The Southern Miss Alumni Association will host a Retirement Roast in honor of Joe Paul, the retiring vice president for student affairs. Paul has served The University of Southern Mississippi for over 40 years, and in February, he announced his retirement from the vice president position, effective June 30.
The Retirement Roast will be Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. in the Thad Cochran Center Ballroom.
The event will feature a comedy performance by Roast Master Bob Pierce, vice president for advancement at USM.
“The response to this event has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Jerry DeFatta, executive director of the Southern Miss Alumni Association. “This response further proves that Dr. Paul has impacted hundreds and hundreds of students over the course of his 40-year career at USM.”
“From the alumni who are returning to campus to participate as roasters for the event, to the guests who have purchased tickets and made additional contributions towards the Dr. Joe Paul Society of 1910 Scholarship Endowment, anticipation of this event is extremely high. We’re all looking forward to roasting Dr. Paul in good humor while celebrating his University career,” he added.
DeFatta said the alumni association is looking forward to having a diverse crowd of former and current students, friends and family of Paul. They also hope to raise money through tickets to benefit the Dr. Joe Paul Society of 1910 Scholarship Endowment.
Head coach of the University of Texas at El Paso men’s basketball team and Paul’s friend Tim Floyd will be one of the roasters to show a video certain to bring a reaction to the crowd.
Roasters will include Jim Warren, managing partner in the law firm of Carroll, Warren and Parker; Todd Buchanan, senior vice president of AIG Valic Financial Advisors in Tampa, Florida; Ryan Mouledous, president of Broadmoor LLC in New Orleans.; Jared Loftus, CEO of College District in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Vince Fabra, education and training director for Phired Up Promotions in Charleston, South Carolina.
Tickets, presented by Regions Bank, will be $50 with net proceeds benefitting the Dr. Joe Paul Society of 1910 Scholarship Endowment.
To purchase tickets or make additional contributions online, visit usmfoundation.com/joepaul. Ticket requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, contact the Southern Miss Alumni Association at 601.266.5013.
