Dear Colleagues,
As July concludes, I hope your summer has been both productive and enjoyable. With final exams next week, summer graduation just around the corner, and students soon returning to campus, it is hard to believe that the fall semester is only a few weeks away.
As we prepare to celebrate our nearly 1,300 summer graduates on August 9, we are excited to host our commencement speaker, Dr. Neil Lamb, a 1992 COSAM graduate and president of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, whose accomplishments and insights will undoubtedly inspire our newest alumni.
Looking just beyond summer, the start of the new academic year brings its own sense of excitement and opportunity—new faces, new initiatives, and new ways to advance our mission. In the coming weeks, we will be joined by nearly 70 new tenure-track faculty members, each bringing unique expertise and fresh perspectives. I look forward to the impact they’ll make across all dimensions of our mission—instruction, research, and extension.
In a few weeks, my office will host our annual Academic Leadership Retreat with our deans, and department chairs and heads, which is always a valuable opportunity to align priorities, share insights, and strengthen collaboration within and across our academic units. This year’s agenda includes timely topics such as identifying areas for immediate and sustained institutional effectiveness, strategic approaches to graduate education, and the evolving impact of NIL on our academic mission. We will also discuss how changes to our campus and academic facilities projects are supporting our work. We will also launch an internal search for an interim Dean of the Graduate School this fall—an important role in our discussions about the next chapter of graduate education at Auburn. More details about this search are forthcoming.
Earlier this month, the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment’s Kreher Preserve & Nature Center Environmental Education Building was named the GOLD Winner in the Institutions Category for the 2025 World Architecture News (WAN) Awards, recognizing its innovative architectural design. The WAN Awards Americas showcase the very best projects and practices from across the USA, Canada, and South America. This facility exemplifies Auburn’s commitment to blending environmental stewardship and academic excellence, serving as a model for other universities looking to integrate nature and learning with effective design.
Also, during the annual International Writing Across the Curriculum conference earlier this month, Auburn’s University Writing program received the 2025 Exemplary Enduring WAC Program Award from the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum and the WAC Clearinghouse. Now in its 15th year, Auburn’s program continues to foster a strong culture of writing across disciplines, blending student success and faculty development.
I’m also pleased to share that Dr. William Powell, a Charles Barkley Endowed Professor in the Department of Music, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Thomas R. Smith Award for Excellence in Choral Music by the Alabama Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. This prestigious award honors Dr. Powell’s outstanding leadership, artistry, and lasting contributions to choral music in Alabama and beyond.
I again invite you to help recognize our colleagues by submitting nominations for Auburn’s annual Faculty Awards. These honors celebrate outstanding achievements across our academic community. Submissions are open now, and I encourage you to nominate yourself or others before the September 19 deadline. More information, including award categories and submission guidelines, is available on the Provost’s Office website.
Finally, in last month’s message, I shared updates on the university’s efforts to support digital accessibility. This includes ensuring that instructional materials, such as syllabi, lecture slides, PDFs, videos, and other online course content, meet federal accessibility standards. For many faculty, this means integrating tactical tools and consistent practices such as accessible document formats, providing captions for video content, including alt text for images, and screen reader compatibility. A comprehensive website, with additional information and resources, will be launched in the coming weeks. However, the Biggio Center’s instructional technology support team is available to support faculty in implementing these practices effectively.
Thank you for all that you do for Auburn University. I appreciate your dedication and look forward to working with you in the upcoming academic year. |
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