AUBURN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL REPORT2014-2015

C O N N E C T I O N S

C O N N E C T I O N SLife is all about connections—the relationships we develop between each other throughout our lives, and the way we nurture and strengthen those relationships.

Each year, the Auburn Alumni Association offers programs, communications and collaborations that nurture and strengthen the connections between our university and its graduates from all generations. Join us as we look back at the highlights of our connections in 2014-15.

Dear alumni and friends,

It is my pleasure to share the 2014-15 annual report of the

Auburn Alumni Association. I hope you will enjoy learning

about the numerous ways in which our board of directors, Auburn

Clubs, membership, student alumni association, academic partners,

and other key stakeholders facilitated and strengthened connections

between Auburn University and their respective communities.

This report highlights the tremendous impact Auburn alumni

and friends continue to make by supporting a myriad of student

scholarships, honoring alumni lifetime achievement, recognizing

academic excellence, representing the Auburn family through

community outreach efforts, participating in programs and special

events, and communicating alumni stories through our variety

of media platforms.

Your choice to be engaged in alumni association-sponsored

activities plays a critical role in the life of our organization and

provides the opportunity to expand the Auburn University

footprint both nationally and internationally. Thank

you for your continued involvement, volunteerism and

philanthropic support.

As the alumni ranks grow with each commencement, it is my

sincere hope that the Auburn Alumni Association will continue

to honor and serve our loyal alumni, celebrate traditions that the

Auburn family holds dear, and create meaningful and new ways

to reconnect alumni to each other and their alma mater.

War Eagle,

Gretchen VanValkenburg ’86

Vice President for Alumni Affairs &

Executive Director, Auburn Alumni Association

gretchenvan@auburn.edu

AUBURN CLUBS More than 19,000 alumni participated in events hosted

by our more than 90 chartered Auburn Clubs nation-

wide in 2014-15. Through regular meetings, Tiger Trek

events with members of the AU coaching staff, and

game-watching parties, our clubs offered networking

connections among their members and with Auburn.

They also gave back, raising $497,416 in scholarship

dollars in 2014-15.

HOSPITALITY TAILGATE An average of 2,036 fans visited the Auburn

Hospitality Tailgate prior to each of the home football

games in 2014-15. In addition to offering a gathering

spot for association members, families and friends, the

tailgate connected them back to Auburn by offering visits

from Aubie, the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen and the

Auburn cheerleaders. Auburn Alumni Association

partnered with Total Sports Travel, AuburnBusTrips.com

and our Auburn Clubs to provide travel, accommoda-

tions packages and special events for away games.

W I T H A L U M N I

COMMUNICATIONS Four times a year, the Auburn Alumni Association sends copies

of the award-winning Auburn Magazine to each of its 43,000

members, providing a regular, tangible connection between the

university and its constituents. The association also engages

in regular, ongoing dialogue with Auburn alumni and friends

through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Twitter,

LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Flikr, Wordpress,

Google+ and Tumblr, with an aggregate average engagement

of 145,470 per month.

SPECIAL EVENTS In 2014-15, the Auburn Alumni Association facilitated connections

between alumni groups through events such as the Golden Eagles

Reunion, which drew 177 back to campus to induct the Class of

1965 and honor earlier classes, and Black Alumni Weekend, which

brought 210 alumni back to campus for special events during

A-Day Weekend festivities.

Lifetime Achievement Awards Each year, the Auburn Alumni Association

bestows its highest honor to four deserving alumni.

2014—15 HONOREES

Samuel Ginn ’59, Melissa Brown Herkt ’77,

David Housel ’69, Mike Warren ’68

2015 YOUNG ALUMNI

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

J. Benjamin Chappell ’03

AuburnM A G A Z I N E / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5

THE MINORITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Auburn Alumni Association honors

an individual each year who has contributed

to improved race relations at Auburn and

fostered a sense of community within the university.

2014 Recipient

ROBIN SABINO, English

College of Liberal Arts

ALUMNI PROFESSORSHIPS

Twenty-five, five-year non-renewable Alumni

Professorships are sponsored by the Auburn

Alumni Association, with funds endowed from

annual giving. Professorships are nominated by

their deans and chosen on the basis of research,

publishing and teaching.

2014 Alumni Professors

ELLEN BEHREND, clinical sciences

College of Veterinary Medicine

VIRGINIA DAVIS, chemical engineering

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

LISA SAMUELSON, tree physiology

School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

W I T H F A C U L T Y

THE UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD

This award is given to teachers who are nominated by

students, alumni and colleagues in honor of their quality of

teaching, knowledge of subject, interest in and availability

to students, the impact the teacher had on the nominator’s

personal educational experience, and his or her influence

within the Auburn community.

2014 Recipients

BRIAN CONNELLY, business management

Harbert College of Business

STEPHEN SCHMIDT, animal science

College of Agriculture

ROD TUROCHY, civil engineering

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

THE DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE FACULTY LECTURESHIP

Jointly sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association and

the AU Graduate School, the Distinguished Graduate Faculty

Lectureship carries a $2,000 award from the

association and is chosen by the Graduate Faculty Council.

2014 Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectureship

PAULA R. BACKSCHEIDER

Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar

Specializing in Restoration and 18th-century literature,

feminist criticism and cultural studies

SCHOLARSHIPS Through the Auburn Alumni Association Endowment and the Auburn Club

Scholarship Program, the association in 2014-15 awarded more than 250

scholarships for use by students in the following academic year. Among the

special projects undergone to increase scholarship funds were:

STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The largest student group on campus, the student chapter of the Auburn Alumni

Association has an average of 3,500 members. Working in conjunction with the

Office of Alumni Affairs staff, SAA provides students an opportunity to connect with

other students as well as with alumni. SAA also offers annual scholarships to rising

seniors who are SAA members. Four scholarships were awarded in 2015-16 from

funds raised in 2014-15.

MILLION DOLLAR MATCH

Provided matching funds of

$1 million to life members

establishing 58 new endowed

scholarships.

ALUMNI WALK

Paver program raised $59,070

for scholarships in 2014-15.

CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE

A giving recognition

program that raised $41,175

for scholarships for children

of association life members.

W I T H S T U D E N T S

SENIOR SEND-OFF In spring 2015, the Auburn Alumni Association hosted its first

“Senior Send-Off,” opening up the Auburn Alumni Center to

provide food, fun and helpful resources for graduating Auburn

seniors. Some 467 seniors attended the inaugural event. Campus

partners and Auburn Club representatives were on hand to

provide information to new graduates.

GET IT TOGETHER In May, December and August, the Auburn Alumni Association

sponsored and staffed an area at commencement to help AU

seniors get ready to don those caps and gowns. In 2014-15, we

provided new graduates with more than 6,000 bobby pins, more

than 1,000 safety pins, more than 25 pounds of breath mints,

hundreds of Band-Aids, numerous strips of double-stick tape

and a steamer.

CAMPAIGN SUPPORT

Through its communications, scholarship programs and

Auburn Clubs, the Auburn Alumni Association has been

a strong participant in the university’s $1 billion

Because This is Auburn: A Campaign for Auburn University.

At the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year,

the association had reached 85.5 percent

of its campaign goal of $9.4 million.

THE ALL-STAR LECTURE SERIES

The Auburn Alumni Association worked with the

Auburn Office of Communications and Marketing in 2014-15

to present the second annual All-Star Lecture Series.

Distinguished faculty and alumni presented lively lectures

the Friday afternoon before home football games,

bringing more than 1,000 alumni and friends to the

Auburn Alumni Center during the fall semester.

W I T H T H E U N I V E R S I T Y

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

In spring 2015, the Auburn Alumni Association began

a strategic planning process aimed, in part, at improving the

association’s relationships with the campus community

and partnering with academic and administrative units

in both programs and communications.

Focus groups were held prior to the end of the

2014-15 year, with implementation of plans to occur

in 2015-16 and beyond.

FANS: FINDING AUBURN’S NEW STUDENTS

The Auburn Alumni Association has partnered with the

Office of University Recruitment to help with the FANS

program, Finding Auburn’s New Students.

alumni throughout the state of Alabama

represented AUBURN UNIVERSITY

at high school awards days.

27SPRING of 2015

In the

CAREER RESOURCES

In an effort to help Auburn alumni network within their

professional areas, the Office of Alumni Affairs began

offering free monthly webinars presented live by the nation’s

top career authors and experts. Approximately 200 alumni

took advantage of the association’s growing presence in the

area of job-networking.

MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY For the first time in 2014, the alumni association had a

Military Appreciation coin designed and manufactured to

present to active and retired veterans who attended Military

Appreciation Day on campus. Almost 200 coins were given

to very appreciative veterans who visited our location at the

ROTC tailgate on the lawn of the Nichols Center.

W I T H O U R C O M M U N I T Y

ALUMNI IN ACTION

Auburn alumni, individually and at the club level, work hard

each year to involve members in service projects that benefit

their local communities. In 2014-15, the Alumni Affairs staff

helped fund, plan and publicize some 70 community-service

projects involving 2,500 alumni volunteers in projects ranging

from cleaning a local beach to collecting toilet paper for a

women’s shelter.

COLOR ME AUBURN 5K

The Office of Alumni Affairs and Student Alumni Association

joined other sponsors to establish a 5K run on campus to raise

money for scholarships. Begun in 2013, the May 2015 event

attracted 405 runners who risked a shower of orange and blue

powder to participate in the campus run. Proceeds from the

2014-15 run raised $2,063 for scholarships. It also was the first

“zero-waste” event on campus, meaning intentional efforts to

recycle and minimize non-recyclable or compostable material

were undertaken in cooperation with the university’s waste

reduction and recycling department.

Dear Auburn Family,

On behalf of the Auburn Alumni Association Board of

Directors, it is my pleasure to provide the annual report of

your Auburn Alumni Association. The 2014-15 report shows the

continued commitment to alumni services and sound financial

management of the resources you and the university have entrusted

to the association.

Under the direction of the Auburn Alumni Association Board of

Directors and the management of our executive director and staff,

your association continues to expand services and events and

increase connectivity to the university in meaningful ways. Sound

management during this reporting year has allowed us to partner

with two programs outside of the association. We will be donating

money this year to Auburn’s Southeastern Raptor Center and the

new Auburn Memorial. We have also been able to expand our

scholarship-matching program to include more individuals wanting

to participate in the capital campaign, “Because This is Auburn.”

As you read this report, it is our hope that you,

a family member or a friend will be encouraged

to reconnect with Auburn. Whether with your time, your

input or ideas or your financial support, Auburn needs you.

A great way to connect is by joining or becoming active in your

local Auburn Club. You may be interested in helping recruit a

young student to attend Auburn. However you decide to connect,

I am certain you will be glad you did.

Thank you for your support of the Auburn Alumni Association and

Auburn University.

WAR EAGLE!

Jack Fite ’85

President, Auburn Alumni Association

jfite@fitebuilding.com

MS. DION M. AVIKI ’04

MRS. SUSAN K. BLACK ’77

MR. I RIPON “RIP” BRITTON ’82

MR. WILLIAM C. “BEAU” BYRD II ’89

Vice President

MRS. DEBORAH H. CARTER ’72

MR. ROBERT “ROB” M. CRABTREE ’86

MR. WILLIAM JACKSON “JACK” FITE ’85

President

MR. ARMSTEAD L. “LES” HAYES ’80

MR. M. VAN HENLEY ’80

Treasurer

MR. ROBERT R. “BOB” JONES ‘74

DR. TIMOTHY A. MARTIN ’78

MRS. ANGELA S. MITCHELL ’85

MR. DAVID OBERMAN ’80

MS. REGENIA R. SANDERS ’95

MRS. PAULA D. STEIGERWALD ’76

DR. E. GAINES THOMAS ‘72

MR. MARK H. THOMAS ’95

MS. BARBARA A. WALLACE

EDWARDS ‘79

EX-OFFICIO

DR. JAY GOGUE ’69

DR. DONALD “DON” L. LARGE JR. ’75

MR. WILLIAM B. “BILL” STONE II ’85

MR. THOMAS GOSSOM JR. ’75

MRS. GRETCHEN VANVALKENBURG ’86

MS. JENNIFER L. STEPHENS

MR. JONATHAN DISMUKES

2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION REVENUE & EXPENSES FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION REVENUE & EXPENSES FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

www.aualum.org

Connections: it’s what the Auburn Alumni Association is all about. Auburn has played an

important role in shaping our lives, whether we graduated in the API days or within the

last couple of years. Those relationships make up what we call the Auburn Family, and

it’s an important part of our mission to ensure that family continues to grow and thrive.

C O N N E C T I O N S