An independent foundation with deep financial ties to the University of South Alabama is quietly bankrolling one of the school’s most competitive academic tracks, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into the university’s Honors Program.
The USA Foundation, which operates separately from the university itself, contributes $750,000 annually to the Honors Program, according to program director Michael Doran. The program, founded in 1999, has grown into a fixture on the Mobile campus and has produced a long line of student leaders, including the university’s current student government president.
Doran said the foundation’s board takes real pride in watching honors students succeed, and that relationship goes beyond a check written once a year. He regularly briefs the foundation’s board on student accomplishments and brings top-performing students to speak directly to board members at their quarterly meetings, a practice many board members reportedly consider a highlight of those gatherings.
Honors students at South Alabama are required to complete a thesis within their chosen field of study, working alongside university faculty mentors to conduct independent research that is ultimately reviewed by a thesis committee. Once approved, that research is often published and submitted to national academic journals. Recently, students Bethany Cobb and George Moore presented their ongoing research projects to foundation board members, giving donors a direct look at where their money goes.
Foundation members also regularly attend student thesis presentations and the university’s annual Honors Symposium, where students present their research findings through poster displays, an event that gives the broader campus community a chance to see the results of a year or more of independent academic work.
Beyond scholarship money, which is awarded competitively based on academic merit, the foundation also treats Honors Program students to enrichment experiences such as an annual outing to the Mobile Symphony and a dedicated reception, along with support for academic lectures and endowed professorships that benefit the program’s students directly.
The $750,000 annual honors contribution represents a portion of a larger $2 million the foundation contributes to university scholarships each year. Since 1990, the USA Foundation has given the university nearly $200 million as its endowment foundation, funded through a diversified investment strategy that includes timber holdings and a broad stock portfolio.
The foundation’s board includes university faculty representatives, area businesspeople, former state legislators, the president of the USA Board of Trustees, and University of South Alabama President Tony Waldrop. Doran said the partnership between the university and its independent foundation remains a critical piece of how the Honors Program continues to expand its offerings for Mobile-area students.