On the Go
Posted on December 16, 2024 by Marketing and Communications
ONE THING YOU CAN COUNT ON from the Flagship of the Gulf Coast is this: We are always on the move.
We need to be, in order to navigate today’s challenges and chase down tomorrow’s opportunities. And we want to be. We thrive on growth and movement. Our tagline perfectly encapsulates our energy: Ready. South. Go.
At our recent Commencement, we celebrated our 100,000th graduate — both a proud milestone and an inspiration to move forward with enrolling and educating our next 100,000 Jaguars. In our 60-plus years, we have brought eager, ambitious young people (and those chasing their dreams later in life) into our University community and sent them back out into the world ready to make a positive intellectual, cultural and economic impact.
As I travel to promote South, meeting with new audiences and old friends of the University, I find future Jaguars and enthusiastic alumni on the move as well. In Atlanta, Clyde Higgs ’97 is not only the CEO of the Atlanta Beltline, an urban trail around the heart of the city that has sparked transformative economic development. He’s also an avid user of the Beltline on his bicycle.
On campus, we received a challenge from one of our most generous donors, Elliot Maisel, to keep on the move. We have taken that to heart, expanding our programs with a new Office of Military Services and a new major in aerospace engineering. We achieved another record year in fundraising and, during our annual Wall of Honor Ceremony, added the most names ever of National Alumni Association Lifetime Members.
The busy construction crane along University Boulevard marks the site of the new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building, which will allow us to increase our medical student classes from 80 to 100, and eventually even more. And USA Health continues to advance healthcare along the upper Gulf Coast. For example, a neurological procedure available in our region only at USA Health allowed a retired electrician to regain control of his hands.
Looking behind the scenes can reveal fascinating stories. Transporting Jaguar athletes and their gear to away games — especially the football team — involves planning and coordination every bit as intricate as what goes into the game plans. Our transportation and Jaguar Athletics crews made national headlines with their short-notice assist, complete with hot pizza, when the New Mexico football team, on its way to play Auburn, got stranded in Mobile by a bad-weather diversion.
One of our academic superstars, Dr. Joe Hair of the Mitchell College of Business, says the secret to his vigorous academic research productivity at age 80 is continually reinventing himself. His business and marketing research articles have been cited more than 500,000 times.
You can read about those movers and shakers, and many more, in these pages. We take inspiration from them. Everyone at South, from the administration and faculty to the staff and students, understands that moving forward provides the path to a better tomorrow.
Every one of our students helps build our University even as they are building their own futures. Every graduate takes a bit of South with them as they strive to benefit their communities and themselves.
No matter your situation, remember this: It’s always your move to make. Do it boldly, thoughtfully and with purpose. Go Jags!
Jo Bonner
President