Hauff Named Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning and Management at USM

Wed, 03/22/2023 - 09:04am | By: Van Arnold

Brian Hauff, a licensed architect with more than 25 years of professional experience, has been named the new Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning and Management at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Hauff will join the USM team on April 3.

Hauff comes to USM from Evangel University in Springfield, MO, where he served as Director of Facilities, managing on-campus construction projects, as well as supervising daily operations, including maintenance, custodial and grounds personnel.

A native of Sioux Falls, SD, Hauff has managed more than $250 million in construction projects during his career. He has spent the past 14 years working exclusively in higher education. Hauff says the USM opportunity seemed an ideal fit him and his family. He and his wife, Nicole, have five children – three are adults who live away from home, while two teenagers will join them in Hattiesburg. 

“This position of Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning and Management intrigued me because of how my professional career seemed tailored in preparation for this step,” said Hauff. “It is amazing how past professional experiences can give you what is necessary for a current position.”

In 2004, Brian and Nicole Hauff launched an architecture firm in Idaho, where she managed the business/marketing side, and he worked as the architect.

“The knowledge I gained taught me how to be responsive to clients’ needs,” said Hauff. “That experience led me to be accepted to a position in 2009 at an architecture firm in Virginia specializing in higher education projects. There, I learned how to lead complex, multi-million-dollar projects.”

In 2013, Hauff accepted a position at Missouri State University as an architect project manager, overseeing multiple complex projects totaling $74 million before joining the Evangel University staff in 2016.

Hauff stated that his immediate priorities at USM include:

• Learning about the campuses, both in Hattiesburg and Gulf Park.
• Focusing attention on immersion of understanding the buildings, grounds, staff, faculty, and their related needs.
• Understanding how USM can retain and attract new students based upon what the facilities department can provide.
• Reviewing budgets in preparation for the next fiscal year, beginning in July.

In addition to his wide range of practical experience, Hauff is a licensed architect, Board Certified Architect with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council. Hauff earned his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Montana State University.

“I am very excited to have Brian joining the Southern Miss Facilities team. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge through many years of progressive higher education leadership experience in planning, design, construction, and facilities management,” said Allyson Easterwood, Vice President for Finance and Administration at USM.