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NROTC Alumni

History:

The AU NROTC Alumni Association was founded in 1994 by Eugene Thompson, Alan Reeves and Brook Wright to support the unit students' educational needs, to promote activities of a patriotic nature, and to provide social and recreational activities for its members. In 1995 the AU NROTC Alumni Association Endowment Fund for Scholarships was created through the generosity of association members to fund annual leadership scholarships. The organization grew to over 100 dues-paying members and 9 active directors during the 1990s.

During the past 20 years member donations, in the form of annual dues, have provided leadership scholarships, computer lab equipment and software, digital support equipment, professional development activities for unit students, and recreational gatherings for alumni members. This alumni support essentially filled some gaps in the Navy funding of the units.

These activities were made possible through the volunteer efforts of a board of directors that managed alumni contact efforts, dues collection, activity planning and execution, budgeting of resources, and selection of scholarship recipients.

Current Organization:

In 2012, the directors elected to reorganize the association from a dues-paying association of limited membership to one that includes all graduates, spouses and unit staff as members. In order to support the future educational and professional development needs of students, the AU NROTC Alumni Association Endowed Fund for Excellence was created. This fund, managed by the Auburn University Foundation, provides direct financial proceeds to the Professor of Naval Science annually.  Therefore, PNS will be able to make unit financial support decisions in a timely and effective manner irrespective of the volunteer presence of directors.

Our hope is to always have a robust alumni presence at our beloved NROTC unit, but the directors thought it best to plan for periods during which there may be a gap in alumni director leadership. Through this general endowment, the PNS will be able to fill gaps in Navy funding in perpetuity.

Board of Directors:

Chairman
Scott E. Smith, '81, Aviation Management
CDR, USN, aviator, A-7/FA-18, retired

Note:  Heart felt thanks to Michael Shelby, '68 and Greg Harris'68, recently "retired" directors who served 20 years!

Status of Endowments:

1. Scholarship Endowment: A “mature” endowment that typically funds 2-4 $1000 leadership scholarships annually, depending on annual returns. For 2015 the board of directors selected 4 NROTC students to receive $1,000 scholarships. .
2. Fund for Excellence: A fund established for programmatic improvements and academic/professional development activities of the NROTC Unit. This fund is currently in development and requires a minimum corpus of $25,000 to become endowed. Target value to support future activities at historical levels: $50,000 .

How to Support and Give Back:

1. Mail your donation check directly to the Auburn University Foundation, Office of Development and Special Missions, 317 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36849, Attn: Special Projects Officer. Your check should be made out to Auburn University Foundation with the following on the memo line: AU NROTC FFE/30367269. 
2. You may also access the Auburn Foundation online to make a one-time donation or recurring pledge to the Fund for Excellence via the auburn.edu/nrotc/alumni web site (look for the giving link) or directly at develop.auburn.edu.

Activities:

• A-Day Spring Football scrimmage: date TBD
• Homecoming Tailgate: 03 October, 2015 vs San Jose State.
• Armed Forces Appreciation Tailgate: 21 November, 2015 vs Idaho.

Note: Tailgates commence 3 hours prior to kickoff on Nichols Center lawn. Bring your own food and beverages.

Last Updated: Jul. 15, 2015