Dear Colleagues,

As we conclude the fall semester, I know we are all looking forward to a well-deserved break. I hope this note finds you feeling a sense of personal accomplishment as well as pride in your contributions to the university and to our students. 

This year was marked by several significant achievements, most notably the successful reaffirmation of our accreditation by the SACS Commission on Colleges, which was announced earlier today. Auburn’s reaccreditation is external validation of the quality of the student experience across the university, and it reflects the exceptional work of our faculty and staff to advance our mission. As you know, the accreditation process is an immense undertaking, and I offer my sincerest thanks to everyone who participated in the three-year effort to document our compliance with the 72 accreditation standards. As we celebrate this momentous accomplishment, we also resolve to carry this momentum forward as we transition to implementing our Quality Enhancement Plan, AUBURNACHIEVE.

Our QEP provides a strategic focus on student success by employing more data-driven approaches to advancing student career outcomes. Of course, a wonderful mark of our students' success will occur this weekend when we celebrate more than 1,800 graduates at our commencement ceremonies. Tom Dempsey, a 1989 Industrial Design graduate, celebrated entrepreneur, and policy advocate will provide the commencement address. I invite you to join Saturday’s livestream and hear his inspiring words to our graduates.

The new year will also bring continued work on our strategic planning efforts. Last month, the planning committee extended its reach from engaging members of our campus community to various stakeholders across the state. The opportunity to host listening sessions with members of the Auburn Family has yielded additional insights and ideas on ways to make Auburn an even better place to learn, work, and live, complementing many of the key themes identified during our on-campus sessions. Questions regarding institutional growth, scaling our programs, investing in faculty and staff, and implementing more efficient and innovative practices to support collaboration remain at the forefront of these discussions. The collective feedback from the listening sessions will also inform a strategic planning survey in January. I encourage you to respond to the survey and invite anyone with an idea for a strategic initiative to submit a white paper, the deadline for which was requested to be extended to January 15.

Also, in January and February, we will begin welcoming candidates to campus as part of the searches for leadership positions, including national searches for a permanent director of the Honor’s College and deans of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction; the Harbert College of Business; and the College of Nursing. Faculty engagement with these searches is critical to our success as we identify the best candidates to help shape our university’s future for years to come. I encourage you to engage in these processes by attending open forums and providing feedback.

As we conclude another successful semester and calendar year, I am deeply grateful for our faculty’s exceptional scholarship and commitment to excellence, all of which made these accomplishments and many others possible. I am confident that 2024 will bring new opportunities for us to continue our efforts to raise our university to even greater heights. If my office can be of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

I wish you and yours a joyful holiday season. 

War Eagle,