The William Carey University Alumni Association is forming a Pine Belt chapter. An organizational meeting will be held virtually on Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. Watch for details about how to participate, as they are available, at
www.wmcarey.edu/events.
Graduates and friends of the university are invited to participate.
Joshua Wilson, a 2012 and 2014 graduate of the university, is one of the founders of the chapter, and he said he is hoping for a strong turnout.
“There are so many people in the Pine Belt region who have close ties to William Carey, and we certainly want all of them to be involved,” Wilson said.
“It’s difficult to organize an in-person event during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we decided a virtual meeting will be the best way to kick off the chapter and involve as many people as possible.”
The meeting will include an update on current activities and projects from Dr. Ben Burnett, WCU executive vice president and dean of the School of Education. Pamela Shearer, director of alumni relations, will provide details on how to connect with the alumni association.
“As the university grows, it’s so vitally important for alumni to be connected and to support their alma mater,” Wilson said. “The chapter will facilitate those connections, and, in the future, we may be able to grow and award scholarships like other chapters do. It all depends on participation, so we encourage everyone to tune in, listen to the presentations, visit with old friends and make new friends.”
Historical perspectiveWilliam Carey was founded in Poplarville in 1892, but the university moved to its present site on William Carey Parkway in east Hattiesburg in 1906. Since then, the university has been an anchor for its neighborhood and has helped propel Hattiesburg to new heights with the addition of programs like the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which was established in 2010.
The university heavily invests in the Hattiesburg area by offering quality educational programming and also by the redevelopment of its area, which was heavily affected by an EF-3 tornado that struck on Jan. 21, 2017. Nearly every building on the William Carey campus was damaged by the tornado, and several historic buildings – such as Tatum Court, the university’s administration building since 1914 – were subsequently demolished.
William Carey – which works in friendly cooperation with the Mississippi Baptist Convention – helped anchor the community’s recovery, and university leaders – led by Tommy King, president since 2007 – vowed to rebuild the campus.
As of 2019, the campus has fully recovered from the tornado, and numerous new buildings – including a new Tatum Court – have been constructed. The university has also bought and redeveloped property throughout east Hattiesburg, adding buildings like a new School of Business and an upcoming Health Sciences Building, currently under construction at the northeast corner of the intersection of Tuscan Avenue and Cherry Street.
Growth and expansionThe university’s enrollment has surged during the King presidency, and enrollment hit record highs in 2020. More than 5,000 students are currently enrolled at the university, which now sprawls across three campuses, including the main Hattiesburg campus, the Tradition campus in Biloxi and a nursing campus in Baton Rouge, La.
Enrollment growth has also resulted in plans to open a new Student Center in early 2021. The three-story building is under construction on the site where old Tatum Court once stood.
Numerous new programs that fulfill community needs – such as a need for more teachers, more nurses and more doctors – have been added, and the School of Education, along with the College of Health Sciences, have either doubled or tripled past enrollment records.
“William Carey alumni can be very proud of their university’s continued achievements,” Burnett said. “We look forward to building a strong Pine Belt alumni chapter and helping graduates and friends of the university better connect with William Carey and their fellow Crusaders.”
