Auburn Board of Trustees receives COVID-19 update

The Auburn University Board of Trustees met May 7 via teleconference for a status update concerning COVID-19 and university operations.

President Jay Gogue, Chief Operating Officer Ron Burgess, Provost Bill Hardgrave, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Bobby Woodard, Auburn University at Montgomery Chancellor Carl Stockton and Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Dan King each gave updates.

Wayne Smith, president pro tem of the board, commended all of Auburn’s faculty, staff and students for the “tremendous sacrifices” they have made during this unprecedented time.

Gogue said Auburn continues to be compliant with state and federal rules and guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rules and guidelines of the regional accreditors and specialized accrediting groups.

He added that Auburn remains in good financial health, especially compared to peers in higher education, and the university is currently focusing on maximum flexibility for the summer and the start of fall semester.

“We plan to have students here this fall,” said Hardgrave, as the university considers what that looks like.

Stockton said a planning committee at AUM is also working to determine what the fall semester will look like with safety protocols in place.

Hardgrave said the spring semester went well, despite all classes switching to online delivery in March. The proof is in class withdrawals. He said there were 12 percent fewer withdrawals this spring compared to last spring. He attributed this action to the “resilience of our students.”

With May graduation exercises postponed until the end of summer, Hardgrave said 92 percent of spring graduates reported they will participate in graduation on Aug. 8-9.

Summer semester enrollment is up 7 percent compared to last summer. Hardgrave said more students will be taking more hours this summer. Additionally, the Auburn First program, which allows high school students to take official Auburn University courses for both college and high school credit, was opened up for the first time to incoming freshmen. He said more than 400 freshmen submitted applications for summer classes so far.

Stockton said AUM’s summer semester enrollment is currently at 95 percent and fall applications are up 19 percent. He added that AUM is planning for its summer graduation ceremony on Aug. 15.

Burgess and Stockton said each campus received its stimulus money under the CARES Act and will be distributing it to students in need in the coming weeks.

With the university announcing last week that it was extending its operational modifications through June 30, Burgess said Auburn is currently working on a plan for after June 30 and will announce it at the beginning of June.

“Our overriding principle is to focus on the mission of Auburn University and the safety and welfare of students, faculty and employees,” he said.

Burgess said Auburn is tracking withdrawals due to COVID-19 and so far there have been 19 such requests. The number of withdrawals is lower than what the university predicted. 

Woodard said students are planning for fall with housing capacity at 99 percent. He expects it to reach 100 percent with a waiting list by next week. If necessary, he added that two residence halls can be used for isolation.

About 45 families are utilizing the campus food pantry and students continue to access counseling services via teletherapy.

Woodard added that Student Involvement was recently recognized nationally for its efforts in transitioning to virtual organization management.

King said all 12 capital projects are proceeding as scheduled, including the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center and the academic classroom and laboratory complex. He said 110 projects, mostly maintenance, are scheduled for the summer.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be its annual meeting. Although it is scheduled for June 5, Smith said it may change to July 9.