5/9/02
Roy Summerford, 334/844-9999
$10 MILLION GIFT TO AU TO SUPPORT CENTER FOR TEACHING SKILLS
AUBURN -- Auburn University will use a $10 million endowment from the estate of a prominent Birmingham couple to establish a center to help faculty enhance their teaching skills.
The Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning was made possible through the estate gift of former insurance executive Alvin A. Biggio, who died in 1989, and his wife, Mila Biggio, who died in November 2000. Interest from the endowment will permanently fund the center.
Alvin Biggio retired in 1969 as senior vice president of Liberty National Life Insurance Co. A 1929 graduate of Auburn, he led a campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s that raised $3 million for university improvements. In recognition of Biggio's career achievements and in appreciation of his support for Auburn, the university bestowed an honorary degree on him in 1965. Biggio Drive south of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum is named for him.
Interim AU President William F. Walker said the Biggio gift will have positive implications for future generations of Auburn students and their faculty.
"This major gift from Alvin and Mila Biggio will enable Auburn to ensure that the faculty have teaching skills to match their knowledge of the material," he said. "Universities devote substantial resources to helping faculty continually develop knowledge in their subject areas, but faculty in the past were largely on their own when it came to developing the skills they need to effectively share that knowledge and understanding with their students.
"With the Biggio endowment, all Auburn faculty will have access to the best training and resources available to help them reach and maintain their full potential in the classroom."
The center will be housed in Ralph Brown Draughon Library and will promote professional growth and development for faculty, graduate teaching assistants and administrative and professional staff who work closely with students.
The focus will be on development of knowledge, techniques and skills related to teaching of undergraduates, said Linda Glaze, assistant provost for undergraduate studies.
Faculty at the center will assemble resource materials, conduct workshops and advise individual faculty on teaching techniques, student learning styles, course and curriculum development, teaching technologies, evaluation of teaching and preparation of teaching portfolios.
The university has begun a nationwide search for a director with experience in faculty development for undergraduate education at other institutions. Glaze said she anticipates candidates coming to campus this fall, followed quickly by the selection of a director.
"This is a new endeavor for Auburn, but a number of universities have successfully established faculty development centers," said Glaze. "The advantage for Auburn is that we can learn from their experience and, we hope, move rapidly to establish a center that will be a major asset to our faculty and the students they teach."
may02: AU-biggio