Dear Colleagues,
I trust you had an enjoyable spring break and are ready for the final weeks of the semester. While it seemed to go by quickly, March was certainly an eventful month for our campus with many reasons to celebrate the achievements of our students, as we will continue to do throughout April and the lead up to commencement.
In just over a month, we will celebrate the hard work and achievements of nearly 5,300 spring graduates across eight commencement ceremonies. As we get ready to welcome more than 30,000 families and guests to campus, I'm excited to introduce our distinguished commencement speakers. Announced last week, our spring speakers include five remarkable alumni whose professional experiences and personal journeys will undoubtedly inspire our students. Our ceremonies are always live-streamed, so I invite you to view online as they deliver their messages.
As we prepare to say goodbye to one cohort of students, we're excited to welcome a new one this fall. With a record number of applications – just over 59,000 – we are again preparing for a first-year class of just over 6,000 undergraduate students. As we've done in previous summers, we'll launch a new Common Book to coincide with our summer orientation for incoming undergraduates. At the March Senate meeting, I was pleased to announce this year’s selection: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Chosen by our Common Book Selection Committee, this novel, published in 2022, was selected for its ability to underscore the importance of empathy and explore the complexities of human connections using video games as a metaphor for life’s challenges – key values illustrated in the Auburn Creed.
During last week’s General Faculty Meeting, I provided an update on our comprehensive Core Curriculum Review process. Auburn has not undertaken a comprehensive review of our core in close to two decades; therefore, the reimagining of our core curriculum presents an opportunity to consider those courses that serve as a foundational base for our majors and minors. With our Steering Working group now established, we are in the process of forming an Advisory Working Group. These groups will meet before the end of the semester and will begin an inclusive process this fall which will engage stakeholders from across campus.
I thank those of you who participated in this month’s elections for our next slate of Senate leaders. Your engagement in Auburn’s shared governance process contributes to a strong and collaborative partnership as we collectively advance Auburn's mission. I look forward to working with our next group of senate leaders.
Earlier this month, we announced the opening of applications for The Southeastern Conference Faculty Travel program. Awarded annually, these grants offer a fantastic opportunity for our faculty to collaborate across diverse areas of interest and programs with faculty at other SEC institutions. Additional information is available on the website, and I encourage any faculty interested to apply by the April 14 deadline.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Sushil Adhikari, Alumni Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering, for being selected as our recipient of the 2025 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. As the director of the Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts and the interim associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture, Dr. Adhikari will represent our institution as a nominee for the SEC Professor of the Year, which will be announced later this spring.
Also, I know I speak for all of us when I congratulate our current and former student-athletes who continue to bring pride and recognition to our university. It has been especially thrilling to watch our men’s basketball team this season as they earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Final Four this weekend!
We are also incredibly proud to see former Auburn swimmer and 2007 College of Human Sciences alumna Kirsty Coventry, one of our 2024 commencement speakers, elected president of the International Olympic Committee earlier this month.
I wish everyone a productive final few weeks of classes and thank you for all you do for Auburn University.
