Southern Miss President named Treasurer of Sun Belt Conference

The Golden Eagles may be new to the Sun Belt Conference, but Southern Miss is already leaving its mark.

According to a release from the Sun Belt Conference, Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul has been named the Treasurer of the Conference and will serve on the Executive Committee. This also puts Paul in the Sun Belt presidential rotation to lead the Conference down the road.

The announcement was made at the close of the Conference’s spring CEO meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 2022-2023 season was the first year for Southern Miss to be in the Sun Belt Conference. USM teams in Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, and Men’s Baseball all either claimed season or tournament titles this year.

Joining Paul on the Sun Belt Conference Executive Committee are Georgia Southern University President Dr. Kyle Marrero as Vice President and Appalachian State University Chancellor Dr. Sheri Everts as President.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie is the outgoing Conference President.

About Dr. Paul

Dr. Paul began his service as the 11th President of the University of Southern Mississippi on November 1, 2022, after having served in the interim role since July 16 that same year.

Paul is a well-known Southern Miss alumnus who previously dedicated 40 years of service to his alma mater as a student affairs administrator. Dr. Paul’s priorities have included advancing student recruitment, continuing to re-invigorate student life in a post-pandemic environment, aggressively sharing the Southern Miss story, supporting intercollegiate athletics as a new member of the Sun Belt Conference, and helping to push the University’s $150 million capital campaign over the top.

Dr. Paul holds a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university’s Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from USM in 1975, graduating magna cum laude from the University Honors College, and received a master’s degree in communication and management from Southern Miss in 1978. He was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000.