17. USM is Taking Action
New calendar that holds students
responsible for their success.
New advising procedures that invest
students in their education.
Financial support to improve teaching.
Centralized resources that student can turn
to for support.
Peer mentoring and peer support programs.
More financial support for students.
29. If I can ever be of help, don’t
hesitate to contact me.
Andrew.Haley@usm.edu
Department of History
Notas del editor
Why does that matter? First, it matters because there are, just like there are for our students, financial advantages. True, in the short run, we get paid whether our students graduate or not. But in the longrun, student success is what runs the University. Meeting this year’s budget projects for the University, for example, hinges on 200-300 student who would either not come to USM attending or 200-300 students who are here staying to finish their degree. Every student matters.
This is especially true because the economics of public education are changing. Schools like USM once could rely on state governments to subsidize what we do because they recognized the value of education. Today, they don’t. Enrollments are up, but state appropriations are down. And not just in Mississippi. In the past year, Mississippi saw some increases compared to places like Texas or Tennessee which experienced further cuts. But we were not generously funded to begin with so it matters. And that means that USM, like many other state schools, needs tuition dollars.