A Message From Provost Nathan

Dear Colleagues,

At the semester’s midpoint, I am pleased to share updates that reflect Auburn’s academic progress, faculty engagement, and preparations for spring 2027. This month’s message includes updates on Democracy in Dialogue, our national rankings, new systems engineering certificates, Simple Syllabus, academic leadership searches, COACHE, departmental visits, faculty recognition, and fall commencement.

Many members of our campus community gathered yesterday to welcome Dr. Robert George and Dr. Cornel West back to campus for our Democracy in Dialogue Speaker Series. Throughout the day, they met with various groups, including our Foundation Fellows and several students from our law and justice, political science and education programs, before bringing those conversations to a broader audience at the Gogue Performing Arts Center. The evening event explored democracy, civil discourse and the importance of thoughtfully considering different perspectives. I was particularly struck by their genuine friendship and willingness to listen, challenge one another and find common ground despite their differences. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special event.

We also received some good news in the latest national rankings. Auburn advanced in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, entering the nation’s Top 100 universities and the Top 46 among public institutions. Supply Chain Management, Business Analytics, Accounting, Nursing, and Engineering earned strong national rankings, while Auburn gained ground in undergraduate teaching and support for veterans. In the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings released yesterday, Auburn advanced to the 601–650 range among nearly 2,300 universities worldwide.

In early September, the Board of Trustees approved two new 12-credit-hour certificates in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering: an Undergraduate Certificate in Systems Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering. Both are expected to launch in spring 2027 and will offer students additional opportunities to build expertise in systems design, integration, management, and digital and model-based approaches.

We continue to improve the Simple Syllabus rollout. New training videos and faculty sessions will begin in mid-October as we prepare for spring 2027. The university will introduce Course Masters to support consistency across multiple sections and simplify syllabus management. We continue to revise the university syllabus template in response to faculty feedback, providing greater flexibility and clarity while maintaining a common platform. Dr. Mark DeGoti and Dr. Asim Ali will share additional information soon.

Several of our academic leadership searches are moving to important stages. We recently completed interviews for director of the Honors College, and I appreciate everyone who participated and provided feedback. We expect to announce the outcome of that search soon. On-campus interviews for dean of the College of Nursing are nearing completion, and interviews will soon begin for dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. These searches depend on broad campus engagement, and I am grateful to everyone contributing to the process.

I also have an important update about COACHE, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After more than two decades of work focused on the faculty experience, COACHE has announced that it will conclude operations next year. Auburn was one of COACHE’s pilot institutions and has benefited from its work over many years. Although the program is ending, we remain committed to listening closely to faculty and finding effective ways to understand their experiences. What we learn will help strengthen Auburn as a place to teach, conduct research, and build a career.

Over the past several weeks, Dr. Angela Wiley, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and I have visited with faculty and staff across 16 academic departments in eight colleges. These conversations have been candid, thoughtful and constructive, even during the discussion of the more difficult issues. Recurring themes have included shared governance, faculty policies, compensation and retention, enrollment and resources, artificial intelligence, academic integrity, and Simple Syllabus. Faculty have also raised questions about graduate education, research support, international faculty and student issues, the core curriculum, and Auburn’s long-term academic direction. I look forward to continuing the visits throughout the year.

Nominations are open for the SEC Faculty Achievement Awards, which honor faculty from each SEC university for distinguished records in teaching and scholarship. I encourage you to consider colleagues whose work merits this recognition and submit nominations by the December 11 deadline.

Congratulations to Dr. Glenn Richey, Harbert Eminent Scholar of Supply Chain Management in the Harbert College of Business, on two recent honors. He was named a Distinguished Fellow and will be recognized as the 2026 Research Giant at the Bowersox Doctoral Symposium. These honors recognize his contributions to supply chain scholarship, research, mentorship, and academic leadership.

At fall commencement, Auburn alumnus Dr. Scott Hutchins, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist, will return to Auburn to address more than 2,500 graduates at our December 12 ceremonies. His more than three decades of experience in agricultural research, industry, and public service will offer graduates a valuable perspective.

I hope the upcoming fall break provides time to rest. Thank you for the care and commitment you bring to Auburn each day.