I just returned Wednesday from a National Science Board meeting and my participation will pay great dividends for Auburn in the coming years. We met with the new director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology policy, and we learned which big initiatives the White House will be pouring money into.

These priorities are additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, biotech and cybersecurity — all of these priorities fall right in line with Auburn’s strengths, and I’m really pleased about this.

First, I’m glad everyone here is seated, because what I’m about to say is going to surprise those who think things move slowly at Auburn.

The sense of urgency we have been creating is showing up everywhere, including dealing with our difficult parking situation. There has been tremendous progress on the College Street parking deck which was due to open around Labor Day in time for football season So much progress, in fact, that the deck is set to be completed by Memorial Day. And hopefully that schedule is a trend that will continue.

That project has moved along really quickly and these additional spaces will alleviate some of the demand on campus for parking spaces.

In other news … our athletics teams have continued their runs of success. There is some tough competition in the SEC—in all sports—but Auburn continues to be a fierce competitor.

Trustee Lanier and I spent last Saturday morning with our top-ranked equestrian team before their meet. And when you’re around our equestrian team, there is no doubt why they are the No. 1 team in the country right now. They are a dedicated group ­with a ton of talent, and Coach Williams does an outstanding job of leading the team.  As you may recall we are investing around $5 million in new and updated facilities for the Equestrian team and it was good for the two of us to walk those facilities together.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such great leaders for our athletics teams. Coach Williams, Coach Pearl, Coach Flo and all of our coaching staff continue to exemplify strong leadership and what it means to win with integrity. They’re active in the community, they’re involved on campus and they are great role models for our athletes and our younger fans.

And I’ll say this again, because it is most certainly worth repeating—we want our athletes to be just as successful off the court as they are in competition. Preparing all our students for success in their professional and personal lives is what we do best.

We always aim to be nimble and responsive to our students’ needs. And today, we are aware more than ever that our young people often face challenges that can be alleviated through counseling, and like most schools, we struggle to be fully staffed in this area.

In response, we will soon have two full-time psychiatrists on staff. We already have one, and we’re working to add another. Having psychiatrists on staff is a tremendous resource for our students. They don’t have to leave campus to see a medical professional who can also prescribe any needed medication.

In addition, we are taking a new approach by having Human Resources keep a job posting for a counselor open 24/7. We almost always have a need for additional support, and this way we will have a pool of applicants ready for us. And, by keeping the position open all the time, we won’t miss out on great candidates because we don’t have a posting advertised.

As a land-grant university, we are always focused on our students, but we also have a charge to serve the state of Alabama. One of the ways we do that is by serving as an economic driver for the state.

We are a force for good in our economy because we take Auburn expertise and combine it with the strengths of our partners in business and industry. And we’re thrilled to have Steve Pelham on board to help us continue to grow our economic development endeavors.

Most of you already know Steve from his work in the governor’s office. And you also know he brings with him contacts, relationships and the experience he’s gained over the years through his work in government, business and industry.  He had a large role in running the state and I am thrilled he is here to help us run his alma mater.

Auburn is a partnership university that is open for business, and Steve’s expertise will be valuable to us as we continue to advance the state of Alabama.

I recently had the opportunity to spotlight our work to keep the state’s economy moving forward by speaking at the Economic Development Association of Alabama’s winter conference.

The attendees were able to hear about initiatives we have underway at Auburn that stand to really make a big impact on Alabama’s economy, including our work in additive manufacturing with NASA and GE, our emphasis on entrepreneurial development and support, and the ways we’re working to keep people safe and secure.

I also had the opportunity to attend the APLU board meeting last week. We’re a big player in APLU and our leadership there sends a strong signal to our peers that Auburn is on the move. In fact, we now lead the southern cluster of APLU’S Center for Public University Transformation.  It’s another opportunity for us to increase our visibility.

Everyone in this room knows the incredible things that are happening at Auburn, and we want to take every opportunity to share this any way we can.

We have a full agenda today, and it’s full of things that stand to shape the future of our university. I’ll wrap things up so we can get to it.

I thank you for all you do to keep our great university moving forward. Thank you for your time. I’m happy to answer any questions.