Dorms at USM Gulf Park? Timing could be right

LONG BEACH -- The University of Southern Mississippi hasn't seriously studied adding student housing on its Gulf Park campus in Long Beach because no one thought there was a need.

The school's main campus in Hattiesburg has dorms, and the Gulf Park campus has mostly non-traditional students unlikely to use housing.

But that's changing. And so the university's administration has decided it's the right time to examine the feasibility of adding housing.

A committee has been formed and its work will begin in January.

"We're always looking for ways to grow the university," said Steve Miller, the vice president for the Gulf Park campus. "Part of our growth strategy is to do everything possible to expand access to higher education."

Part of that, he said, was to improve campus infrastructure.

Several things are coming together to make this the right time to consider dorms, he said.

There are now numerous programs unique to the Gulf Park campus, including an entertainment industry degree with an emphasis on film (the only one in the nation); a tourism degree with an emphasis in casino and resort management; and marine sciences.

The campus also offers executive-format doctorates, including international development and human capital development, Miller said.

"Those present us with a new set of potential students," he said. "They're not competing with Hattiesburg, they're complementary."

There are now 1,319 undergraduate and 73 graduate students enrolled on the Gulf Park campus between the ages of 18 and 25 -- the ages most likely to take advantage of off-campus housing. They make up about 47 percent of the campus population.

USM officials aren't sure yet what the dorms would look like or how many people may utilize them -- all that is part of the study the committee will conduct.

But there is room on the 52-acre campus for housing, Miller said.

And the university is in the midst of a master planning project, so it's the perfect time to incorporate the possibility of a dorm into the results.

The committee, which includes university officials and business and community leaders, some of whom are USM alumni, will likely work for six to eight months, Miller said. The results will be distributed to the university community.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Dorms at USM Gulf Park? Timing could be right ."