Auburn Board of Trustees accepts plan to add Aubie figure to Melton Student Center

The Harold D. Melton Student Center will feature a permanent figure of Aubie, Auburn University’s beloved mascot, as well as improved outdoor spaces and a reimagined front entrance.

Bobby Woodard, senior vice president of Student Affairs, asked the university Board of Trustees at its April 14 meeting to accept a proposed plan aimed at enhancing the student experience at Auburn and acknowledging a cherished member of the Auburn Family.

The proposal would create outdoor study, gathering and greenspaces, as well as reimagine the building’s front entrance. In partnership with the Student Government Association, Woodard said they also would like the new area to feature a figure of Aubie, the nation’s first inductee into the Mascot Hall of Fame and a 10-time national champion.

The permanent figure, completely funded by donations, would stand as a tribute to Aubie, recognizing his service to Auburn and celebrate his special place in the hearts of the Auburn Family.

It will be located approximately 73 feet from the front entrance of the Melton Student Center, or at the southeast corner of the center, adjacent to the campus green. Additional details about the outdoor improvements are to be determined at a later date.

In other matters, the board:

• Granted final approval to a project to renovate space in the Student Activities Center and the Kinesiology Building for the School of Kinesiology’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The plan is to renovate 5,900 square feet of space in the Student Activities Center to create two research labs, a clinical classroom and an active learning classroom and renovate 3,600 square feet of space in the Kinesiology Building to create a large clinic with supporting spaces and a simulation lab. The Office of the Provost’s Mission Enhancement Fund will finance the estimated $2.5 million cost. Cooper Carry of Atlanta was previously selected to serve as project architect.
• Selected McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture of Atlanta as the architect for a project to renovate and build out a portion of the Recreation and Wellness Center to relocate Health Promotion and Wellness Services from the Melton Student Center.
• Initiated a project to renovate space in the Athletics Complex to accommodate sports medicine services, which are currently housed in the Plainsman Park Strength and Rehabilitation Center. It is anticipated that the Athletics Department will finance the project.
• Granted the authority to execute a project to make improvements to Pat Dye Field in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The plan is to improve the field drainage, re-sod the field, modify the field perimeter for improved access and circulation and modernize the on-field electrical and communications infrastructure. Construction is expected to begin after the 2023 football season and be completed prior to the 2024 annual spring football game. The Athletics Department will finance the estimated $6 million project cost.
• Adjusted the scope of a project to construct a new corporate hangar at the Auburn University Regional Airport and increase the project budget. The university had previously planned to construct a new hangar with four aircraft bays; however, in the bid process, it became apparent it was in the university’s best interest to construct two additional bays under this project. The revised plan increased the previously approved $3 million budget to $4 million. The total cost for six bays will be covered with a grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation Aeronautics Bureau and Auburn University Regional Airport funds.
• Accepted a budget increase for the project to create a new environmental education building at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center. The university had established a $1.95 million budget; however, through the bid process, it became necessary to set a total cost at $3.9 million. The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, had identified additional funds to execute the project as bid with the increased cost. The new facility will provide indoor and outdoor instructional space to support and expand the research and outreach programs aimed at groups of all ages. Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston was previously selected as the project architect.
• Accepted a proposal to establish a Bachelor of Science in Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences in the Harrison College of Pharmacy. This marks the first undergraduate degree offered in this college and the first of its kind in Alabama.
• Also, accepted a proposal to establish a supply chain management option in the current doctoral degree program in business administration in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. This is the first degree of its kind in Alabama. Both degree proposals will be reported to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education for review and approval.

As a matter of information, the board learned that the Master of Science in Business Administration with a finance option will now be reclassified as a Master of Science in Finance.

For Auburn University at Montgomery, the board:

• Accepted a budget increase for a project to renovate a building, previously leased to the Alabama Department of Public Health on campus, to create a new science lab facility. The board previously agreed to a $28 million budget for the project; however, the lowest bid exceeded that amount. AUM officials have since identified additional funds and re-bid the project. The lowest bid establishes a new total project cost of $36 million to be financed by a combination of Public School and College Authority bond funds, supplemental state appropriations and AUM general funds.