Director of University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security Resigns, Effective April 1

Dr. Lou Marciani has announced his retirement from his role as Director of The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) effective April 1, 2020. Dr. Marciani has served as NCS4 Director since its inception in 2006 following the United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) increased effort to defend potential soft targets for terrorism in the wake of 9/11.

Specifically, NCS4 emerged from a 2006 doctoral dissertation about the standards required for effective security management at university sport venues. Building upon this fundamental research, NCS4 is now an international research and education center for sports safety and security. NCS4 collaborates with professional sport leagues and venues, intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, marathon and endurance events, and international sporting events along with professional associations, private sector firms, and government agencies. Since 2006, Dr. Marciani has attained more than $13 million in federal grants for homeland security.