The University of South Alabama is marking the 50th anniversary of its founding.
The school will hold a celebration on campus in Mobile on Friday night to commemorate its start in 1963.
Gov. Robert Bentley will attend, and officials are planning a special recognition for President Gordon Moulton, who is retiring on July 1.
State lawmakers approved legislation authorizing the school on May 3, 1963, and classes started the next year.
The university has since awarded more than 75,000 degrees, and it now has more than 15,000 students.