Bold Futures

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Posted on June 15, 2026 by Alumni

Alumni

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In the four and a half years that I’ve had the honor of serving as your president, I’ve had the great fortune to meet students from all across this state and beyond.

Recruiting trips with Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Andi Kent and our talented admissions team have taken us as far north in Alabama as Ardmore High School, just three blocks from the Tennessee state line, and down south to the beaches of Baldwin County.

In those visits, we see the future of our state. We see young women and men who are ready to make a bold claim on their own futures — just as we’re making on the future of our University.

A remarkable number of these students are drawn to the health sciences, inspired by a calling to care for others that our caregivers at USA Health fulfill each day as they transform medicine along the Gulf Coast.

It is clear from our visits that the energy we feel on campus is contagious. I can say this from meeting with both prospective students and alumni on these trips: The excitement for the University of South Alabama is real.

So are the benefits of a college education. By now, we all know what the data shows: College graduates will earn significantly more over their lifetimes compared with those with only a high school degree. 

At the University of South Alabama, we also know that going to college is about more than a paycheck. It’s about the transformation that happens when a student finds purpose and gets rewarded for their hard work with a first-class ticket to a brighter future.

For sure, there is value in all jobs. And while I may be the first university president to tell prospective students and families that you don’t have to go to college to be successful, I quickly add that nothing should stand in your way if you have the opportunity, drive and God-given talent. 

Doing everything in our power to remove barriers that might keep someone from enrolling at South is a foundational driver of our largest comprehensive campaign ever, Where Bold Begins.

Together, we want to make sure we’re supporting our students, recruiting and retaining the best and brightest faculty, building facilities that match the quality of the education offered inside them, and providing top-quality academic healthcare to our communities as we educate the next generation of healthcare providers. (Starting on Page 10, you’ll find stories showing how such enhancements can make an impact.)

I want to be clear: We aren’t just raising money; we are investing in human potential, elevating our standard of excellence and securing our future in this state and region.

Spring Commencement in May recognized our newest class of graduates. Many of those who walked across the stage arrived at the University shortly after I did.

Over those years, I’ve seen our students live out what we call The USA Way — carrying themselves with integrity, dedication and class. Being bold.

The University of South Alabama is the educational, economic and cultural engine of the Gulf Coast. Creating our vibrant community takes all of us. It is the direct result of the bold, strategic choices we are making together today.

From that graduation stage at the USA Mitchell Center to the front lines of USA Health where our work saves lives every day, the University of South Alabama is making an undeniable case for the value of what we do — serving as the Flagship of the Gulf Coast.

Jo Bonner, President

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