February 2008

War Eagle and welcome to
eCommons, the
electronic version of
Auburn Commons.

Here's a look at what is happening this month:

Auburn University is developing a strategic plan to help crystallize its aspirations and mission, define its distinctive initiatives and determine its priorities. This is an exciting process that deserves the best ideas and energy, and the entire Auburn community is encouraged to participate.

An online survey is being conducted until March 7, 2008. All this information will be integrated into the next steps in the process, which include establishing Auburn’s aspirations for a decade and selecting among strategic options for achieving them.  As this effort continues, we will seek further input from the Auburn community.

China recognizes AU’s fisheries program as best in the world

The government of China has recognized Auburn University’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures as housing the premier program of its type in the world.

Following that designation and with funding support from the Chinese government, AU and China’s Ocean University are establishing a five-year exchange program for graduate students and faculty.

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Harry Melvin Philpott, who served as Auburn University’s 11th president from 1965-1980, died January 28, 2008. He was 90 years old.

During his tenure, Philpott led AU through what was up to that time the university’s greatest period of growth. He is credited with broadening AU into a truly comprehensive university in addition to an agricultural and mechanical college. Known for his congenial manner, Philpott was often called a “people person” and friends and colleagues remember him being accessible to all university groups, especially students.

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Economics faculty at Auburn University achieved high rankings in a newly published study in the Southern Economic Journal that examined research productivity and impact in the area of economic education from 1991-2005.

Economics departments were ranked on total citations and citations per author. Auburn ranked 14th, just ahead of such noted institutions as Princeton and the University of Toronto. The top three ranking universities for research in this discipline were Vanderbilt, Indiana and Wisconsin.

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Scholarship funding at AU surges 25 percent this year

Auburn University has seen a 25 percent increase in funding for student scholarships this academic year to a record $18.5 million.

Auburn students saw an increase in funding for both need-based and merit-based scholarships. Spirit of Auburn scholarships, a new program of financial assistance for students with outstanding academic records, led the way, with more than $2.5 million in scholarships in its first year.

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Auburn University’s popular transit system, Tiger Transit, reached a milestone in 2007 carrying more than 2 million riders, nearly tripling the number of riders the system carried only five years ago.

Last year, the system carried 2,077,714 riders, up substantially from the 765,757 riders the system transported during the 2002 calendar year. The Tiger Transit system operates a full fleet of 42 buses on more than 20 routes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day that classes are in session during fall and summer semesters.

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Auburn University has launched a dedicated channel on the widely popular video-sharing Web site, YouTube.

The channel currently features more than 60 videos including various lectures and events as well as several student study abroad experiences. Among the most viewed clips are videos of AU’s beloved mascot Aubie and a promotional video featuring AU alumni reading the Auburn Creed.

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Students in an award-winning professor’s biology course at Auburn took part in an experiment during fall semester - not a biology experiment, but one aimed at reducing the cost of textbooks, which frequently cost $100 or more for each book.

After using a hardcover biology text for most of the semester in Associate Professor Bob Lishak’s Biology 1010 class, the students turned to a second text for the final few weeks. In the past, students have either had to buy the textbook for approximately $100, a used version for half to two-thirds that amount or its electronic version for approximately $65.

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