A Message From Provost Nathan

Dear Colleagues,

As we welcome students back to campus and begin a new academic year, I am grateful for the care, energy, and commitment you bring to Auburn’s academic community. I am sharing several updates as we prepare for the weeks ahead.

Next weekend’s summer commencement will be a joyful moment for more than 1,300 graduates and their families as they join the Auburn Alumni family. Our commencement speaker, Dr. L. Gordon Sumner Jr., brings a distinguished record of military service and principled leadership, and his address will underscore the values of service, purpose, and civic responsibility that continue to define an Auburn education.

We are also preparing to welcome our fall 2026 class. Current enrollment indicators remain strong: the anticipated first-year class is slightly ahead of last year, and domestic graduate applications have increased by more than 15 percent over the past two years. We continue to monitor national trends that may affect international graduate enrollment while focusing on students who will contribute to the strength and vitality of our campus community. With summer orientation complete, undergraduate applications for fall 2027 open this weekend.

Before the fall semester begins, our deans, associate deans, and department heads and chairs will gather for the annual Provost Office Academic Leadership Retreat on August 13. Our sessions will focus on the academic priorities ahead, including key strategic initiatives, the university’s comprehensive advancement campaign, and implementation of the new syllabus repository.

These conversations will extend into the semester. Beginning later this month, I will visit departments across campus, with most meetings now scheduled. I always appreciate the opportunity to hear directly from faculty, learn more about departmental priorities, and discuss our collective work ahead.

As we launch Auburn’s new syllabus repository, Drs. Mark DeGoti and Asim Ali will continue to provide updates on training opportunities, office hours, system navigation, and best practices to help faculty prepare and publish course syllabi. I hope these resources will be useful as the new process moves forward. Information regarding the establishment of the Presidential Academic Advisory Council will continue to be provided through separate updates.

We are also monitoring federal policy developments that may affect international students and faculty. Last week, the Office of International Programs published guidance on significant immigration changes affecting F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors. Scheduled to take effect September 15, the regulations introduce changes to admission periods and other requirements for many international students, scholars, and academic programs. The office will continue to share updates and host campus information sessions as additional guidance becomes available.

Work on our Faculty Compensation Analysis also continued this summer. Over the past several months, we have gathered thoughtful feedback from faculty and academic leaders, benchmarked our practices against those of peer institutions, and reviewed our current approach with Huron Consulting Group. This assessment is helping define principles for a compensation program that is consistent, transparent, and sustainable. Although it will not lead to immediate salary adjustments, it will establish groundwork for future decisions.

I am also pleased to recognize several university accomplishments. Congratulations to our Human Resources team for receiving the 2026 CUPA-HR HR Innovation Award for the TIGER Tech Leaders program, and to the College of Education for earning a 2026 CASE Silver Circle of Excellence Award for its reimagined digital magazine, The Keystone.

This fall, our campus will host the second Democracy in Dialogue Signature Speaker Series event. As part of Auburn’s America 250 initiative, distinguished scholars Cornel West and Robert P. George will visit campus on Wednesday, September 30, for a conversation on civic engagement, civil discourse, and the principles of American democracy. Faculty, staff, and student ticket reservations open Monday, August 24, and I encourage you to reserve seats for what promises to be a substantive and engaging discussion.

I look forward to engaging with many of you in the weeks ahead as we continue advancing Auburn’s academic mission together. Thank you for the many ways you support our students, our colleagues, and the work of our university.