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Empowering Excellence
Welcome to Auburn University! As a valued member of the Auburn family, we are excited to have you join us as we build a culture of excellence.
This guide is primarily for Staff and Administrative & Professional, or A&P, employees, though some parts may also apply to Faculty, temporary employees, and student employees. The guide features information to help familiarize you with our university’s policies, practices, and expectations. You will find information on a wide range of topics. These topics include employee benefits, campus resources, employee rights and responsibilities, and policies and procedures.
Auburn is dedicated to cultivating an environment where every individual has the chance to thrive and succeed. Our vision is centered on values that are inspiring, innovating, and transforming. By upholding these values, we foster a campus community that appreciates and honors differences while promoting mutual respect among our esteemed faculty, dedicated staff, and talented students.
Auburn extends beyond its physical campus and structures. It transcends being merely a place for intellectual growth or employment.
Here at Auburn, we aspire to excel in everything we do. Your contributions, regardless of your job title or duties, play a crucial role in making that aspiration a reality.
War Eagle!
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Employee Guide Sections
Our Vision
Our vision is to lead and shape the future of higher education. It is deliberately intended to be lofty — realistic and ever challenging while also bold and ambitious.
It is a challenge to us to achieve greatness. Our vision is an invitation to the Auburn Family and those who do not yet know Auburn University to join us in our quest to inspire, innovate, and transform.
Our Mission
As a land-grant institution, Auburn University is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Alabama, the nation, and the world through forward-thinking education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, and selfless service.
Auburn University’s mission concisely describes our central purpose. Our mission statement begins with a reference to the university’s origins and obligations as a public land-grant university.
The 1862 Morrill Act created institutions of higher education that focused on agriculture and mechanical arts — a response to changing social and economic conditions. Land-grant universities would provide practical solutions to pressing societal problems and provide higher education to a much broader segment of American citizenry.
How Auburn Serves Students
We endeavor to expand their minds, broaden their experiences, and hone their capabilities by imparting both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Our goal is to empower and inspire our students to be their very best and to achieve their hopes and dreams.
We support, build upon, and leverage the expertise of our faculty, students, and partners to discover, innovate, and create new science, new technologies, and new applications and methodologies that tangibly improve our world.
Our duty is to enable our students, graduates, faculty, and partners to transform the fruits of our research and scholarship into products, methods, and services that meet our communities’ most pressing needs. Delivering real-world, practical solutions is what sets land-grant universities apart and is core to Auburn University’s foundation.
Our Story
East Alabama Male College was chartered in 1856 as a private liberal arts school under the guidance of the Methodist Church. It opened its doors in 1859 to a student body of 80 and a faculty of 10.
From 1861 to 1866 the college was closed because of the Civil War. Due to dire financial straits, the Methodist Church transferred legal control of the institution to the state in 1872, making it the first land-grant college in the South to be established separate from the state university. It thus became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.
Women were admitted in 1892, making Auburn the oldest four-year, coeducational school in the state and the second oldest in the Southeast. In 1899, the name was again changed to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
In 1960, the school officially acquired the name it has long been called in keeping with its location, size, and mission — Auburn University. Auburn University at Montgomery was established as a separately accredited campus in 1967.
Auburn University today is a comprehensive land, sea, and space grant institution – among the few that hold that distinction – occupying more than 1,840 acres and helping fulfill the dreams of over 31,000 students. Auburn now has more than 315,000 graduates.
Our Traditions
Auburn University's core traditions are passion and spirit. These are the hallmarks of the Auburn Family, and you would be hard-pressed to find a program more steeped in tradition. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!
Our Creed
The Auburn University Creed is a set of guiding principles that embodies the values and beliefs of the university. It was written in 1943 by George Petrie, a history professor and former football coach.
The Creed reflects the spirit of the Auburn Family and serves as a moral compass for students, employees, faculty, and alumni. It reflects the institution's commitment to providing a well-rounded education that fosters personal and intellectual growth while instilling a strong sense of responsibility, integrity, and citizenship in its students.
Important to Note
As stated above, the Employee Guide was developed specifically for Staff and Administrative & Professional (A&P) employees of Auburn University. Faculty members are also encouraged to reference the Faculty Handbook, as it includes policies and procedures that uniquely pertain to Faculty.
If there is a conflict, University Policies supersede the Employee Guide or any previous employee handbooks.
