Trustees hold open forum
Legislative session starts Feb. 6
Entrepreneurial summit returns to AU
Speakman named to Engineering pos
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AU REPORT |
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| Headlines Trustees hold open forum Legislative session starts Feb. 6 Entrepreneurial summit returns to AU Speakman named to Engineering pos
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Open forum
Trustees describe, goals, views at public forum
On topics ranging from parking decks and building size to instructional quality, members of the AU Board of Trustees last week described goals they said would enhance the educational environment at Auburn inside and outside the classroom.
Six of AU's 12 trustees joined Auburn's three top administrators and the Student Government Association president in responding to a wide range of questions at an SGA-sponsored forum Wednesday in Foy Student Union.
Responding to questions from the audience of 200 students were Board President Pro Tem Jimmy Samford and members Sen. Lowell Barron, Charles Glover, John Blackwell, Paul Spina and Jimmy Rane. They were joined by AU President William Muse, Provost William Walker, Executive Vice President Don Large and Student Government Association President Lindsey Boney.
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Paul Spina ponder a question during the public forum. |
Board members said they are committed to protecting the quality of an Auburn degree and enhancing the overall campus environment for learning. In responses to questions about parking and campus buildings, Samford and Barron pointed to efforts to restore a more "human scale" to the inner campus, where 10-story Haley Center is the dominant structure.
Samford said he is not opposed to parking decks, other than being concerned about their cost, but does not want to see one placed in the central campus. That area should be designed for walking, with the transit system providing quick access from the new parking areas, he added.
Barron noted that the board during the past decade started requiring more attention to parking areas when sites are selected for new buildings. He said the longterm result will be a more attractive, inhabitable campus.
Ongoing discussions about a new student center helped board members refocus their thinking on the larger question of what kind of facilities will best serve Auburn, Barron said. He noted that the university is contracting with the International Design and Entertainment Association branding consultants for a study to help preserve the uniqueness of Auburn life in future architectural development.
Hugh Darley, president of IDEA, said his firm over the following 12 weeks will help develop guidelines for the campus master plan that the university can use to restore a village atmosphere to the central campus. Part of the process, he said, should be a move away from huge, boxlike buildings to buildings with more of a human scale and atmosphere.
Rather than a huge student center that is typical of many campuses, Darley said AU's student center should reflect life at Auburn. He cited the small stores around Toomer's corner as more representative of the village atmosphere that Auburn should encourage in its campus design.
By going to more and smaller buildings, the campus might also find a solution to the problem of location for the student center, he added. The board had selected a site on the western edge of campus, adjacent to the new parking area, after being unable to find a more central site for a building which would occupy as much surface area as Haley Center.
Barron said the board is not locked into a decision about either the size or site of the student center at this stage.
In response to another question, trustees endorsed the concept of mini semesters, which would enable students to complete some courses the first half of a semester and other courses the second half. The members noted that Auburn will consider refinements as the university becomes more accustomed to the new academic calendar.
AU to press case for funding in legislative term
With the Alabama Legislature preparing for the Feb. 6 start of its 2001 session, higher education faces its toughest funding challenge in several years, says Buddy Mitchell, AU's executive director for governmental affairs.
"We can make a good case for increasing funding to the AU System next year, and we will continue to press our case," said Mitchell.
The AU System is budgeted for $207 million in state appropriations this year, with $135 million going to support operations and maintenance on the main campus. Auburn's spending priorities for the next three years are based on annual growth of at least 1 percent in state funding, which accounts for 36 percent of the main campus revenues this year.
"However, the sudden and unpredicted drop in state revenues during the first quarter of this year does not bode well for the coming year," Mitchell added. "While we are seeking a modest increase in appropriations for next year, we are being warned about the possibility of a smaller state budget for next fall."
State Finance Director Henry Mabry and Legislative Fiscal Officer Joyce Bigbee will present their fiscal 2002 revenue projections on Feb. 2.
Unlike Gov. Don Siegelman's two previous education budgets, this one faces the prospect of being smaller than the one before. "The last couple of years, we knew going in that there would be some growth even if we didn't know the amount," Mitchell said. "There's a lot more uncertainty over funding for higher education next year."
State finance officials will make their projections for the coming year after determining whether the unexpected decline in revenues for October through December was the start of a recession or simply a blip in the state's economic growth. The 1 percent decline in state sales tax collections for the first three months of this fiscal year has already led state officials to warn of proration of 2 percent to 6 percent in the current budget.
"The longer they wait to declare proration, if they have to do so, the larger the cut will have to be," Mitchell noted. "Any reduction will be for the full year, but it will have to be absorbed in the time remaining."
The change in state revenues has made fiscal matters the major focus of the upcoming legislative session, said Mitchell. Legislation last year locked in 62 percent of growth in the education budget to finance pay raises for teachers in elementary and secondary schools. That requirement could be moot if there is no growth, but Mitchell said higher education may face a fight over attempts by the Alabama Education Association to gain a larger slice of a smaller budget for K-12.
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Rerouting traffic
Veterinary Medicine celebrates start on new building
AU will have a special "Celebration of Construction" ceremony at 2 p.m. Feb. 14 to mark the beginning of the new Large Animal Teaching Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
"We are excited to get under way with actual construction," said Veterinary Medicine Dean Timothy Boosinger. "We've been working toward this day for a long time."
AU President William Muse and state Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, a member of the AU Board of Trustees, will speak at the ceremony.
The 120,000-square-foot, $32.9 million complex will be one of the largest single construction projects in the history of the college. Site preparation took place in late 1999. The facility, south of McAdory Hall, will include a modern hospital, equine and cattle barns, admissions office and other features such as a dual track equine lameness arena.
National survey shows support for higher education
A national survey by the American Council on Education has found that Americans place a high value on a college education but greatly overestimate the cost of attending public four-year colleges.
The ACE study, conducted during 2000, echoed on a national level AU studies during the 1990s, including a survey of Alabamians in 1999. For instance, the ACE study found that 74 percent of people nationwide rate the quality of higher education as excellent or good. The finding was similar to a 1999 survey by AU's Center for Governmental Services which found that 89 percent of Alabamians consider Auburn one of the best universities in the South and 82 percent rate AU one of the best in the nation.
The high ratings in both surveys come in spite of a nationwide perception that the cost of higher education is much higher than the actual cost. Respondents to the ACE survey estimated the cost of tuition at public four-year institutions at $10,449, and the total cost of attending that type institution at $16,708. By contrast, Auburn's base tuition is $3,050 per year, and the estimated average cost of attendance is $8,694.
ACE is an 1,800-member association representing all aspects of higher education across the nation. The ACE report noted that the national average for tuition at public four-year institutions is 70 percent below the public's estimate, and the average total cost of education at those institutions of all sizes and missions is nearly $6,000 a year below the public's estimate. Auburn's total average cost of attendance is $2,000 below the national average -- about half the amount estimated for all four-year public institutions.
While national surveys such as ACE's present a view of public attitudes nationally, Sam Lowther, AU's executive director of Planning and Analysi, said AU's own studies and regional comparisons by the Southern Regional Education Board, a regional higher education association, provide a more reliable picture of Auburn's competitive position as one of the region's leading universities.
"Organizations such as the American Council on Education are a good source of information about national conditions and attitudes, but they are limited when we are seeking comparisons between Auburn and its peer institutions," said Lowther.
The SREB data are drawn from the one or two flagship public universities in each of 15 states from Maryland to Texas and Florida to Oklahoma. Member institutions include Auburn and institutions with which it competes for students and research contracts, such as the University of Alabama and Georgia Tech. In terms of tuition, Auburn falls in the lower half of SREB institutions for both in state and out-of-state students.
Entrepreneurial summit returns to Auburn
The seventh annual African-American Entrepreneurship Summit is scheduled for Feb. 13-16, returning to the Auburn campus after meeting in Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuskegee.
The 2001 summit at the AU Hotel and Dixon Conference Center will focus on "Using Entrepreneurship To Remake Black History."
The conference was created in 1994 to help black business owners improve their global competition, says Keenan Grenell, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and director of AU's Public Administration Program. Grenell is the founder and director of the summit. This year's summit is in partnership with AU's College of Business and the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Small Business Development.
Keynote speaker at a Feb. 14 noon Teen Challenge Summit luncheon will be retired Tuskegee Airman Donald Thomas. The luncheon will be followed by concurrent sessions on a variety of topics on youth entrepreneurship. At 4 p.m. on Feb. 14, Karen Starks-Canada will present the John Sibley Butler Free Thinking Person Lecture.
Authors to speak at Pebble Hill
Three prominent authors with divergent approaches to literature about the South will speak at AU's Pebble Hill, home of the Center for the Arts and Humanities, in February. The presentations include:
* Southern-themed author and columnist P.S. Wall will speak at 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 5. Wall was named Best Humor Columnist of the year by the National Society of Newspaper in 1996.
* Alabama native and critically acclaimed author Pat Cunningham Devoto will speak at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11. Devoto is the author of My Last Days as Roy Rogers and Out of the Night that Covers Me.
* A 4 p.m. Feb. 14 program features journalist-turned writer Frye Gaillard and retired Lowndes County Probate Judge John Hulett, whose story is the center of the Civil Rights Movement in his county.
Black Caucus lecturer to examine hate crimes
Hate groups, hate crimes and preventive measures will be examined by Tafeni English, a research specialist for the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center, in a Feb. 1 public lecture at noon in Foy 213. The lecture is sponsored by the Auburn Black Caucus.
"The aim of this presentation," said caucus president Evelyn Crayton, "is to broaden and enhance the university's and the community's knowledge of hate-crime activities in Alabama."
Crayton, a foods and nutrition specialist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said the SPLC "has developed and distributes excellent teaching materials and provides workshops on teaching tolerance that are available for use throughout the United States.
"It is the Auburn Black Caucus's desire to help to promote a climate of unity and tolerance for all people here at the university and in the community. It has been reported that hate crimes are on the increase in the United States and in Alabama," she said. "Given this information, we at all levels in the university family must continue to be informed of any activities and be appraised of the appropriate behaviors and reporting mechanism to take."
Speakman named to Engineering post
Norman Speakman has been named research marketing representative in Auburn's College of Engineering.The announcement was made by John Owens, associate dean of the college and director of the Engineering Experiment Station.
Speakman will represent Auburn's engineering departments and research centers to government agencies and commercial firms in Alabama, particularly in the Huntsville area.
He will also represent Auburn Engineering's research efforts at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida; Robins AFB at Warner Robins, Ga.; Arnold AFB in Tennessee; and the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker.
"Norm brings a detailed knowledge of Auburn's strengths to an extensive range of experience in the Huntsville area," said Owens. "His familiarity with government agencies such as NASA and Redstone Arsenal is balanced by his knowledge of the high-technology companies that act as suppliers to the aerospace and defense industries."
Achievements
Vice President for Alumni & Development Betty M. DeMent is an invited
speaker for the annual conference of the Council of Alumni Association
Executives in Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 16. She has also been asked to speak to
the Alabama State University Executive Board and Alumni Council in April.
DeMent received a resolution of appreciation from the Alumni Board of
Directors on Dec. 1 at the reconvened annual meeting of the Auburn Alumni
Association. She was cited for integrity in leadership and outstanding
Alumni Association growth.
Joe Cherry and Robert Locy of the Department of Biological Sciences edited the recently published book Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses in Agriculture: Role of Genetic Engineering. Kluwer Academic Publishers in Holland published the book in cooperation with the NATO Scientific Affairs Division. The book resulted from a grant from NATO, which supported an Advanced Research Workshop in Mragowo, Poland. Twenty nine speakers, 12 young scientists and nine scientists from Poland attended the workshop.
Campus Roundup
Faculty exhibit works of art in Foy
An exhibition of works by Auburn's art faculty is on display in the Foy
Student Union Gallery. The exhibition, which may be viewed during normal
AU business hours through Feb. 19, showcases a variety of works by more
than 20 faculty in the arts.
Child care referral services offered
The Employer's Child Care Alliance assists AU faculty and staff in
placement of children in area day care facilities. ECCA also provides
other child-care referral services to parents who are employed by AU or
one of several other major employers in Lee County. Contact the ECCA at
749-8400 for assistance.
BC/BS representative to visit
AU's Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative will be on campus in Ingram
212 from 10 a.m.-11:45 a.m., Feb. 13 and March 13 -- the second Tuesday
of both months -- to meet with faculty and staff who have questions or
need assistance concerning their BC/BS insurance coverage. No
appointment is necessary.
Unsung Hero: Linda Pattillo, Information Technology
This week's Unsung Hero is Linda Pattillo, office administrator for the AU Office of Information Technology. Pattillo has worked at Auburn for 13 years and has been in her current position for a year and a half. She was asked:
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What do you do in your current job? "I supervise the front desk student employees and coordinate their schedules. I am responsible for software sales to University departments. I oversee the L-Building and the Extension Cottage and assist the IT specialists in day-to-day operations."
What is the most rewarding part of your job? "Being able to assist
students, faculty and staff with problems they may encounter with the
ability to solve them the first time so they are not frustrated and don't
have to come back to our office."
What is the most challenging part of your job? "Coordinating the students'
schedules and hoping they don't change before they're posted!"
If you were not doing this job, what would you most like to do? "Spend
quality time with my family -- Michael (17), April (15) and Amanda (15)
and, of course, my husband, Arnold."
What makes Auburn special? "Most everyone you meet is friendly and families mean something."
What was your first impression of Auburn University? "I came from a small town in New York. Things seemed so big at Auburn, but since I have spent most of my adult life here, I can't imagine living anywhere except a college town!"
How has that impression changed? "I don't think of it as being so big now and I still love the town!"
What words best describe Auburn as a work environment, learning environment or just a place to be? "I think every department has its challenges. Working here is what you make of it. If you are willing to learn the opportunities are there."
What do you like to do when not at work? "My children and my husband are my life. Anything I can do with them or for them makes me happy. We have created wonderful memories on many camping adventures, so when I'm not working, camping would definitely be it."
What person or persons do you most admire? "My parents and my husband.
If it had not been for my parents with their love and guidance, I would not
be where I am today. My husband and I have been married for almost 19
years and we have faced many challenges and I am thankful that he has
always been there for me and with me."
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AU Report
Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy and David Granger. University Relations Executive Director: Pete Pepinsky. The AU Report is the faculty/staff newsletter of Auburn University and is published by the Office of University Relations at Auburn University. Direct correspondence to AU Report, 23 Samford Hall, Auburn University, Ala. 36849-5109. Telephone 334/844-9999. Electronic mail: summero@auburn.edu |