.
At Davidson High School in Mobile, English was a student in EPIC — the Engineering Pathway Integrated Curriculum. She also joined the Key Club, competed in basketball and track and field and served as a class representative. Only in the last year did she become more interested in politics and social issues. “I had a teacher at Davidson who taught civics and economics, and he got us more interested in things,” she said. “He told us that the world depends on our generation, and we need to make our votes count.” This summer, after George Floyd was killed by police in Milwaukee, English watched Black Lives Matter protests sweep the nation. She joined one march in downtown Mobile.
“I LIKE THE IDEA OF HELPING PEOPLE,” SHE SAID. “BEING ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.”
Dr. Andre’ Green, associate vice president of academic affairs at South, is also president of 100 Black Men of Greater Mobile. The Social Justice Scholarship is a special show of support. “The 100 has a great relationship with the University in establishing other scholarships,” Green said. “But this one seemed to be particularly timely in the fact that we wanted to find a way to remember all of those who have fallen to systems of oppression and systems of injustice.” English found out about the scholarship from her youth counselor at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. She filled out an application and wrote an essay.
For her first semester, she’s taking English, along with calculus, psychology, biology and a nursing seminar. She plans to join Jaguar Productions and the Women of Excellence program. She imagines a career in medicine that could include running her own clinic. “I like the idea of helping people,” she said. “Being able to make a difference in people’s lives.” Receiving a full scholarship for her college education was welcome news. “I’m glad to have it,” English said. “My mom was getting ready to take money out of her retirement fund.”
Madison English is the first recipient of the new 100 Black Men USA Scholars of Perseverance and Social Justice scholarship.
23
University – Community Engagement We believe we are far stronger together than we ever could be apart. Through ongoing, permanent and sustainable community relationships, we realize significant educational benefits and make lasting contributions to the greater good of the communities South serves.
$7.7 MILLION GIVEN BY 6,356 USA employees and retirees
$4.8 MILLION DONATED BY ALUMNI to build the MacQueen Alumni Center
$17 MILLION RAISED FOR USA ATHLETICS
5,294 U P WA R D & O N WA R D
MEMBERS of the National Alumni Association
— 24
Since 2018, students and faculty have volunteered
31,367
HOURS IN THE COMMUNITY
25
Looking to the Future I am so honored to be a part of the South Alabama family. Five years ago, we asked you, our extraordinary group of friends and alumni, to support the University and USA Health in the most ambitious campaign in our history. When we completed the Upward & Onward campaign on September 30, more than 23,000 individuals, businesses and foundations invested in the University through donations to the campaign. This is a remarkable achievement for a university that was founded just 57 years ago, and it is a testament to the loyalty and generosity of our Jaguar community.
U P WA R D & O N WA R D
While we are celebrating crossing this finish line, we are also looking to the future and the ways in which USA can continue to elevate its academics, programs, health system and facilities. This upward momentum has already begun.
— 26
Governor Ivey recently announced that USA will receive $50 million from the state of Alabama to help build a new College of Medicine building. With additional funding, the new, modern building will allow USA to recruit and train even more high-quality medical students and faculty.
This is just a glimpse into the many exciting programs currently under way at the University and USA Health. We are so thankful for your continued support. We could not have reached and exceeded our Upward & Onward campaign goal without you. Thank you for your spirit of generosity and dedication to USA.
When we are able to host in-person events, we will launch a new forum series to be held at the MacQueen Alumni Center to address issues central to alleviating systemic injustice.
Sincerely,
USA Health continues to raise funds for a new pediatric emergency room for USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital—an essential facility that will serve thousands of Gulf Coast children each year. Our department of athletics is in the planning stages for a new tennis complex and renovation of the basketball weight room. Fundraising is also underway for a much-needed Jaguar Marching Band training facility.
Margaret Sullivan Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations
ALL HAIL GREAT UNIVERSITY OUR ALMA MATER DEAR, SOUTH ALABAMA RED AND BLUE, PROUD COLORS WE REVERE. NESTLED MIDST THE HILLS OF PINE, ENDURING THROUGHOUT TIME, UPWARD, ONWARD MAY YOUR FAME CONTINUE IN ITS CLIMB. SO, WITH THY BLESSINGS NOW SEND US PRAY THAT HIGHEST BE OUR AIM, SOUTH ALABAMA MAY WE EVER LIFT AND GLORIFY YOUR NAME
27
OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS 650 Clinic Drive TRP III, Suite 1500 Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-7032 | giving.southalabama.edu 12/20