Bower Academic Center
The Bower Academic Center, named in honor of former player, assistant coach and long-time head coach Jeff Bower, features individual tutor/study rooms, computer lab, classroom, quiet study space and housing all student-athlete academic support staff. The 18,000-square foot space gives Golden Eagle student-athletes four times the amount of academic space than its previous facility.
“I am very honored and appreciative for this recognition,” said Bower. “This has been something that was always important to me. As the head football coach, I wanted to help our players in any way that we could to help them be successful in the classroom. When you go to a quality facility that is conducive to learning and doing what you have to do, as far as studying and preparing for classes, I think that makes a difference.”
The Bower Academic center was built with privately raised funds through the Athletic Foundation and officially opened in August of 2020, but the dedication was delayed until now due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions.
The facility helps with the demands and challenges placed on Southern Miss student-athletes and provides a first-class academic facility to exclusively assist with their needs. In this academic center, Southern Miss student-athletes will be surrounded by our highly skilled academic and life skills staff, working with their peers and fellow teammates to make the most out of their collegiate academic experiences.
“Our Athletic Department extends its appreciation to everyone that has made this project possible, including our president Dr. Rodney Bennett, the University Libraries leadership in partnering with us and our many donors that contributed to this project that made it a reality,” said Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain. “Our mission is to always provide the best total care of our 400 student-athlete and this is a big piece to their growth and achievement while being here at Southern Miss.”
It was only fitting that the naming honor went to long-time head football coach, Jeff Bower. During his tenure as head coach, Bower undoubtedly had some of the toughest grade requirements for his football players, which paid off with the high grade point averages his teams’ achieved.
“Our Athletic Department extends its appreciation to everyone that has made this project possible, including our president Dr. Rodney Bennett, the University Libraries leadership in partnering with us and our many donors that contributed to this project that made it a reality,” said Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain. “Our mission is to always provide the best total care of our 400 student-athlete and this is a big piece to their growth and achievement while being here at Southern Miss.”
It was only fitting that the naming honor went to long-time head football coach, Jeff Bower. During his tenure as head coach, Bower undoubtedly had some of the toughest grade requirements for his football players, which paid off with the high grade point averages his teams’ achieved.
