The First, Few, Only and Unusual - Auburn Accomplishments

• Auburn University programs named to U.S. News & World Report's inaugural Top Online Education Program Honor Roll for 2012
• Auburn University has been named by Kiplinger's Personal Finance as one of the top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2011-12
• 2010-11 National Prestigious Scholarship Winners
• In 2009, Auburn University senior Jordan Anderson was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, one of the nation's top academic awards, to do graduate work at the University of Oxford in England. He is just one of 32 recipients from the United States who will join fellow scholars from around the world. Anderson is from Roanoke, Va., is a swim team captain and has done organic chemistry research on the phototyzing effects of UV light on the eye.
• After conducting its annual review of nursing education programs in the state, the Alabama Board of Nursing reported a 100% pass rate for Auburn University nursing students who sat for the NCLEX-RN® exam for the first time.  Auburn's 100% pass rate exceeds the 2009 national average of 88.5% for first-time student taking the exam. The NCLEX-RN® examination tests the entry-level nursing competence of students seeking licensure as registered nurses.  In addition, the board reported that Auburn University met all three Outcome Standards for graduates of its BSN program.
• Results from a pioneering study known as the Collegiate Learning Assessment at more than two dozen colleges and universities around the nation show significant gains in the intellectual skills of Auburn students -- more than 100 points on SAT-equivalent tests -- from their freshman to senior years. Auburn placed in the top third of the institutions participating.
  
• Auburn doubled the number of National Merit Scholars in 2009, moving up to fourth in the SEC and 34th nationally. National Merit Scholars finalists receive full tuition for four years and additional financial and educational incentives (http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/1341).
• Auburn University figured prominently among the reasons the City of Auburn was named one of the 2009 10 Best Places to Live by U.S. News & World Report.
  
• AU is among a distinctive body of institutions designated as land, sea and space grant universities.
• Auburn is one of five universities in the country with the capability and expertise to conduct research into nuclear waste storage for recycling.
  
• The university is the oldest four-year, coeducational school in the state and the second-oldest in the Southeast. Women were first admitted in 1892.
  
• Auburn's bachelor of wireless engineering degree is the first in the country.
  
• Cancer research is a top focus of the College of Veterinary Medicine, one of the few veterinary colleges in the country with an on-campus linear accelerator, MRI and CT-scan.
  
• Auburn has the Southeast's first program in software engineering.
  
• Auburn's new curriculum in automotive engineering and manufacturing is the first of its kind in the Southeast.
  
• Auburn has been actively involved in aviation education since 1941 and has consistently been a leader in aviation education and research.
  
• Six NASA astronauts graduated from Auburn, as have three past directors of Kennedy Space Center, putting Auburn in the top five universities nationally with such a distinction.
  
• Auburns Southeastern Raptor Center is the Southeast's only full-service, on-campus medical and rehabilitation center for birds of prey.
  
• Auburn students who participate in the world-renowned Rural Studio build inspiring, innovative and practical homes to benefit citizens of west Alabama.
  
• Auburn's Urban Studio in downtown Birmingham gives students an opportunity to pursue design in an urban setting and engage in community projects.
  
• An Urban Modeling Lab is helping the town of Cheng Du, China, rebuild from the massive 2008 earthquake.
  
• A new master's degree program in real estate development will be the first of its kind in the region to combine business and architecture curriculums.
  
• The United Nations' World Food Programme selected Auburn University as its lead academic partner in the international War on Hunger campaign.
  
• Auburn's Hotel and Restaurant Management program and The West Paces Hotel Group have a unique partnership where students train for the hospitality industry and learn the operation of The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.
  
• The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington is training wounded soldiers in the science of digital forensics so they can become cybersecurity investigators. Auburn is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) and will assist in the training.
  
• Auburn University has been selected to represent Alabama as the winner of the Southern Growth Policies Board 2009 Innovator Award. The Natural Resources Management & Development Institute was chosen as an outstanding program that encourages economic opportunities relating to bio-products, alternative energy, and energy efficiency.
  
• Named a military-friendly university by G.I. Jobs.
  
• Featured in "The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition."

Auburn-developed technologies and research include:

• An optical microscope that shows live cells in real time and that holds great promise in revolutionizing medical research.
  
• A microscope system that NASA is using on Antarctic expeditions.
  
• Antimicrobial coatings with potential to prevent diseases from spreading on contaminated surfaces.
  
• Bacteria-eliminating chemical technology currently marketed as a water purification process.
  
• Fabric that improves the effectiveness of bullet-proof vests worn by law enforcement personnel by stopping high-powered rifle bullets.
  
• A device that improves the operation and safety of automobile air-bags.
  
• Germ-killing rubber material.
  
• Asphalt that dramatically improves driving conditions.
  
• A drug-delivery system that aids in the treatment of muscular dystrophy and diabetes.
  
• Biodegradable food source fishing lures.
  
• A new egg-injected avian flu vaccine.
  
• Technologies for highway and bridge construction.
  
• Highly advanced filters used in ventilation systems and in high-level security systems.
  
• Food safety sensors.
  
• Lightweight air masks that filter out toxins and allow longer use by first responders.
  
• A popular and widely used flea pill for dogs.

Recent Academic Rankings

MBA program has been ranked among the top 100 in the Poets & Quants rankings, a composite of rankings from Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times and The Economist, 2011