10th President Rodney D. Bennett of The University of Southern Mississippi

7/05/2019

President Rodney D. Bennett

c/o Office of the President 

The University of Southern Mississippi

118 College Drive, #5001

Hattiesburg, MS  39406

Dear President Bennett,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and diversity. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination,  have education reform to help improve learning, a strong importance of diversity to accept people who are different or come from a different background, and many others. President Bennett, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as 10^th  President of the University of Southern Mississippi to be very inspiring to me.

In April 2013, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first African American to become President of the University of Southern Mississippi.  In your current role as President of the University of Southern Mississippi, I truly appreciate on how you are a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights and expressing the strong importance of making civil rights to be strong to help protect women, minorities, and people with disabilities from being discriminated.   Pushing accommodation to help students with disabilities to get assistance on learning like extra time on exams or have educational software including a recorder to help improve on comprehension, expanding tutoring services to provide students with help on their assignments from tutors, and implementing more science, history, basic classes, diversity, and arts to make education diverse is common sense for education reform.  On diversity, I like on how you work on hiring women, minorities, and people with disabilities to work for the college and push for more diversity programs to help educate students about different culture. Another thing that I like about your work as current President of University of Southern Mississippi is how you expand funds for more research to help engage students to research on different topics in order to find ways to make an impact on society, advocate for immigration reform to help immigrants including refugees get an education along with be protected from being oppressed, implement scholarships to help students who are low-income including people with disabilities or are minorities get assistance on getting an education including supplies for their courses, and helping students of William Carey University have a temporary space at the University of Southern Mississippi get shelter along with an education when there was a EF4 tornado.  Besides your work as President of the University of Southern Mississippi, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, work with minorities communities to help them get access to an education, advocate for African American rights, and heavily express the need to reduce bullying.

President Bennett, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased. Your commitment to be a strong supporter and advocate of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. On Youtube, I enjoy watching videos of you talking about the need to reduce racism including bullying, the importance of diversity, and a strong need for education reform.  Your current role as 10^th President of the University of Southern Mississippi gives me motivation to continue to learn history including social justice and diversity. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make civil rights stronger to reduce discrimination, improve diversity to accept people who are different or come from a different background, and have education reform to improve learning.

I strongly believe that you are a making a great difference for society, education, and social justice. I’m amazed on how you made history on becoming the first African American to become President of the University of Southern Mississippi. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to improve education reform, support along with advocate for civil rights, pushing for diversity, and many others. You have inspired me to work hard on my disability and to continue to learn history, social justice, and diversity.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me.  I wish you the best to continue to make an impact on society.

My letter is a gift to you for inspiring me and to wish you a Happy Birthday for August 15^th.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick