AU

Auburn University

Samford Hall, Auburn University's most recognizable landmark, is 106 years old and is the main administration building.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Auburn University, chartered on Feb. 1, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, formally opened its doors on Oct. 1, 1859, with 80 students and six faculty. Two months later it came under sponsorship of the Methodist Church. Classes were suspended in 1861 for the duration of the Civil War, and the college reopened in 1866.

The college in 1872 became a state institution -- the first land-grant college in the South to be created separate from a state university. With federal funding from the Morrill Act of 1862, the Alabama Legislature accepted the institution from the Methodist Church and changed its name to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.

In recognition of the expanding academic program, the Legislature in 1899 renamed the college the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Known since its earliest days as Auburn, rather than A&M or API, the institution's name was officially changed in 1960 to Auburn University.

Women were first admitted in 1892, making it the oldest four-year coeducational school in Alabama and the second oldest in the Southeast.

Since World War II, the university's multi-million dollar physical complex has grown to 210 buildings on nearly 2,000 acres, plus AU at Montgomery. The university's Agricultural Experiment Station owns nearly 21,000 acres across the state for crop, animal and soil experimentation, and Outreach agents are stationed in all 67 Alabama counties.

Main campus enrollment is about 21,200, with more than 1,200 faculty, including 80 percent with the earned doctorate and 88 percent with terminal degrees in their field. The university also employs more than 8,000 staff, student workers and administrators.

The Montgomery campus opened in 1969, and now has an enrollment of 6,500.

AU is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education for students and committed to serving the state, nation and world through its three divisions of instruction, research and outreach.

Auburn's strong academic programs offer the baccalaureate in 138 undergraduate areas through 12 colleges and schools and 76 academic departments. The Graduate School provides master's level programs in 130 areas and the doctorate in 98 fields, many unique in Alabama.

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library, a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries, contains more than 1.8 million books, 2 million microforms and 1.8 million government documents.

LOCATION

Auburn University is located in the southeastern United States, in east-central Alabama in Lee County. The city of Auburn, founded in 1836 by Judge John Harper, has a population of about 35,000. The name was derived from the line "Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the Plain" in Oliver Goldsmith's poem "The Deserted Village." An adjacent city, Opelika, has a population of about 25,000.

Atlanta is 90 miles to the northeast. Other nearby cities are Birmingham, 100 miles northwest; Montgomery, 50 miles southwest and Columbus, Ga., 35 miles east.

GEOGRAPHY

Auburn University is bordered on two sides by farm and woodlands and enjoys the advantages of security, seclusion and clean air.

The city of Auburn has excellent educational, health and recreational facilities, a low crime rate and outstanding fire and police protection. Auburn is a clean city with many cultural opportunities and is near metropolitan centers such as Atlanta.

Buildings on the Auburn campus are within walking distance of each other, and residence halls are only a short walk from classrooms, dining and sports facilities.

TRANSPORTATION

The city of Auburn is situated at the intersection of Interstate 85 and U.S. 29. Atlanta and Montgomery are to the northeast and southwest via I-85. Birmingham and Columbus are to the east and west via U.S. 280.

Auburn University owns and controls a 422-acre airport with two lighted, 4,000-foot paved runways. The Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport, which services most major airlines, is a 90-minute drive from Auburn. Airports in Birmingham, Montgomery and Columbus also offer major airline service.

Auburn is regularly scheduled stop for commercial bus service, while passenger rail service is available from Atlanta, Birmingham and Montgomery.

SECURITY

The Auburn University Police Department ensures a safe and orderly environment on campus. AU Police officers, bicycle-mounted police and security monitors patrol campus 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

COMMUNICATIONS

Since Auburn University has international students and faculty, most languages of the world -- including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese -- are represented in the community.

In addition to student-produced publications and a student-run campus radio station, Auburn University is equipped to communicate with audiences worldwide.

AU has both uplink and downlink facilities to communicate via satellite. Auburn's Satellite Uplink features Ku-band and C-band transmitters, which send both live and taped programs and allow teleconferencing. Auburn is one of two transmission bases for PanAmSat, an international satellite communications corporation.

Auburn's Educational Television Division is equipped with modern studio and video equipment. In addition, a fiber optic network and advanced telecommunications system allows all campus facilities to be the site of a satellite transmission, reception or teleconference.

The Office of University Relations is linked by computer modem to print media statewide. FAX machines are conveniently located around the campus, which is also linked to the Internet.

ACTIVITIES

Auburn visitors can select from a wide range of options to enjoy. The AU Theatre presents performances year-round. The Music Department also provides special concerts, recitals and performances.

Touring groups such as symphony orchestras and Broadway, opera and ballet companies perform on campus regularly. Scholars and political figures visit campus often for lectures and conferences. Summer activities include weekly on-campus movies and music concerts.

Foy Student Union has a wood-working hobby shop, an art gallery, a large-screen TV and a recreation room with video games and ping-pong and billiard tables.

Nearby Chewacla State Park is a lovely setting for canoeing, hiking, fishing, camping, swimming, picnicking and observing nature. Skiing, sailing and fishing can also be enjoyed at Lake Martin, Lake Harding or the Lee County Public Lake. The Arboretum and the Garden of Memory on campus provide a beautiful, natural and serene setting for meditation and relaxation.

Also nearby are recreational activities unavailable on campus, such as golf, bowling, roller skating, horseback riding and rifle and archery ranges. The Auburn-Opelika area boasts four public golf courses, including four new 18-hole courses. Grand National is a 3-course, par 72 PGA quality complex designed by Robert Trent Jones. One of the courses is lighted for night play. Auburn Links is an 18-hole championship course featuring a natural 20-foot waterfall overlooking the signature 13th hole.

The Auburn campus is also near local parks, shopping centers, movie theaters, restaurants and hotels and motels. The six-story AU Hotel and Conference Center adjacent to campus provides 250 guest rooms, meeting rooms, banquet facilities and an auditorium.

TRAINING FACILITIES

Auburn University's varsity athletes complete prescribed weight training in a state-of-the-art weight room in the Football Complex. Also in the building are a 150-seat auditorium and a media reception area. Two weight rooms are located in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. At a combined size of 6,423 square feet, they can accomodate 75 to 100 people at a time.



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