The Twenty-First Century Commission began its work with an initial
meeting on July 21, 1992, and after 17 meetings now has completed its
assignment. The Commission, broadly representative of major constituent
groups, established the parameters for and oversaw a comprehensive planning
process that involved every Auburn University unit. The Commission heard
reports by all vice presidents, by deans of the schools and colleges, and for
other administrative units. The work of the Commission was segmented into
major areas as noted below:

A. AUM and its relationship to Auburn University

B. University Outreach

C. University Research

D. Student Enrollment

E. The Prevailing Fiscal Environment

F. Academic Programs in the Schools and Colleges

G. The Graduate School

H. Library Resources

I. Administrative Support Units

J. Intercollegiate Athletics

After nearly 50 hours of formal deliberation, during which a wide
assortment of issues was placed before it, the Commission has agreed upon a set
of recommendations to be presented for consideration by the Board of Trustees.
These are grouped into general categories and are identified below.

Finances

As the current century gives way to the new one, the predominant
concern that will influence the character of all other developments is the
availability of funding. Stated only slightly differently, it safely
may be concluded that the degree to which the University is able to achieve its
primary goals will be a function largely of utilizing more effectively revenues
that are likely to grow, at best, only at inflation level rates. Given that
Auburn, by most indices, is already underfunded, this represents a particular
and foreboding challenge as the University moves toward the Twenty-First
Century. The Commission makes the following recommendations:

1. Preservation of program quality must be the
University's overarching priority. If fiscal resources remain persistently
limited, then program offerings must be restricted to those that can be
maintained effectively within available funding.

2. To undergird decisions guiding placement of fiscal resources,
the planning and priority setting activities currently underway must continue.
Program priorities should be established in the context of the University's
mission statement, and the planning, evaluation, prioritizing and budgeting
functions must be interrelated and institutionalized.

3. An incentive budgeting/spending approach should be effected at
an early date to encourage innovative practices, greater cost efficiencies and
program restructuring.

4. Efforts must be intensified to increase revenues from all
available sources -- state appropriations, student tuition and fees, private
giving, and return on in-vested capital. This will require, as a minimum,
well-organized and focused efforts to mobilize Auburn's alumni and supporters,
to assure that the University receives its fair share of state funding.

5. A student tuition policy should be effected that incorporates
the following provisions: (1) An orderly plan that would move tuition rates at
Auburn as quickly as feasible to levels that reach or exceed the regional
average for peer institutions. (2) Differential tuition rates that assess
tuition more nearly proportionate to varying costs of providing instruction in
different programs. (3) Regularized or automatic inflationary level
adjustments.

6. The University's private giving and endowment levels must be
increased aggressively, to provide a solid base of continuous support that will
develop and maintain dimensions of excellence, especially during times of
severe funding shortfalls from other sources.

7. Within the context of available resources, the University's
facilities and human capital must be accorded special attention. To that end,
provision must be made to address methodically the increasing deferred
maintenance backlog and the lack of competitiveness in employee compensation.
It is suggested that the University's annual budget for facilities maintenance
be increased incrementally, to approximately $10 million.
At the same time, faculty and staff salaries should be
increased to levels that compare favorably with appropriate reference groups.

8. Administrative and support functions that are deemed to be of
lesser priority should be restructured, downsized, consolidated or phased out.
Resources recaptured by the these efforts should be redirected to support
priority instructional programs.

9. Student aid and scholarship programs must be expanded
significantly to assist Auburn in remaining reasonably accessible to a large
proportion of the state's academically eligible students. The Honors Program
should be expanded greatly, to include a larger portion of those eligible to
participate.

Academic Programs

The substance of the University is its academic programs. The
institution's character is determined by the effectiveness with which the
curriculum is configured and knowledge transmitted to those who study here.
Over the years, Auburn has become recognized widely for the overall quality of
our instructional programs, particularly at the undergraduate level. The
Commission places as its highest priority the preservation and enhancement of
this dimension of the University.

1. Auburn's hallmark, strong undergraduate instructional programs,
should be guarded carefully. As resources become available, they should be
directed toward maintenance of existing quality and strengthening of
undergraduate education.

2. Extreme caution must be exercised in consideration of new
program commitments. In the face of limited funds, program reviews and
institutional priorities should provide a basis for program consolidation
and/or termination.

3. Auburn, as a comprehensive land-grant university, should
continue to emphasize its research mission; however, support for research
should not be permitted to detract from or diminish Auburn's commitment to
quality instruction.

4. In the evaluation of academic program offerings, the following
must be considered: (1) Present and emergent occupational needs and/or
opportunities and the characteristics required of graduates to meet them. (2)
Po- tential for cooperative relationships with other institutions in the state,
and particularly with AUM. (3)
Opportunities for greater interdepartmental collaboration and
sharing of resources. (4) Employer satisfaction with Auburn graduates and
graduates' satisfaction with their University experience. (5) Programs of
particular strength and those central to the University's mission. (6)
Auburn's unique niche in the state's higher education milieu.

5. Program viability analysis and institutional priorities should
provide the basis for funding allocation/reallocation decisions. Programs
duplicated widely throughout the state and/or producing graduates for
which the demand is low, should be considered as targets for elimination.

6. Student learning opportunities should be augmented by greater
reliance upon technological advances; innovative configuration and scheduling
of courses, and courses at non-traditional times; academic support systems,
such as the proposed "academic success center;" and greater mentoring, work
experience and internship opportunities.

7. A well-considered and systematic enrollment management plan
must be effected to assure that student enrollment levels are controlled, and
that they coincide with resources available.

8. Programs that increase student retention and graduation rates
should be implemented. These would include counseling, intervention, mentoring
and other personal and academic assistance efforts.

9. Deans' offices, together with other academic support units,
should be reviewed for downsizing, thereby freeing resources for the primary
functions of the institution.

10. Benchmarking information should be assembled promptly, as a
basis for identifying opportunities for efficiencies and as measures of program
effectiveness.

11. The mission clarification and prioritizing processes should
identify academic programs at Auburn that have a legitimate opportunity to
become prominent on a national or international basis.

12. Rapidly escalating costs of providing library resources are
taxing the University's ability to remain competitive with other members of the
Association of Research Libraries. There must be increased reliance upon
technology and resource sharing to maintain a first-rate
library for students and scholars, within available funding.

13. Efforts should be made to assure that students stay on track
and graduate in a reasonable time.

Students

Students are the lifeblood of a university. They determine an
institution's general nature and become the school's alumni. Over the years,
Auburn University has successfully attracted and assisted in preparation of
outstanding young men and women who have gone on to leadership roles and
prominence in all fields of human endeavor. To assure continuation of that
status, the Commission offers the following recommendations:

1. Auburn should become more aggressive in identifying and
recruiting the better prepared student. While the University should remain
accessible to those who can benefit from study here, the more academically able
should be targeted during expected periods of limited resources.

2. Available student financial assistance programs must be
augmented promptly and dramatically. If the University is to have any chance
of achieving its academic aspirations, funding for scholarships, fellowships
and other aid programs must be increased significantly.

3. The portion of overall enrollment represented by non-Alabamians
could be impacted negatively by recently enacted state legislation.
Recruitment, student aid and retention efforts must be effected to minimize the
potential loss of students (and revenues) due to new residency statues and
policies.

4. Program, policy and recruitment activities all should be
dedicated to the increase of racial diversity among the student body. To be
successful in recruitment and retention of minorities, the University must
provide strong support systems, including financial assistance.

5. Non-classroom activities should receive special attention,
providing opportunities for students to develop leadership traits and to mature
socially, morally and culturally. The warmth and esprit de corps of the
"Auburn Spirit" should be nurtured, particularly as the University grows
in size and increasing numbers of students are housed in more isolated
off-campus areas.

6. Students at the graduate level should be recruited and
supported for programs identified as University priorities. Expansion at the
graduate level should be restricted to areas where Auburn has a legitimate
chance of gaining national prominence. Growth in graduate enrollment should be
tied closely to expansion of the University's research program and the needs of
the State.

Research and Outreach

Auburn, as a land-grant university, embraces the tripartite mission of
instruction, research and extension. While primacy must be accorded the
instruction function, and particularly at the undergraduate level, the
University does bear significant responsibility for research and outreach
activities. To that end, the following recommendations are presented:

1. The research function should be expanded, particularly in
strong disciplines, those fields typically associated with Auburn's land-grant
role, and in areas responsive to the needs of the people of Alabama.

2. There should be concerted effort to increase cooperative
interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research initiatives that bring
together resources capable of addressing major state or national problems.
Consortia should be developed to increase competitiveness for external funding.

3. Research programming should be expanded in two distinct
directions: (1) In relationships with private enterprise and industries,
increased attention should be directed to solution of practical problems
through applied research. (2) Without neglecting traditional areas of
strength, research programs should be expanded selectively into other academic
disciplines.

4. The University's research efforts must support instruction and
outreach. Particularly, research programs should be the foundation for
outreach activities, and provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate
students to gain experience by participation in research projects.

5. The future of University outreach should be considered very
carefully, weighing the impact of forces emerging in this arena: (1)
Technological advances enabling rapid communication to any place at any time.
(2) Competitiveness caused by expansion in numbers and types of institutions
involved in extension efforts. (3) Expanded audiences brought about by
life-long learners and professional renewal requirements. (4) The changing
character of state cooperative extension services, and other programs
traditionally associated with land-grant universities. (5) Potential for loss
of federal funding for traditional extension activities.

6. While focus should remain on traditional, full-time, resident
students, the needs of nontraditional students should be addressed by
implementation of an assortment of new and innovative program delivery
mechanisms, including greater reliance upon serving students at remote sites
and on schedules and calendars convenient to the learner.

7. The cooperative extension service model should be expanded for
delivery of assistance to local governments, businesses, industries and the
citizens of the state, bringing expertise at Auburn to address problems in a
wide range of disciplines, and as a basis for gener- ating funding to
support these activities.

8. University outreach should develop sound cost recovery systems,
and tap contract and grant opportunities to generate revenues needed to support
increasingly enlarged scope and type of programs delivered and audiences
served. Program development should be limited to initiatives that can be
effectively supported.

9. Faculty reward systems should be structured carefully to assure
that there is proper balance among the incentives to recognize and compensate
individuals for achievements in instruction, research and outreach activities.

Other Areas

1. Because Auburn University is comprised of two campuses -- each
separately accredited, with unique clientele, role mission and resources --
considerable autonomy of operations is expected. However, there should be
closer cooperative planning to capitalize on resources of each campus. This
should include consideration of common calendars, joint and/or cooperative
academic programs, a common core curriculum, and sharing of other resources.

2. Auburn University must continue to embrace an intercollegiate
athletics program of national prominence, fiscally self-supportive and
operating completely within University, Conference and NCAA rules, policies and
processes.

3. There should be undertaken a thorough and comprehensive review
of physical plant operations and costs to ascertain if increased efficiencies
and savings can be realized. Such an analysis should include development of
comprehensive benchmarking data from which valid assessment can be made of
local operations.

4. Consideration of outsourcing some administrative, auxiliary and
physical plant operations should weigh the potential for efficiencies and cost
reduction against possible loss of control and traditional aspects of the
University.

5. Methodical and thorough review and revision of the University's
staff personnel policies must be accorded high priority. An updated personnel
policies manual should be prepared for distribution at an early date.

6. Administrative processes throughout the University should
undergo immediate scrutiny to identify methods of modernizing systems,
increasing efficiency of operations and reducing bureaucratic processes.
Change should be a function of feasibility, economic considerations, and
potential for improving operations.

7. Organizational structure should not be a barrier to increased
efficiency and effectiveness of operations and program delivery. Recasting of
functions through mergers or other regrouping alternatives should be considered
as a basis for reducing cost and enhancing operations.

8. A campus facilities master plan should be completed at an early
date. This plan should be economically pragmatic and should be predicated on
the goal of achieving greater efficiencies in use of existing facilities, and
in recognition of substantial unaddressed deferred maintenance of existing
facilities.