60th Anniversary Timeline: 2010 to Today
Posted on December 13, 2023 by USA Marketing and Communications
Reshaping South
Momentous changes gain momentum as the decade begins. The Health Sciences Building has just opened, and work has begun on Moulton Tower and Alumni Plaza. South adds additional showcases: Shelby Hall, the MacQueen Alumni Center and, as the 2020s dawn, an on-campus football stadium.
A pandemic strikes. Technology changes the classroom. The University inaugurates two presidents. What might the next 60 years bring?
2010
Towering Achievements
More than 3,000 people attend the dedication of Alumni Plaza and South’s new signature structure: the 140-foot Gordon and Geri Moulton Bell Tower. Nearby, another important building opens: the 116,000-square-foot Student Recreation Center.
2013-2014
Introducing Dr. Waldrop
V. Gordon Moulton retires as South’s second president. Less than three months later, he dies after a long battle with brain cancer. Dr. Tony G. Waldrop becomes South’s third president. In his seven years in office, he helps raise academic standards, elevate research and foster dynamic growth at USA Health.
2015
Onward with Fundraising
South announces Upward & Onward, its largest-ever fundraising campaign. In September 2020, it finishes with a total of $160.9 million from more than 23,000 donors.
Convocation Commence
South initiates convocations to welcome new and returning students.
2016
New Pathway
South announces Pathway USA, a partnership with two-year colleges that makes it easier for their students to transfer to South. The program currently involves seven two-year colleges in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
2020
Covid's Impact
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, South switches to remote learning. Students largely return to campus for the fall semester, with precautions in place. The pandemic accelerates an ongoing shift toward online learning. Meanwhile, USA Health makes heroic efforts to care for those afflicted with the virus. Drive-thru vaccination centers help deliver nearly 160,000 protective jabs.
Game Changer
South brings football (and tailgating!) to campus via the magnificent 25,450-seat Hancock Whitney Stadium. Suites and other premium seating options sell out months before the first game, against Tulane University. The next year, the Reese's Senior Bowl and the LendingTree Bowl, now the 68 Ventures Bowl, begin holding their games on South’s campus.
2021
South launches the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences. In March 2023 it becomes the Angelia and Steven Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences.
2022
Bonner Takes the Wheel
Jo Bonner becomes an upbeat, visible presence on campus as the University’s fourth president following his appointment the year prior. The former U.S. congressman enjoys handing out spirit buttons and giving lifts to students in the presidential golf cart. He positions South as the Flagship of the Gulf Coast.
2023
A Healthy Addition
USA HEALTH makes a major expansion as South acquires the 349-bed Providence Hospital and its clinics for $85 million. The addition continues significant growth in Mobile and Baldwin counties of the region’s only academic health system.
More Physicians
WORK BEGINS on a new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building near the Health Sciences Building. It will help recruit top-quality faculty and students and allow the College to increase the number of physicians it educates.