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Community News Archive

  • Micah Mermilliod took this self portrait from on top the Alabama Contemporary Art Center, where he took a job as an assistant curator.

    Art Start
    June 29, 2022

    Micah Mermilliod moves from solo shows to collaborative work as an assistant curator for the Alabama Contemporary Art Center. #MyFirstJob ...
  • Deborah Gurt, center, interim director of the McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of South Alabama, created the Jewish Mobile Oral History Project with the help of people such as Abby Grodnick Kennedy and Rabbi Steven Silberman of Ahavas Chesed Synagogue.

    Word of Mouth
    June 6, 2022

    The Jewish Mobile Oral History Project at South looks to make connections, share experiences and record stories before they are lost to time. ...
  • Emily Warner, left, with the USA Center for Archaeological Studies, and Thomas Grace, with Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting, bisect a feature in the soil at a dig site that is along the route for a proposed Mobile Bay bridge. After completing the excavation of half the feature, they will photograph and draw the profile, and then excavate the second half.

    Big Dig
    April 21, 2022

    The USA Center for Archaeological Studies unearths the past to make way for a bridge linking Alabama's two coastal counties. Its archaeologists and anthropologists are joined by South researchers, academics and students from a cross section of d ...
  • Damonique Evans, an emergency medical services graduate of the University of South Alabama, works at Mobile Fire-Rescue Station 23 as a firefighter paramedic. “I hope more people come in and change the narrative of what a firefighter looks like. It’s an honor,” she said.

    First Response
    March 31, 2022

    South emergency medical services graduate Damonique Evans becomes the first Black woman to work as paramedic firefighter for the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department. ...
  • Timothy Johnson, who earned an education degree from the University of South Alabama in 2010 before working as a teacher in Mobile County public schools, is an Alabama Technology in Motion specialist at South. His position serves students and teachers in 10 school districts.

    Robots, Drones and Green Slime
    March 22, 2022

    South graduate Timothy Johnson brings science education to life as a specialist for Alabama Technology in Motion and through public television segments for 'Alabama STEM Explorers.' ...
  • The USA National Alumni Association recipients for the 17th annual Distinguished Alumni & Service Awards are, from left, Dr. Carl C. Moore; Martha Peek; USA Health, represented by Owen Bailey and Dr. John Marymont; Harvey L. Barnett; and Maj. Gen. William Joseph “Joe” Hartman.

    Alumni, Community Leaders Honored at Distinguished Alumni & Service Awards
    March 11, 2022

    USA National Alumni Association honored alumni and community leaders at the 17th annual Distinguished Alumni & Service Awards. ...
  • Dr. Martha Arrieta, director of research for the USA Center for Healthy Communities, stands in front of the center.

    Poverty and Public Health
    March 3, 2022

    At the USA Center for Healthy Communities, Dr. Martha Arrieta has spent nearly 20 years working to reduce health disparities in poor and underserved neighborhoods of Mobile. ...
  • Christina Johnson, who teaches drama and costume design at South, works on a Mardi Gras gown at the Revelry Bloom studio in Mobile. The elaborate costume, inspired by the movie “Maleficent,” has been chosen for display at the Mobile Carnival Museum.

    Fit for a Queen
    February 25, 2022

    Christina Johnson, who teaches costume design in the department of theatre and dance at South, helps design elaborate Mardi Gras gowns for Mobile Carnival balls. ...
  • Darlene Lewis, who earned a bachelor's degree and then a master's in school counseling from the University of South Alabama, works with students at Blount High School in Prichard, her hometown.

    'This Is My Place'
    February 4, 2022

    Darlene Lewis turns two education degrees at South into professional success — and personal satisfaction — by guiding students in Mobile County Public Schools. ...
  • University of South Alabama doctoral student Kim Pusey says her work in areas of social justice has been fueled by her own upbringing and observations of race and the criminal justice system. “Part of my work, part of the research I do, is in service of trying to make things better for little black and brown kids,” she said.

    Studies in Social Justice
    January 24, 2022

    Kim Pusey chose South for graduate school because of an opportunity to work with at-risk youths. She now plans for it to be her career. ...
  • Brittney Dixon, in front of the Center for Fair Housing in Mobile, says housing choice plays a critical role in equality. “Housing can affect whether you have a grocery store in your neighborhood, or good schools, or even sidewalks,” she said.

    Home Front
    January 17, 2022

    South graduate Brittney Dixon fights discrimination through education and enforcement at the Center for Fair Housing in Mobile. ...
  • Kenneth and Diamond Johnson got married in the chapel at USA Health University Hospital during his recovery after being hit by a pickup truck. Kenneth Johnson, a University police sergeant, has since returned to work. The couple has a 3-month-old daughter, Karis.

    Healed for the Holidays
    December 22, 2021

    Kenneth Johnson, who was struck by a truck in March, will celebrate Christmas at South after recovering from his injuries and returning to work as a University police sergeant. ...
  • Barton Academy Principal Amanda Jones, a University of South Alabama graduate, stands in front of the new magnet school.

    Old School, New Start
    November 17, 2021

    South graduates, including Principal Amanda Jones, are remaking history this fall at Barton Academy. The first public school in Alabama has reopened as a magnet school with a focus on world studies. ...
  • University of South Alabama Professor Dr. Joseph Currier, seated at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mobile, where is is a member, said he has felt drawn by his belief in God to psychology, theology and mental health counseling. He is leading a national project that seeks to integrate religious and spiritual competencies in training mental healthcare providers.

    Faith in Counseling
    October 28, 2021

    Dr. Joseph Currier, a psychology professor at South, is leading a national project to integrate religious and spiritual competencies into mental healthcare training. ...
  • An underwater camera on a remote operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico captured this school of greater amberjack near a pyramid deployed by the State of Alabama to provide fish habitat.

    Tracking Amberjack
    August 25, 2021

    South leads a 'Dream Team' of Gulf Coast researchers in an $11.7 million greater amberjack study that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...
  • Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine science, pilots a boat through Mobile Bay, where he and graduate Chris Mikolaitis took water samples to measure the health of its marine ecosystem.

    Bay Watch
    July 29, 2021

    South marine scientists monitor environmental trends throughout Mobile Bay in a multi-year program that seeks to prevent decline of oysters, blue crabs and spotted sea trout. ...
  • Mike Fletcher and Amber Simpson, a pair of Mobile County public school science teachers, do lab work during a six-week summer program for high school educators at the University of South Alabama.

    Back to the Lab
    July 28, 2021

    South welcomes local science educators to a summer research experience program for middle and high school teachers. ...
  • Dr. Tony Waldrop with his wife Dr. Julee Waldrop at the president's house near the University of South Alabama. Waldrop stepped down as president after a seven-year tenure that marked a pivotal time in South's history.

    'To Leave Things Better'
    July 2, 2021

    Increasing retention and graduation rates. An expanding healthcare footprint. The opening of Hancock Whitney Stadium. The tenure of retired President Tony Waldrop marks a pivotal time in South's history. ...
  • Resident participate in an Eastern Shore Jubilee on Mobile Bay.

    Donation Doubles McCall Photo Archives
    June 8, 2021

    More than a million photos chronicling life along the Gulf Coast, from commerce to chasing the elusive Eastern Shore Jubilee, have a new home in South's Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library. ...
  • Angelo Bautista, a 2009 graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, gives a COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year in the Skid Row community of Los Angles. Skid Row is home to thousands of people who either live on the streets or in shelters for the homeless. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

    Pilot Nurses a Dream
    June 1, 2021

    Angelo Bautista, a 2009 South graduate, worked as a nurse while training to become an airline pilot. During the coronavirus pandemic, he helped vaccinate homeless people on Los Angeles' Skid Row. ...
  • Grant Skinner and Sarai Garraway, both juniors and South Strong Ambassadors at the University of South Alabama, meet with fellow students recently outside the Student Center to talk about the importance of following precautions to keep people safe from COVID-19.

    Ambassadors Bring Positive Energy, Critical Message
    March 1, 2021

    The South Strong Ambassadors are using peer encouragement, social media and Jag swag in promoting COVID-19 practices to keep people safe as the University plans to return to normal operations. ...
  • Amre Davis, a Vigor High School student who is taking courses at the University of South as part of the Start South dual enrollment program, starts her schoolwork as early as 4 a.m. “I get up, set up my laptop, maybe have a bowl of cereal, and get going on my assignments,” she said.

    High Schoolers Get a Jump Start with Start South
    February 22, 2021

    The dual enrollment program allows high school students to begin taking college classes at half the cost, while reducing the time it takes to earn an undergraduate degree. ...
  • With Mardi Gras canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, South alumnae Suzanne Sarver, left, and Courtney Harris, right, joined with Mitchell College of Business Ph.D. student Stacy Wellborn to begin the Mobile Porch Parade. Wellborn's home features monsters from the children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are.”

    South Graduates Lead Mobile Porch Parade
    February 13, 2021

    With Mardi Gras parades canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, two alumnae and a Ph.D. candidate find a new way to celebrate the Carnival season. ...
  • Alayna Reid, a nursing student at the University of South Alabama, participates in the COVID-19 vaccination effort at the Mobile Civic Center. Nursing students are assisting USA Health providers in operating the county's largest vaccination site.

    South Healthcare Students Join COVID-19 Vaccination Effort
    February 10, 2021

    At the Mobile Civic Center, where hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves each day, students are getting to work — doing everything from giving injections and monitoring patients to directing traffic. ...
  • Terrance Smith stands in front of a house on Virginia Street that's being renovated through the work of the Mobile Innovation Team, a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The home at one point was used by Mobile's Pollman family as a kitchen for their bakery before they opened the nearby Pollman's Bake Shop, said Smith, the innovation team director and a University of South Alabama graduate.

    South Graduate Leads Mobile Innovation Team
    February 1, 2021

    Growing up in public housing, Terrance Smith now sits in the mayor's suite on the 10th floor of Government Plaza. There, he is earning a reputation as a skilled problem solver. ...