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Joe Paul is no stranger to the University of Southern Mississippi. Pretty much every student who has spent time on campus in the last 50 years knows him.
Paul, now 68, was named interim president of the university while the Institutions of Higher Learning search for a new leader, following the departure of Rodney Bennett, who became the university’s first Black president in 2013.
“First I want to give thanks and give my respects to Dr. Bennett,” Paul said. “He did a great job. He has us in good fiscal condition. We’re realigned in a new (athletic) conference. The academic enterprise and research enterprise are in really good shape.”
Paul started making the transition to president before his official July 16 start date so he was ready to take the reins on Day 1. Bennett’s tenure ended July 15.
“I’m happy to be back,” Paul said. “I am honored to do it. I do know the university and its culture well.”
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Paul’s knowledge and dedication to his alma mater are what led IHL officials to choose him for the interim spot.
“As decades of alumni can attest, he has great affection for the university and tremendous concern for its students,” said Tommy Duff, president of the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees.
Even though Paul’s leadership is temporary, the Bay St. Louis native says he has plans to continue the university’s upward momentum.
“My intention is not to be just a placeholder,” Paul said. “We have important work to do.”
Paul said his tenure will be a time of preparation ahead of bringing in the university’s next permanent leader.
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“During times like these you can get unintentionally lethargic,” he said. “My job is to keep everybody moving. I want to create some excitement, some enthusiasm. I want to have the ship ready when the next permanent leader comes.”
Paul said his first priority is to focus on student recruitment.
“The fall semester is a critical time for going out and starting to engage the next incoming class,” he said. “It’s a tough market. There’s declining enrollment in high schools across the country.
Paul said the university is kind of a well-kept secret that people need to know about. His second priority will be to get the word out about what Southern Miss has to offer.
“This university is too good a place for students not to consider enrolling here,” he said. “I’m going to be shouting from every mountaintop that I can find while I’m here.”
He also wants to re-energize alumni, students and other Southern Miss constituents — all of the people in south Mississippi and wherever else I can get to in whatever time I have.”
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Paul is working on “pushing the capital campaign over the top.” The USM Foundation started a fundraising campaign in 2018 with a goal of raising $150 million.
The foundation announced in April it had already raised $110 million toward that goal.
“I intend to do a lot of reaching out and pushing that forward,” Paul said.
Southern Miss athletics also is high on Paul’s list of things to work on while he is president.
“I fully intend to support Southern Miss athletics in its transition to the Sun Belt (Conference),” he said. “We all have a lot to learn together.”
Paul first set foot on the Southern Miss campus in 1971 as a student. He never left. Following graduation, Paul got an entry-level student activities job at the university and worked his way up to a 22-year stint as vice president of student affairs.
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Now Paul can say he is Southern Miss To The Top — the embodiment of the university’s favorite slogan. The saying is so popular, it even has its own web page.
Even though he retired in 2015, he was never far from the university. He joined the USM Foundation to help with fundraising efforts and has served the university in other capacities. He even has a student theater that bears his name.
The IHL Board of Trustees approved a transition plan in July and Paul hit the ground running.
“Dr. Paul’s vast experience through a lifetime of service to the institution makes him the perfect choice to lead the university during this transition period,” Duff said in a news release. “I appreciate him stepping up to the plate when asked and know that the university will be in steady hands with him at the helm.”
Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
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