Historically, the participation of black alumni at public universities is low, so to see so many devoted Auburn alums here tonight is fantastic. I see some familiar faces, and I look forward to meeting some new ones this weekend!

I also extend my appreciation to the committee of alumni who were integral to the planning of this exciting weekend, and I hear you have planned a few days full of fun, fellowship and Auburn spirit.

And congratulations to tonight’s honorees. It’s inspiring to see so many alumni represented and so many accomplishments honored. You make valuable professional contributions, and we are very proud of all you’ve achieved.

It’s been 54 years since Harold Franklin first enrolled at Auburn, making history and setting the bar as a true pioneer. He embodied the finest characteristics of an Auburn man. He believed in hard work, he had a spirit that was not afraid, and he accomplished great things because he stayed driven and focused. And when I look around the room, that’s what I see here.

You’re committed to Auburn and your dedication to seeing the university we all love succeed was evidenced by your support of our latest fundraising campaign.

To commemorate 1964, the year Harold Franklin enrolled at Auburn, you set a goal to secure donations from 1,964 individual donors. You aimed to raise $3.5 million.

In December, at the close of the Because This is Auburn Campaign, we found out that you not only met your goals but you exceeded expectations. More than 2,000 black alumni donors contributed more than $4.2 million to Auburn. That’s huge!

I’m so appreciative of the opportunities I’ve had since arriving at Auburn a little over a year ago to support and advance a campus culture of inclusion and diversity. I firmly believe that better decisions are made when diverse voices and perspectives are at the table.

This is a hallmark of my administrative style as seen in my cabinet meetings, but I need additional diverse voices. In the past 12 months, the composition of our senior leadership has already changed. I’m not going to name them all, but you know who some are. Our leadership team is really hitting their stride, and I firmly believe it’s due to the diversity of voices that are being heard.

We’ve made some strategic investments to elevate and advance diversity and inclusion at Auburn. Dr. Clayton and her team are working hard to move these initiatives forward, and it’s been exciting to see the outcomes of the successful partnerships OID has forged on campus.

Dr. Clayton has been an energetic leader in the almost two years she’s been at Auburn. She is leading the effort to propel us to where we want and need to be in making Auburn a more welcoming place. The senior leadership continues to look to her for ideas and innovation on how to achieve those goals. I continue to value and seek her perspective and leadership as we move forward.

But I know Auburn can and must do better in the makeup of our faculty, staff and students. And it is one of the university’s priorities moving forward. I like to say that we’re a continuous improvement model. We realize we have work to do, especially with respect to our undergraduate population. And I don’t have to tell you this, I know our African American alumni are very tuned into these numbers, and I and members of our Board are as well.

Around the country, the number of high school students approaching college-age is declining. We’re fortunate in the South, because that reality has not yet affected us. Plus, we have an incredible opportunity to improve our outreach efforts to African American students and we’re being very intentional and strategic about this. In other words, we have not gone as deep into a great pool of potential students as we should.

As you may know, we are in the process of developing a new strategic plan—a roadmap that will carry Auburn into the future. And improving our outreach efforts to be more inclusive is top of my mind and will continue to be a priority as we move forward with the plan.

I’ve also tasked my cabinet with developing and implementing strategies that will help us increase the number of African American students who not only enroll at Auburn, but long before applications are due, I want them to view Auburn as the institution of choice.

And you can continue to help us show the value of an Auburn education. This room is filled with Auburn success stories. As leaders in business and industry, as architects and healthcare providers, as community leaders and influencers, you are some of the best ambassadors we could ask for at Auburn.

Again, thank you all for being here tonight. I hope you enjoy your weekend, and thank you for being such great supporters of Auburn University. War Eagle!