February 2010
War Eagle, and welcome to
eCommons, the
electronic version of
Auburn Commons.
Here's a look at what is happening this month:
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Auburn University breaks ground for new MRI research center
 Auburn University and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $21 million facility that will house Auburn University's new Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, Research Center on Thursday, Feb. 4. The facility will be located in the Auburn Research Park on Devall Drive.
The event included remarks by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, Auburn University President Jay Gogue, Auburn Board of Trustees member Charles McCrary, as well as Jeffrey Bundy, vice president, MRI, for Siemens Healthcare, and Laura Grill, executive vice president and administrator for East Alabama Medical Center.
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Auburn becomes one of first U.S. universities to measure gains in learning, writing abilities
 Recent results from a pioneering study involving more than two dozen colleges and universities across the nation show significant gains in the intellectual and academic skills of Auburn University students as they progress from freshmen to seniors.
The findings were presented recently to the Auburn Board of Trustees, which has supported the university's involvement in the program for data-based measurement of student learning since the program began in 2005.
The university's chief academic officer, Provost Mary Ellen Mazey, says results of the Collegiate Learning Assessment, or CLA, provide evidence that at Auburn, students are developing at a rapid pace key skills expected of a college graduate. Until recently, that was a claim that all colleges and universities made but few could document.
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Auburn Board of Trustees helps dedicate Auburn University's new Learning Commons
 Members of the Auburn University Board of Trustees and the president and chief executive officer of EBSCO Industries Inc., Dixon Brooke, participated recently in the dedication of the new Learning Commons in Auburn's Ralph Brown Draughon Library. Funding through a generous gift by EBSCO helped create this space that was designed to respond to the needs of today's students.
Throughout the past three years, the Libraries has worked closely with Auburn's students to gather input in order to have a space designed with the students and for the students. The Learning Commons features 300 additional power outlets, 10 group study rooms and almost 500 new seats.
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Auburn University Parents' Association awards $12,000 in grants
 The Auburn University Parents' Association has awarded grants totaling $12,000 to four recipients. The grants, in keeping with the AUPAs mission of providing both members and Auburn University with suitable programs and services that satisfactorily address both family and campus needs, covered a wide variety of programs across campus.
Overall proposals totaling $56,418.41 were received from eight organizations. The proposals had to include the effect of the respective effort as it pertained to Auburn and the student body, and to reflect positively on Auburn. The interested organizations were given a specific format, including a page limit and financial requirements, to be followed. AUPA formed a committee to review each grant, whose findings were approved by the full board of directors. Committee members were: Susan Pendleton (president, AUPA), Georgia Bentley, Cathy Benton, and Tim Rhyne (secretary, AUPA, and grant chair).
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National Weather Service awards Auburn University StormReady designation
 The National Weather Service has awarded Auburn University a StormReady designation for meeting specific criteria in the areas of advance planning, education and awareness that help ensure the safety of the campus community in the event of severe weather.
"We are very proud to receive the StormReady University designation," said Chance Corbett, Auburn's associate director for emergency management. "Auburn University takes the threat of severe weather seriously. We promptly inform our students, faculty and staff of severe weather through our AU Alert program, outdoor warning sirens and other means of notification. We will continue to educate the campus community and prepare for severe weather threats that may affect our campus."
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Auburn University bringing Disney Institute program to Auburn business community
 The Auburn University Office of Outreach has partnered with the Disney Institute's traveling professional development program, Disney Keys to Business Excellence, to bring the program to Auburn University on March 17.
In a one-day workshop, the program offers members of the local business community the opportunity to learn best business practices from Disney insiders, and ways to adapt and apply those best practices. The program consists of four 90-minute sessions: Leadership, Disney Style - to discover how effective leadership has been the catalyst at Disney to drive employee/customer satisfaction and bottom-line results; Management, Disney Style - to examine the importance of integrating an organization’s corporate culture into selection, training, and care of employees; Service, Disney Style - to explore world-renowned Disney principles for service excellence; Loyalty, Disney Style - to learn the key practices in building and sustaining loyalty that have made Disney a trusted and revered brand around the world for more than 75 years.
Registration and fees for the program are $395 per person and include course materials and a full day of catered meals and beverages. Group discounts are available, and no prerequisite training is required.
Visit www.KeysAuburnAL.com for details. Use promotional code AUBSTEE to receive $50 off per guest when registering.
For notification of upcoming Outreach Program Office events, please e-mail Gina Murray at gcm0002@auburn.edu and type "notify me" in the subject line.
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Join the Auburn Family
 Auburn University became one of the first universities to have its own social networking Web site with the launch of "Auburn Family," a site designed to inform and connect current and prospective students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and fans.
The site, which can be accessed at http://family.auburn.edu, allows users to manage their personal profile, upload Auburn-related photos, blogs and videos, set status updates and communicate with other members via their "comments wall" or direct messaging. The network also features current news stories about Auburn University from students' perspectives.
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Stay up-to-date with Wire Eagle
Sign up for Wire Eagle -- this free news wire will keep you informed about what's happening at Auburn each week, including news and announcements our Wire Eagle subscribers are the first to hear. Visit wireeagle.auburn.edu.
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FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ... |
Between the pages of Auburn Magazine
Auburn Magazine's spring issue, which mails this month, details everything you don't know about today's students, from tattoos to graduate school. Also on tap: An alumni brother-sister duo builds a business out of grits, and campus experts talk health care reform. Start receiving Auburn Magazine by joining your association today at www.aualum.org, and be sure to visit us online at auburn-magazine.blogspot.com.
Toomer's brick sales surpass $100K goal
The Auburn Alumni Association has generated more than $100,000 in scholarship funding through sales of its commemorative Toomer's bricks. The association began selling the bricks, which were unearthed from beneath Auburn University's beloved Toomer's Corner oaks as part of a conservation project, in May for $100 each. Proceeds from the brick sales are applied directly toward scholarships aimed at attracting the best and brightest students to Auburn. Fewer than 500 bricks remain. For more information or to order, contact scholarship coordinator Toni Littleton-Rich at (334) 844-7420 or e-mail tonilittletonrich@auburn.edu.
Alumni board nominations sought
The Auburn Alumni Association is soliciting nominations from alumni and friends of Auburn University for four directors, plus the positions of president and vice president, all of whom must be life members of the organization. Nominees for these volunteer positions should be willing to travel to Auburn at least three times a year. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. CST April 5. For more information and to download a nomination form, see www.aualum.org/news.
Gifts for graduates
Your Auburn Alumni Association offers great gifts for grads, from diploma frames and Balfour class rings to senior trips and association life memberships. When you shop through your association, a portion of the proceeds benefits alumni programs and services. Shop early for May graduates at www.aualum.org/shop/
gradgifts.html.
Member benefit: Auburn University Federal Credit Union
Members of the Auburn Alumni Association are now eligible to join Auburn University Federal Credit Union. To take advantage of the credit union's rates, show your active association membership identification card upon applying. To join the association, see www.aualum.org/
join.
Happy birthday
Turning 65 this year? The Auburn Alumni Association has a special birthday gift for you: This year only, you're eligible to join the association at 50 percent off our life member rates. Join or buy a birthday gift today at www.aualum.org/join by choosing "65 rate" in the drop-down menu. Life members receive Auburn's flagship quarterly alumni publication, Auburn Magazine, as well as local and national discounts, including assistance with long-term care plans.
Online career resources available for alumni
The Office of Alumni Affairs' career-services Web site offers information and resources for alumni who may be looking for a job change. For résumé-writing and interview tips, interest inventories, articles and more, see www.aualum.org/careers/career_resources.html.
Join the club
The Auburn Alumni Association boasts 99 local clubs around the nation. Show your spirit by getting involved with a club in your hometown today: See www.aualum.org/clubs for details on upcoming meetings and events.
Come fly with us
War Eagle Travelers tours span the globe: This year's destinations include Austria, Greece and a special trip to Costa Rica for young alumni, plus exotic locales in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea - even a Tanzanian safari! Call (334) 844-1143 or see www.aualum.org/travel for a complete list.
Did you know?
The Auburn Alumni Association boasts more than 45,000 members across the nation. We traveled more than 4,500 miles last year to support our 99 clubs in their community outreach and fundraising efforts on behalf of Auburn University; we toured with nearly 200 international travelers last year; and we serve 12,000 alumni and friends each year at the Alumni Hospitality Tent on home game days. We are one of the strongest alumni associations in the nation. Thank you for making us great!
Save these dates
- Lifetime Achievement Awards Banquet, March 6. Info: Contact Tanja Matthews at (334)844-1113 or tanjamatthews@auburn.edu, or see www.aualum.org/lifetime.
- Atlanta Auburn Club, April 20. Annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik. Info: www.atlantaauburnclub.com.
- Golden Eagles Reunion, April 22-24. Auburn’s traditional Golden Eagles Reunion honors the class of 1960 - the year Alabama Polytechnic Institute was renamed Auburn University. The event also celebrates API’s classes of 1940, 1945, 1950 and 1955. Info: See http://www.aualum.org/events/golden-eagles.html or contact Scott Greenwood at (334) 844-2995 or scottgreenwood@auburn.edu.
- Tampa Bay Auburn Club/Florida West Coast Auburn Club, April 26. Joint annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik in Tampa, Fla. Info: www.aualum.org/clubs/meetings.html.
- Emerald Coast Auburn Club, April 27. Annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik at the Emerald Coast Conference Center, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Info: www.emeraldcoastauburnclub.com.
- Montgomery Auburn Club, May 3. Annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik at the Alcazar Shriner’s Temple. Info: www.aualum.org/clubs/meetings.html.
- Shoals Auburn Club, May 4. Annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence. Info: site.shoalsauburnclub.com.
- Huntsville-Madison County Auburn Club, May 11. Annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik. Info: www.huntsvilleauburnclub.com.
- Mobile Auburn Club/Baldwin County Auburn Club, May 13. Joint annual meeting with Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik in Mobile. Info: www.aualum.org/clubs/meetings.html.
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