Graduate SchoolF A L L 2 0 1 5 / S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

Farming For The Future

� Accelerated Program Offers Best of Both Worlds

�Memory Reconsolidation Auburn Researcher Seeks To Help Those Plagued With Fear Memories

PhD Student Hopes Research Will Help Home Country of Myanmar

CONTENTS

Publication TeamEditorsGeorge Flowers, DeanGeorge Crandell, Associate DeanChris Anthony, Managing EditorFrancesca Tully, Staff Writer Design, Photo, and Production: Office of Communications and Marketing StaffDownload this Auburn Graduate School publication online at grad.auburn.edu/magazineAuburn University Graduate School 106 Hargis Hall, Auburn, AL 36849 Phone (334) 844-4700, Fax (334) 844-4348 Postmaster, please send address changes to 106 Hargis Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5122.Contents 2015 by the Auburn University Graduate School, all rights reserved.

4 Message from the Dean

5 Top Rankings

6 Research Highlight: Magnet Laboratory Offers Opportunities for Unique Physics Research

8 Accelerated Program Offers Best of Both Worlds

12 Memory Reconsolidation Auburn Researcher Seeks To Help Those Plagued With Fear Memories

14 Farming for the Future: PhD Student Hopes Research Will Help Home Country of Myanmar

16 Alumni Spotlight: Tommy Bice ’84 Leads Alabama Education Forward

17 Master’s Accelerator Program

18 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

20 Areas of Study

21 Distance Education Tips for Applying to Graduate School

22 ABM Program & Graduate Certificates

23 Estimated Cost of Attendance

24 The Auburn Community

25 Graduate Education is a Wise Investment

26 Providing a Home for Student Veterans

27 This Year in the GSC

28 A Guide to Giving

30 Graduate School Staff

Message from the Dean Dr. George Flowers

In these uncertain times, one thing is clear: more education overwhelmingly means more stability.

Those with advanced degrees are less likely to be unemployed and, on average, have higher salaries than people with only bachelor’s degrees, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Not only does graduate education provide a certain amount of financial security, but it also contributes to major advances in our society.

Since 1870, Auburn University has been preparing graduate students to emerge as leaders and innovators in academia, industry, and the government. Working alongside world-class faculty members, Auburn graduate students are addressing real-world problems while honing their critical thinking and research skills.

In this edition of our magazine, you will read about several graduate students and alumni who are making a difference. Subhrajit Bhattacharya, a doctoral student in the Harrison School of Pharmacy, is researching ways to make traumatic memories more difficult to recall, which could benefit millions of people with post-traumatic stress disorder. On top of mentoring at-risk youth and serving as a drum major for the Auburn University Marching Band, Jonathan Corona is earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in less time and at less cost than usual through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in Community Planning. Finally, Alabama State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice is using his graduate education to help guide the Alabama Department of Education through new and uncharted territory.

If you are a prospective student, we hope you see why Auburn is the ideal place for you to take your education or career to the next level. For our alumni and friends, we appreciate your generous support of the Graduate School. Without your help, we could not do all that we do to help nurture inquisitive young scholars on their pathway to becoming tomorrow’s leaders.

George FlowersDean of the Graduate School

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Top RankingsAuburn is among a distinctive body of institutions designated as

land-, sea-, and space-grant universities and receives many accolades from accrediting agencies and ranking publications.

• Auburn has been ranked in the top 50 public universities for 22 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.

• The 2015 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings featured Auburn’s online graduate programs in business (6th), computer information technology (6th), education (8th), MBA (10th), and engineering (17th).

• Kiplinger's listed Auburn as one of the top “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2015.

• Auburn was included in the Princeton Review's “Best 379 Colleges,” 2015 edition.

• Auburn was ranked in the top third of Forbes' 2014 list of America's best colleges.

• Auburn was ranked the top public university in Alabama and #52 nationally by The Business Journals.

• In 2014, TheBestSchools.org ranked Auburn #1 in “The 100 Best College and Universities in the U.S. by State.”

• Auburn ranked 8th in public colleges with high student satisfaction by BestColleges.com, 2014.

• Auburn was named 7th in the 2014 Profascinate.com list of Top 10 Most Beautiful Campuses.

• A comprehensive list is available at auburn.edu/rankings.

THIS IS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.

As an ESL teacher and adult educator, my two main goals are to (a) educate and engage immigrant communities and to promote civic engagement and (b) to empower women though education. During a full year of immersion in the rich Moroccan culture, I am conducting independent research as part of my doctoral program on the history of Muslim women’s education and empowerment. Returning home, I will be better equipped to develop educational programs for a growing immigrant/refugee population in the U.S. and thereby promote strong communities.

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This is Nighet Ahmed, a doctoral student in adult education. She was one of the select few awarded a David L. Boren Graduate Fellowship funded by the National Security Education Program and is studying in Morocco. The fellowship supports study and research in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests.

THIS IS AUBURN.

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Magnet Laboratory Offers Opportunities for Unique Physics Research

Edward Thomas, left, and Uwe Konopka run Auburn University’s Plasma Sciences Laboratory.

With a 6,000-pound superconducting magnet — the only one of its kind in the world — Auburn University’s new Magnet Laboratory has positioned Auburn physics researchers to be on the forefront of dusty plasma research.

The new lab, which opened in May 2014, houses the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment, a one-of-a-kind facility that supports plasma physics research for Auburn University students and researchers, as well as for a diverse team of national and international researchers who come to Auburn to perform experimental and theoretical studies.

More than a dozen Auburn students, including undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral-researchers, were involved in the design and implementation of the new laboratory, and as the research evolves over the next several years, lab director Edward Thomas envisions opportunities for a long line of undergraduate and graduate student researchers.

“The superconducting magnet in the laboratory is a one-of-a-kind device,” said Thomas, the Lawrence C. Wit Professor of Physics in Auburn's College of Sciences and Mathematics. “There have been a half-a-dozen or so experiments around the world that have tried to explore the physics of magnetized dusty plasmas. We think of our device as the first, second-generation device, where we have taken a lot of the lessons we have learned on earlier devices and incorporated them into the design of this facility and tried to put together something that is pretty unique. The uniqueness stems from the fact that we can do something that no other device can do, which is shape the structure of the magnetic field.”

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The Auburn University team of scientists has spent the past several months better familiarizing themselves with the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment Laboratory and conducting experiments that have never been done before in the area of dusty plasma. Plasma, which is one of the four states of matter and the most abundant in the visible universe, is what makes up a bolt of lightning, most stars, and it is a primary component of the sun. A plasma that contains electrically charged micro-particles, or dust grains, can form a “dusty” plasma. The rings of Saturn and the long tails of comets are examples of dusty plasmas in nature.

“Some of the things we hope to discover are how to control the growth, formation, and trapping of dust. If we can control the behavior of dust, then we can see how to use dust as a tool. Only a few experiments

Magnet Laboratory Offers Opportunities for Unique Physics Research

in the world have looked at the charged, magnetized particles, and that is the primary mission of the device,” Thomas said. “The other part of the mission of the device is to study the fundamental physics of strongly magnetized plasmas. Because of the magnetic field strength that we can produce, and because that magnetic field can be produced in steady state, meaning the magnetic field strength remains constant, we can perform long-duration experiments at high magnetic fields, which is something fairly unique in the plasma physics community.”

The new Magnet Lab is one component of the Plasma Sciences Laboratory which is run jointly by Uwe Konopka, associate professor of physics, and Thomas. For more information on the Plasma Sciences Laboratory at Auburn, visit http://psl.physics.auburn.edu.

There have been a half-a-dozen or so experiments

around the world that have tried to explore the physics of

magnetized dusty plasmas. We think of our device as the

first, second-generation device, where we have taken a

lot of the lessons we have learned on earlier devices and

incorporated them into the design of this facility and tried

to put together something that is pretty unique.

Edward ThomasLawrence C. Wit Professor of Physics in Auburn's College of Sciences and Mathematics

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Accelerated Program Offers Best of Both Worlds By Chris Anthony

Being in the ABM program will definitely help me get into

the market faster,” Corona says. “But I’m not worried about

having to get my degree at the same school anymore, because

I know that with both of these degrees I’ll have the skills to do

any job I want or be marketable in any job I want.

Jonathan CoronaAccelerated Bachelor's/Master's student in community planning

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Auburn currently offers more than 15 ABM programs with more being developed.

Corona was initially hesitant about earning both degrees from the same school, but after learning more about the ABM program in community planning, he became a believer in the accelerated curriculum and the advantages it offers. He is the second student in Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction to enter the program.

“Being in the ABM program will definitely help me get into the market faster,” Corona says. “But I’m not worried about having to get my degree at the same school anymore, because I know that with both of these degrees I’ll have the skills to do any job I want or be marketable in any job I want.”

Part of that marketability comes from the graduate courses that Corona has already completed. Compared to his undergraduate courses, the graduate-level courses dive deeper into the issues explored in class. In one of his graduate classes, the undergraduate and graduate students learned the same material, but the graduate students completed a research paper and also collaborated on a group synthesis project.

“I think the undergraduate students get a lot out of what the grad students know and what we discuss in class, which is really helpful because just having scholarly conversations is really good for all of us,” Corona says. “In terms of being a graduate student, it helps us think a little harder and the projects are tougher. I think that has really set me up for success in the future.”

While pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Jonathan Corona immerses himself in campus life.

Jonathan Corona came to Auburn for many of the reasons undergraduate students typically do — the beautiful campus, the close-knit Auburn Family atmosphere, and an education from a top public institution.

Now a senior majoring in environmental design, Corona once dreamed of graduating from Auburn and then earning his master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan before embarking on his career. But now he’s found an even better, more cost-effective way of achieving his dreams: Auburn’s Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) program in community planning.

The ABM program offers Auburn students the opportunity to earn both their bachelor’s and master's degrees in less time and at less cost than usual by allowing them to count up to 12 credit hours toward both degrees.

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As he envisions it now, that future will include going into airport design as a profession. It’s a natural next step for a young man who grew up around airplanes and was a national officer of Silver Wings, an organization that develops civic leaders through community service and education about national defense, particularly issues related to the Air Force.

“Aviation intrigues me,” he says. “My grandfather was in the Air Force. That’s how my grandmother and grandfather met. I’ve been really infatuated with how planes move around, and that’s another aspect of mobility that interests me is how planes get from place to place.”

He adds, “Plenty of firms do airport design, and some firms are contracted by the military. I think it would be really cool to be contracted by the military to design an air base or a military base.”

Corona came to Auburn in 2012 after graduating from high school in Rome, GA. As one of only two students at Auburn from his high school, he jumped head first into many campus activities in order to meet new people and make his mark on campus. Since coming to Auburn, he became a transfer student orientation leader, helped

start the Auburn Mentoring Program, and joined the Auburn University Marching Band as a trombonist – even becoming one of the drum majors for the 2015 season.

“Getting involved with band was probably the best thing I’ve done at the university,” Corona says.

He joined the band as a sophomore in 2013 and witnessed firsthand the Auburn football team’s unexpected run to the BCS Championship game that year, including miracle wins against Georgia and Alabama. As a drum major, he is now one of the few student leaders of the band – an opportunity he relishes.

“We have to work a little harder because we have such a big-time commitment in the fall, but we get all these memories with our friends during games and even marching band practice,” he says.

On top of balancing school and band, Corona also found the time to help launch the Auburn Mentoring Program (AMP), serving as vice president and president during the past few years. “We mentor kids throughout the community from kindergarten through high school,” he says. “The premise of the program is to make sure students are doing well academically,

and we also give them a mentor that is a college student that can help them with anything from home life to school.”

Corona mentors two students at Yarbrough Elementary School in Auburn. He and the other AMP leaders are already seeing the fruits of their labor. Several students they mentor have decided to pursue postsecondary education after having initially decided not to do so. AMP has also developed a branch focusing specifically on special needs students – an area near and dear to Corona, who has a special needs sister.

“I thought it would be really cool to have college students that care about these special needs kids that can give them a friend that is someone other than their peer,” he says.

As Corona begins to wrap up his time at Auburn, he is grateful the ABM program is allowing him to earn his master’s degree while saving time and money. However, it’s the intangibles for which he is most thankful.

“I’m most appreciative of the ABM program because I’ve been able to still experience my undergraduate years – getting involved, making friends, and enjoying the college experience, which has created a lot of memories – while getting to experience graduate school.”

VCOMEdward Via College ofOsteopathic Medicine

AUBURN

Health Education and Research in Auburn

The MISSION of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health.

VCOM is a private not-for-profit institution (no cost to the state taxpayer for building or operations). The College is estimated to bring over $90 million dollars to the Alabama economy in the next few years alone, and is located in the Auburn Research Park.

U.S. News & World Report ranked VCOM as one of the ten most affordable private medical schools in the nation, as well as listing it as one of the top ten medical schools producing the most graduates choosing primary care.

The College received the National Minority Access Award for the last three years.

VCOM was honored with the United States Presidential Honor Roll Award for Outreach.

The vision for the Auburn University and VCOM collaboration is to improve the health of Alabama’s citizens by increasing the number of primary care physicians throughout

the state, especially those in rural and medically underserved areas. This private/public partnership will promote research on the Auburn campus and provide more opportunities for citizens from the region to attend medical school within Alabama. Auburn University is committed toVCOM students by providing a rich academic and co-curricular environment.

www.vcom.edu or call 334-442-4000

for more information on the VCOM-Auburn campus.

For a copy of our Outcomes Reports, please see

www.vcom.edu/outcomes.

©2015 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. All r ights reserved.

VCOM Facts

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Memory Reconsolidation Auburn Researcher Seeks

To Help Those Plagued With Fear Memories

By Francesca Tully

We also don’t know how complex

emotions come, why we feel that we

are ourselves. How do we feel that we

are ourselves? What happens when

we die? We just lose that feeling? All

these questions bothered me when I

was growing up, and that’s what led

me to want to be a neuroscientist.

Subhrajit Bhattacharya Doctoral student in the Harrison School of Pharmacy

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When soldiers come home from war and return to their lives as they were before, sometimes something as common as the shutting of a car door or the running of a lawnmower can trigger strong memories of combat, weapons firing, and bombs. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a problem haunting millions of individuals worldwide.

What if there was a way to suppress those fearful memories of warfare? What if we had access to a drug that kept those memories at bay once a soldier returned to his or her life back home? These are questions Subhrajit Bhattacharya, a doctoral student in the Harrison School of Pharmacy, is trying to answer.

Bhattacharya is researching the ways in which we might be able to make fearful memories more difficult to recall. With his research, he seeks to discover how to disrupt the reconsolidation process of the memories so that they are not recurring.

“Say I go into a room and I get bitten by a spider. The next time I go into the room, I’m anticipating that a bite might come, which might or might not,” Bhattacharya says. “How do I remember? I don’t remember the same thing if I go into another room. It’s because that’s where it happened, and that is carried forward by the cues: the environment, the smell, the color of the wall. That refreshment happens through different receptors and neurotransmitters. There’s a particular pattern that goes on with the neurons in your brain that helps you to remember what happened.”

Reconsolidation of memories is a natural process that would take place whether there is any interference or not. Bhattacharya seeks to intervene into that process.

“It happens to all of us. What we are trying to find out is the mechanism by which it happens,” Bhattacharya says. “Then we intervene into that mechanism so that we can unprotect a memory. It can be used as a tool to intervene into that bad memory and stop it from recurring. If we know how to stop the wave of refreshing the memory, instead of going back and treating someone, we can try to devise something that can be delivered to

soldiers before they go to war, and that way they would not have a very strong impression of the fearful events in their mind, like a preventative measure.”

Under the direction of his faculty advisor, Vishnu Suppiramaniam, Bhattacharya is the only graduate student in the Harrison School of Pharmacy who is working on this particular research topic.

Along with Suppiramaniam, Bhattacharya also collaborates with Martha Escobar, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. “She deals with the behavior part of it. We deal more with the pharmacological and the neurophysiological components,” he says. “Understanding the mechanisms is what we deal with, and she designed the behavior model that we use, like how to create the fear.”

The area of Bhattacharya’s research can still be considered somewhat of an unchartered territory. It is not a large or well-known field. “There are a handful of labs in the United States and six to eight labs in Europe, along with some researchers in South Korea and Japan. It’s very specific, very cutting-edge,” he says.

In 2009, Bhattacharya stood first in his class in his pharmacy studies in his native West Bengal, a state of India that is home to more than 9 million people. He attended one of the top-ranked high schools in India. There, he formed a solid foundation in math and the sciences that would eventually propel him academically to where he stands now.

Bhattacharya has known since a young age that he wanted to study the human mind. “I always felt challenged by thoughts on systems of the body. There is a lot to be learned in any field. However, take ophthalmology for example,” he says. “A doctor is almost sure when going into an operation that he is

doing the right thing. The same thing could be said about the heart. If we talk about the brain, we don’t know a lot about it. The brain is so complex. We’ve just started knowing about its evolutionary trends.”

Bhattacharya knows the power and intrigue of the brain. “The brain is faster than any machine we could build. In my mind right now, I can go back to my hometown of Calcutta, India,” he says. “We don’t fully know how the brain does these things.”

He wants to learn more about these unknowns. “We also don’t know how complex emotions come, why we feel that we are ourselves. How do we feel that we are ourselves? What happens when we die? We just lose that feeling? All these questions bothered me when I was growing up, and that’s what led me to want to be a neuroscientist.”

Once he completes his doctoral degree, Bhattacharya hopes to work in a postdoctoral fellowship, continuing his research and learning in the ways of the human mind and memory.

According to Bhattacharya, only a fraction of the human “brain story” has been read so far. The human brain is extremely complex, with many facets to the way in which it works, and we have yet to fully understand it all.

“We don’t exactly know how memories are formed at the very basic physical level and how each memory differentiates from the other,” he says. “We know a lot about it, but we don’t know the whole thing.”

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Farming for the Future: PhD Student Hopes Research Will HelpHome Country of Myanmar

I want to understand the science behind my daily farming

activities,” she says. “Aquaculture requires expert management

and precise activity. Being a small-scale farmer and business

owner, I feel that innovation is the only way for me to keep

going, since I do not have much investment money. Noe Noe Lwin PhD student in Auburn’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences

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By Mary Catherine Gaston

Noe Noe Lwin (front row in the orange T-shirt) is pictured with employees of her CNN Soft Shell Crab Farm in Thailand.

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When she was asked to join some of the world’s best-known senior scientists as a presenter at the 2012 gathering of the World Aquaculture Society, Noe Noe Lwin stole the show. Then just 31 years old, the teacher-turned-entrepreneur captivated the crowd with her story of her challenges and triumphs as a young female immigrant starting an aquaculture supply company, three seafood farms, and a seafood trading business in Thailand — all with no prior experience in the industry and while speaking a second language.

Widely known in aquaculture circles around the globe, Lwin is now a student in Auburn’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, where she hopes to fulfill her father’s last wish for her — that she add a PhD to her already-outstanding resume.

But it is not just her father’s dying wish that motivates Lwin in her studies and research. As a small business owner in an industry that is vital to her home country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), and neighboring Thailand, Lwin understands the need for innovation on crab farms like the three she owns and operates.

“I want to understand the science behind my daily farming activities,” she says. “Aquaculture requires expert management and precise activity. Being a small-scale farmer and business owner, I feel that innovation is the only way for me to keep going, since I do not have much investment money.”

And innovation is at the heart of her doctoral research. Studying under Bill Daniels and Allen Davis, Lwin aims to develop a practical feed and diet for farm-raised mangrove crabs, a popular and important food source throughout much of the world. Specifically, she is examining the physiology of the digestive system of the crabs, hoping to identify key enzymes and nutritional pathways.

Once she’s accomplished this, she will test the digestibility of several ingredients typically used in aquaculture diets, then

test to see whether the various formulations she’s created meet the animals’ dietary needs. Eventually, she plans to manufacture the feed and conduct trials to determine which formulas result in the fastest growth and highest survival rates.

While all of this sounds like the work of someone who has dreamed of being an aquaculture researcher for years, Lwin actually stumbled into the role while in Bangkok, doing what she had always planned to do — teaching science to children. She had learned of the need for an aquaculture supply business in her home city of Yangon, Myanmar, while completing her master’s degree, and together with an uncle and his prawn-farming boss, Lwin set up her first business. While she was in Bangkok, she would purchase the items the men suggested, then ship them home to Yangon, near the Thai border, for sale to the seafood farmers there.

She has faced discrimination rooted in racial and ethnic prejudice but has made every effort to prove herself an honest and positive person, efforts she says have paid off in the seven years since she began her first farm.

During those seven years, she also witnessed the impact of Auburn aquaculture researchers’ work in Southeast Asia and came to know it as the world’s leading fisheries and aquaculture program. When given the challenge by her father to pursue a PhD, she knew immediately that Auburn was the school she would attend.

“It has been my longtime dream to come and study in Auburn,” she says, though she did not know how she would afford to do so.

Shortly after being admitted to Auburn’s program in 2014, she learned of a fellowship program that could be the answer to her funding challenges. Henry Fadamiro, assistant dean and director of the College of Agriculture’s Office of Global Programs, brought the opportunity to the attention of Daniels and encouraged Lwin and her major professors to pursue it.

In March, Lwin received word that she had been selected for the prestigious Faculty for the Future Fellowship. Sponsored by the Schlumberger Foundation, the program provides funding for women from developing countries to pursue doctoral degrees in the top programs at U.S. universities. The program requires that upon completing her degree, she return to her home country to apply what she has learned, something she planned to do anyway.

“Since her arrival, I have been amazed by [Noe Noe’s] enthusiasm and dedication to her goal to obtain her PhD and return to Myanmar to lead development of the aquaculture and fisheries industries,” says Daniels. “She continues to emphasize the need for the PhD to enter the university system in Myanmar and have a greater impact on the country’s development. She truly desires to move her country forward and be a mentor to others, particularly the women of Myanmar.”

In her presentation to the World Aquaculture Society and in conversations with colleagues today, Lwin describes the obstacles she has overcome as a foreigner, a female, and a novice trying to break into the aquaculture industry. She has had to learn to manage employees, often acting as interpreter at medical clinics for her Burmese employees living and working in Thailand. Managing cash flow and keeping accurate records are daily challenges as well.

As a small-scale producer, Lwin does not have the capital to qualify for bank loans and so must balance income and payments daily. In an industry where most deals are made with a handshake and very few written records are kept, Lwin says bookkeeping is an ongoing effort that keeps her up into the night, making careful notes of the day’s transactions.

Photo credit: Peter Ostergaard

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Since 1870, Auburn University has awarded more than 44,000 graduate degrees. Our graduates are prepared to assume roles as leaders and innovators in academia, industry, and the public sector. Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice is one of those leaders. A two-time Auburn graduate, Bice earned his bachelor’s degree in special education (1977) and his doctorate in special education and educational administration (1984). He also holds a master’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Bice became the State Superintendent of Education in 2012. Prior to his appointment, he served as Alabama’s Deputy State Superintendent of Education for Instructional Services, Superintendent of the Alexander City School System, Principal of Benjamin Russell High School, and in other educational roles.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Tommy Bice ’84 Leads Alabama Education ForwardQ: Why did you choose to go into education?A: To be honest, I think education chose me. Most of my “heroes” growing up were my teachers, some of whom had a profound impact in shaping the person I am today. I wanted to be able to have that same impact on students as well, and especially students with special needs and those who due to uncontrolled circumstances find themselves with a “voice” in their present or future. I see this work as not merely my profession but my life’s work to serve others, and I find it just as rewarding today as I did when I began this journey some 35 years ago.

Q: What do you do in your day-to-day activities as Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education?A: With 740,000 students in 1,500 schools across 136 school systems, any given day brings an array of “opportunities.” A typical day, however, includes an early morning briefing of any issues that have occurred over night that will need to be addressed before the school day begins. I am in meetings with internal staff and external stakeholders regularly assessing where we are and where we need to be in terms of advancing our strategic plan for public education in our state–PLAN 2020. I spend a considerable amount of time traveling the state visiting with business and industry leaders, two-year and four-year college leaders, and faculty sharing the direction we are moving in our state and listening intently to their input for improvement for they are the recipients of our graduates, and our State Board of Education has made a commitment to redefine an Alabama high school graduate accordingly. The most rewarding part of

my day is when I am able to visit one of our many schools and see students and teachers engaged in teaching and learning. I do this once per week and refer to it as my “kid fix” and it keeps me grounded as to why we all do this work called public education. I have yet to leave a school visit and not learn something new from our students, our teachers, our leaders, and often parents who are volunteering in our schools.

Q: As State Superintendent of Education, you have to juggle a lot of different responsibilities. What are some of your biggest challenges, and how do you deal with them?A: I would say my greatest challenge and greatest burden is knowing that our teachers and school leaders do not have the resources needed to do the job we are asking of them. In many areas of our state, the local revenue generated is currently having to be used to “fill in the holes” of an inadequately funded budget from our State Legislature. According to the formula built into what we call the Alabama Foundation Program (the funding mechanism for public education), we find ourselves $400 million short of full funding. As has always been the case, our dedicated public employees make it work regardless, but it is my goal and that of our State Board of Education to work with the legislature over the next three years to fully fund public education in our state and then see just what gains can be achieved. We are seeing positive improvement across so many areas but I know and research supports that inadequate resources delay what could be great gains in student learning–especially in our most revenue-challenged rural communities.

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Q: How did your graduate education at Auburn University help prepare you for this job?A: My education at Auburn was exceptional, and I know how fortunate I am to have had such incredible faculty members guiding my learning. I left my undergraduate and graduate programs equipped with the research background to understand, the pedagogical skills to implement, and the confidence to ask questions and seek support when I faced a challenge I could not solve independently. To this day I remain in contact with many of my professors even in their retirement because I value their insight.

Q: Why should today’s students consider earning a graduate degree, especially from Auburn?A: The Auburn I experienced was far more than a program or a school or a college with a university; it was a family that worked together in learning and serving the greater good. When I visit Auburn today, I still feel that sense of family—it’s just that the family is much larger. What I find within the current leadership is a commitment to excellence and an increased focus on research, which is crucial to truly become a leading university across all colleges and programs, but especially in the rapidly changing field of education. I commend the leadership at Auburn for making this commitment as it will serve to set us apart from others as we move into the future.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories of Auburn?A: In respect for my former classmates and fraternity brothers, I respect what we fondly refer to as a self-imposed statute of limitations on certain “memories.” I will say that I loved every single second of my years at Auburn, but at the end of the day it was the people, the friendships, that made it so personally and professionally impactful. I owe to my alma mater a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid other than in my commitment to represent her well in all that I do in her name.

Master’s Accelerator ProgramFor international students, the transition from a bachelor’s degree in your home country to graduate school in the U.S. can be challenging – complicated admissions processes, a new language, new ways of learning, and a new home. The Master’s Accelerator Program (MAP) eases this transition by providing three simple routes to enter your graduate program at Auburn. MAP combines credit-bearing courses from your master’s degree with additional support, teaching, and cultural experiences, to help ensure your future success.

• English language and academic support throughout the program. This support

allows you to begin your graduate program (subject to entry requirements), with a

2.5 - 2.75 GPA and IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

• Flexible. Depending on your qualifications, you can join one of three different MAP

options. Don’t meet the English language requirements? No problem, we also offer

Pre-Sessional English.

• Streamlined admissions process. Auburn Global offers a simple, fast admissions

process for MAP applicants. No references, resumes, essays, work experience, or

GRE / GMAT scores are required.

• Concierge support services. MAP students have access to exclusive concierge

services such as a 24/7 support line for all inquiries, large or small, and a dedicated

travel arrangement service with STA travel.

• Dedicated student advisors. Our MAP team will provide you with support on all

issues, academic and personal, and practicalities such as housing, airport pickup,

opening a bank account, and mobile phone registration.

• Professional development. Prepare for academic and professional success with

MAP’s tailored professional development courses for international students.

auburnglobal.org/about-map

18

NSF Graduate Research FellowshipsBy Wade Berry

Eight Auburn University students and alumni were awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships in 2015, an Auburn record.

The National Science Foundation announced that four current Auburn University graduate students and four graduates were selected for the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship provides three years of support at $30,000 annually and an additional $10,500 cost of education allowance. The purpose of the fellowship program is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States.

"We are especially happy to see the increase in the number of Auburn students being awarded this most prestigious fellowship," said Melissa Baumann, Auburn University assistant provost and director of the Honors College. "This award would not be possible without the support and mentoring of dedicated Auburn University faculty."

The following currently enrolled graduate students were selected as 2015 NSF Graduate Research Fellows:

Chloe Josefson is a doctoral student in biology in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Her research advisor is Haruka Wada.

Hannah Correia is pursuing a doctoral degree in biology and a master's degree in statistics, both in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Her research advisors are F. Stephen Dobson and Ash Abebe.

Johnathan Bolton is a doctoral student in aerospace engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. His research advisor is Brian Thurow.

Steven Boomhower is a doctoral student in cognitive and behavioral sciences in the College of Liberal Arts. His research advisor is M. Christopher Newland.

In addition, four Auburn undergraduate alumni were selected for the award:

Erik Brush is a 2013 graduate in biological sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics who now attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research advisors were Nanette Chadwick and Kenneth Halanych.

Ethan McCurdy is a 2014 graduate in biochemistry in the College of Sciences and Mathematics who is pursuing graduate study at Columbia University. His research advisor was Douglas Goodwin.

Amber Hubbard is a 2014 graduate in chemical engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering who is pursuing graduate study at North Carolina State University. Her research advisor was Virginia Davis.

Brad Rogers is a 2003 graduate in mechanical engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering who is pursuing graduate study at Indiana University. His research advisor was Sushil Bhavnani.

The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. For more information, go to nsfgrfp.org.

19

Top 15 countries represented by international student population:

1. China 2. India 3. Bangladesh 4. Turkey 5. Iran 6. Saudi Arabia 7. South Korea (Republic of Korea) 8. Nepal 9. Nigeria 10. Vietnam 11. Brazil 12. Spain 13. Taiwan 14. Canada 15. ThailandFall 2014 data

THIS IS THE HUMAN TOUCH.

I am so thankful to work in this field, because I am

constantly reminded of the hope that true, honest, and secure

relationships bring to those who have had experiences of abuse/

neglect. It would be untruthful to say that I do not experience

frustration and sadness at times, but I have the opportunity to

see real change and healing through relationships. Families

and individuals allow me to be a part of that process. I take that

very seriously and am honored to have this position in life.

This is Raven Pyle, a doctoral student in human development and family studies. She has experience working in children’s advocacy and in Auburn’s Marriage and Family Therapy Center. Her primary research interests are trauma, child abuse/neglect, and transmission of risk and protective factors within family systems. Through her work, Pyle is able to truly touch the lives of those who have experienced hardship.

THIS IS AUBURN.

“

”

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Areas of StudyCollege of AgricultureAgricultural Economics (Interdepartmental)

Agronomy and Soils

Animal Sciences

Applied Economics (Interdepartmental)

Biosystems Engineering (Interdepartmental)

Entomology

Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures

Food Science

Horticulture

Plant Pathology

Poultry Science

Rural Sociology (Interdepartmental)

College of Architecture, Design and Construction

Building Construction

Community Planning

Integrated Design and Construction

Industrial Design

Landscape Architecture

Real Estate Development (Interdepartmental)

Raymond J. Harbert College of Business

Accountancy

Business Administration (with Executive and Physicians MBA options)

Finance

Management

Management Information Systems

Real Estate Development (Interdepartmental)

College of EducationCurriculum and Teaching

Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology

Kinesiology

Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling/School Psychology

*Visit the Graduate School website for detailed program listings for the College of Education.

Samuel Ginn College of EngineeringAerospace Engineering

Biosystems Engineering (Interdepartmental)

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Materials Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Polymer and Fiber Engineering

School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Applied Economics (Interdepartmental)

Forestry

Natural Resources

Wildlife Sciences

College of Human SciencesConsumer and Design Sciences

Hotel and Restaurant Management

Human Development and Family Studies

Marriage and Family Therapy

Nutrition

College of Liberal ArtsApplied Economics (Interdepartmental)

Audiology

Clinical Psychology

Communication

Communication Disorders

Economics

English

History

Psychology

Public Administration

Public Administration and Public Policy

Rural Sociology (Interdepartmental)

Sociology

Spanish

Technical and Professional Communication

School of NursingNursing (Nurse Educator and Primary Care Practitioner options)

Harrison School of PharmacyPharmaceutical Sciences

*Professional program also available

College of Sciences and Mathematics

Biological Sciences

Chemistry

Geography

Geology

Mathematics

Physics

Statistics

College of Veterinary MedicineBiomedical Sciences

*Professional program also available

For an extensive list of specific programs or program advisor contact information, please scan the QR code or visit the Graduate School website at grad.auburn.edu.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

21

Distance EducationAuburn University is committed to addressing the needs

of the modern student. The educational opportunities you

will find through the Distance Education program meet

the same exacting standards as do on-campus offerings.

Courses are carefully designed by Auburn faculty

with the aid of distance education professionals who

assist in the development of instructional materials,

academic resources, technical support systems,

telecommunications, and student services.

In addition to the opportunities listed below, numerous

Independent Learning and Professional Development

courses are offered through Distance Education.

Auburn offers nearly 50 distance learning programs,

with many consistently ranked in the top 10 in the

nation by U.S. News and World Report. Distance

learning programs are offered in these colleges:

• College of Agriculture

• College of Architecture, Design and Construction

• Raymond J. Harbert College of Business

• College of Education

• Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

• College of Human Sciences

auburn.edu/online

Tips For Applying To Graduate School Letters of Recommendation

� Select writers who know you well, who can comment on your potential as a researcher and a scholar.

� Choose writers who can also speak to your goals, your motivation, and your commitment to graduate study.

� Even better, if possible, select individuals who are known to the people at the institution where you are applying.

Personal Statements

� Convince your audience that you have what it takes to succeed in graduate school.

� Provide evidence that you are motivated and eager to learn.

� Show that you are familiar with the program to which you are applying and that you are a good fit.

� Proofread: typographical errors and grammatical mistakes can undermine your best efforts.

General Advice

� Take the GRE early, in case you want to take it again.

� If possible, gain undergraduate research experience.

� Apply as early as possible, and confirm your department’s priority deadline.

22

ABM programGraduate CertificatesThe Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's program offers

outstanding Auburn students the opportunity to earn

both the bachelor’s and the master’s degrees in less

time and at less cost than usual. It does so by allowing

these exceptional students to count up to nine hours (in

a 30-hour master’s program) or 12 hours (in a 36-hour

master’s program) to count toward both degrees.

Current ABM programs

• Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology

• Agronomy and Soils

• Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Production Management

• Biosystems Engineering

• Community Planning

• Consumer and Design Sciences

• Fisheries

• Geography

• Horticulture

• Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Materials Engineering

• Nutrition, Dietetics

• Nutrition, Hotel Restaurant Management emphasis

• Physics

• Poultry Science

• Public Administration

Other programs are currently under development.

grad.auburn.edu/abm

Auburn University offers a variety of graduate certificates

for working professionals who want to enrich their personal

knowledge, educators who aim to enhance their teaching

credentials, as well as students considering the possibility

of a graduate degree. Graduate certificate programs consist

of a minimum of nine and a maximum of 21 hours of

graduate-level course work. Auburn offers certificates for

the following programs:

• Accountancy

• Adult Education

• Adult Education and English Language Teaching

• Archival Studies

• Automotive Manufacturing Systems

• Brewing Sciences

• College/University Teaching

• Communication

• Community Music

• Construction Management

• Construction Management, Executive Integrated Processes Certificate

• Construction Management, Executive Technical Certificate

• Educational Leadership

• Elections Administration

• Extension Educator

• Information Systems Management

• Global Hospitality and Retailing

• Medicinal Chemistry

• Movement Skills Analysis

• Non-profit Organizations and Community Governance

• Nursing Education

• Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

• Program Evaluation

• Public History

• Public Horticulture

• Rehabilitation Leadership and Management

• Teaching English as a Second Language/Foreign Language

• Technical Communication

• Transition Specialist

To learn more about Auburn’s certificate programs, visit grad.auburn.edu/certificates

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

23

Room/board, books/supplies, personal, and transportation amounts from this expense budget are estimates. These

amounts will vary depending on where you live and your personal spending habits.

There are no additional charges for credit hours above nine for graduate students.

2015-16 Academic Year - Fall & Spring SemestersEstimated Cost of Attendance

AL Resident(9 hours)

Non-Resident(9 hours)

Tuition & Fees $10,418 $28,022

Room & Board $12,584 $12,584

Books & Supplies $1,200 $1,200

Personal $2,728 $2,728

Transportation $2,858 $2,858

TOTAL COST $29,788.00 $47,392.00

Professional Tuition & FeesAL Resident

(9 hours)Non-Resident

(9 hours)

Architecture $14,744 $32,360

Pharmacy $20,984 $38,588

Veterinary Medicine $18,418 $44,022

FeesStudent Services Fee $808

Auditing Fee $489 (resident)

$1,467 (non-resident)

GRA/GTA Enrollment Fee $563

International Student Fee $130

Raymond J. Harbert College of Business Fee $200 per credit hour

Professional Books & SuppliesArchitecture $5,150

Pharmacy $4,040

Veterinary Medicine $3,329

For more information, visit grad.auburn.edu/tuition.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

For southern charm with collegiate vigor, consider Auburn. This diamond on the eastern Alabama plains has a population of just under 58,000 and is home to Auburn University. On football Saturdays, when die-hard fans arrive in droves to cheer their beloved Tigers, Auburn swells to the state’s fifth-most-populous city. And as Auburn’s largest employer, the university also plays a starring role in the local economy.

With mild winters and hot summers, the city offers no shortage of outdoor recreation opportunities. Find a nice hiking trail in the 696-acre Chewacla State Park before cooling off with an afternoon swim. Take a stroll through the Donald E. Davis Arboretum, located on the Auburn University campus.

Golfers can head to nearby Grand National golf course and wend their way through the state along the beautiful Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. “Once you have been there, you just want to come back,” says John Cannon, president of SunBelt Golf Corp., which manages the trail.*

*Source: Best Places to Live 2009 by Luke Mullins, U.S. News & World Report, June 8, 2009

AUBURN

Birmingham2 hours

Atlanta1.5 hours

Nashville5 hours

New Orleans5 hours

Orange Beach4 hours

Charlotte5 hours

Orlando7.5 hours

By U.S. News & World Report, 2009.

BEST PLACES TO

LIVE

THIS IS AUBURN.

24

Holders of Advanced Degrees will be in High Demand in the Next 5 YearsProjected Increase of Job Openings by Education or Training in the United States

From 2010 until 2020

Having an Advanced Degree Means Higher Pay and ProsperityAverage Annual Earnings of Adults 25 or Older in the United States during 2011

GRADUATE EDUCATION IS A WISE INVESTMENT

SREB Factbook 2013, p. 70

Master's Degree

Doctoral or Professional Degree

Associate’s Degree

Some college, no degree

Postsecondary Vocational Certificate

Bachelor’s Degree

Less than high school

High School diploma or equivalent

14%

22%

(5.5 million annual openings)

20%

18%

18%

17%

16%

14%

12%

Total

SREB Factbook 2013, p. 69

Professional degree

Doctoral degree

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Associate’s degree

Some college, no degree

High school diploma or GED

Some high school, no diploma

Less than 9th grade

$126,300

$108,300

$77,100

$61,700

$43,100

$39,600

$35,000

$24,700

$21,800

$48,900All

25

They served us; now it is our time to serve them.”

“

–Johnny Green

Providing a Home For Student Veterans

Auburn UniversityVeterans Resource Center

217 Foy HallAuburn, AL 36849(334) 844-8167

veterans@auburn.eduauburn.edu/veterans

Auburn University has a proud history of serving those who have served our country in the United States military. It’s why Auburn was recently named to G.I. Jobs magazine’s list of Military Friendly Schools “for being among the top 15 percent of schools nationwide that deliver the best experience for military students.”

To give back to student veterans, Auburn offers tuition support for out-of-state veterans and has established a state-of-the-art Veterans Resource Center.

The center assists with certifying students for their Veterans Affairs educational benefits and helps with registration issues regarding deployment and return to

school. It provides information on a range of issues of interest to veterans such as local housing, academic support and advising, admissions, career services, disability resources, and counseling services. One of its most important functions is to connect

veteran students with a VA Campus representative.In 2012, the center moved from its original office in Haley Center to a

newly remodeled office with student support service space in Foy Hall.Auburn also participates in a national student veteran mentoring

program called Peer Advisors for Veteran Education.“This new location and the resources that will be available to our

veteran students demonstrate that Auburn University is serious about providing support for its veteran students. They served us; now it is our time to serve them,” center director Johnny Green says.

26

Graduate school at Auburn molded me to become an academician

in so many ways. Apart from the rigorous academic curriculum, there

were also a number of opportunities that honed my skills. As a graduate

student, I was a teaching assistant to undergraduate classes, and I had

several opportunities to prepare teaching materials, assign and grade

homework, and on some occasions, teach the students. During my doctoral

research, I had the experience to help in writing research proposals and

peer-reviewed articles, supervise undergraduate students and even

junior graduate students, as well as present my findings at national

conferences. Because of the versatility of the lab I worked in, I worked on

a number of research projects (apart from my doctoral research), which

helped me fine-tune my time and project management skills and acquire

more skill and knowledge in other areas of chemical engineering.

This is Hema Ramsurn, who earned her doctorate in chemical engineering from Auburn in 2013. After completing her graduate education and postgraduate research position, she attained a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Tulsa as an Assistant Professor.

THIS IS AUBURN.

THIS IS RETURN ON INVESTMENT. “

”

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This Year in the GSC The Graduate Student Council (GSC) is the only student-led organization representing the entirety of Auburn's graduate student population. The GSC serves as a liaison for graduate students to communicate with university administration and the Student Government Association, as well as provides both social and research showcase opportunities for a diverse graduate student body. The GSC is an advocate for graduate students on multiple issues, including health insurance, housing, and funding for academic-related travel. Last year the GSC partnered with the Graduate School in bringing the Three

Minute Thesis competition to Auburn. In addition GSC streamlined its constitution and meetings and hosted its first graduate student football tailgate. This year the GSC hopes to strengthen its bonds among various graduate student organizations to create new opportunities to improve Auburn's graduate student experience and improve communication between the GSC Executive Board and the GSC senators who represent Auburn's various graduate programs.

The GSC organizes or assists with a variety of events to engage and entertain graduate students. One of these events is the GSC colloquium series where students gather to learn about a variety of topics involving campus life or academia over a pizza lunch.

The GSC also helps organize the annual Student Symposium, where all graduate students are invited to present their research by poster or oral exhibition and are critiqued and scored competitively by faculty judges. At the end of the spring semester, graduate students are honored with a special luncheon and awards ceremony that accompany Graduate Student Appreciation Week events.

If you would like more information about joining the GSC, either as a senator or a participant, please contact Brandon Fincher, GSC administrative vice president, at finchrb@auburn.edu. More information can be found at auburn.edu/gsc. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/AuburnUniversityGSC.

Cody hopes to return to Washington, DC upon completion of his program to pursue a career in government relations.

Mohamed Abraar Ahmed, Treasurer Mohamed Abraar Ahmed is a master’s student in the Department of Industrial and

Systems Engineering. He is interested in investment theory and would be interested in conducting research in that field if he chooses to pursue a PhD in the future. He is a native of India, from where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. His self-professed aim as the treasurer of the GSC is “to manage the Council finances so smoothly that to onlookers it seems like I’m doing nothing at all.” He is also the president of Auburn University’s Muslim Students’ Association. He is an avid reader, passionate debater and is fascinated by a variety of sports.

Brandon Fincher, Administrative Vice President Brandon Fincher is a doctoral student in public administration/public policy in Auburn's

Political Science Department. He is a native of Woodland, AL, and is researching intergovernmental relations and elections administration. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Auburn and a master of public administration degree from Jacksonville State University.

India Napier, President India Napier is a doctoral candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Her research is focused on developing a contraceptive vaccine as a low-cost alternative to reducing the overpopulation of feral cats. She obtained her BA in biology from Boston University in Massachusetts and received her MS Degree in Biomedical Sciences (with a specialization in male reproductive toxicology) from Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Burcu Ozden, Vice-President Burcu Ozden is a doctoral candidate in the Physics Department. She attended Bogazici University

in Turkey where she received her BC and MS degrees in teaching physics in 2011. She completed her second MS degree in physics at Auburn in 2013. Her research has focused on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. She is a member of Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society. She has many honors and awards, including Outstanding Doctoral Student and 2015 Women of Distinction Graduate Student Leadership Awards.

Monica Baziotes, Vice President of Student Affairs Monica Baziotes is a doctoral student in Consumer and Design Sciences. She has

several years of retail management and teaching experience which has enhanced her leadership skills and developed her ability to effectively recognize and communicate group needs. Monica was involved in graduate student government at Florida State University and has represented her department as a GSC senator for the past three years at Auburn. She has served on the GSC WCIC, GSC Rules Committee, University Teaching Effectiveness Committee, and the Traffic Appeals Board. As GSC VPSA, Monica is committed to identifying and resolving graduate student concerns and helping fellow students make the most of their graduate school experience.

Cody Sanders, Secretary Cody Sanders is a second-year student in the Master of Public Administration Program at Auburn University

from Eufaula, AL. A third-generation Auburn alumnus, Cody graduated with a BA in political science in spring 2014. He previously served as the Organizations Board chairman at Auburn University and as an at-large member of the Committee of 19. Cody continues his involvement in tackling global issues through partnership and volunteer work with various philanthropic organizations.

Set up an Automatic Recurring Gift to the Graduate School Gift Fund

Make Auburn University Foundation Your Life Insurance Beneficiary

Give $1,000 in One Fiscal Year to create an Annual Graduate Award

Ask Your Employer About a Matching Gift Program to Double Your Impact

Name the Foundation in Your Will

Endow a Fund in Honor of a Loved One

Make a Gift of Stock

Your loyal and steadfast support makes the most impact. Here's how you can make planned and annual gifts to the Auburn University Foundation, leaving a legacy for the future.

A Guide to Giving

Here's How to Give:By Check

Payable to "Auburn University Foundation"

(ATTN: Development Officer)106A Hargis Hall

Auburn, AL 36849

Securely OnlineVisit

auburn.edu/giving

Credit/Debit ChargesCall and give with a credit card

over the phone.334-844-1142

Contact UsEmail: aubfund@auburn.edu

Phone: 334-844-1142

28

29

THIS IS A MEANINGFUL GIFT.

The opportunity this fellowship has afforded me has eased the transition from military to civilian life and allowed flexibility for academic and research pursuits within my field. The personal relationship built with my Auburn Family is invaluable, and their support is truly humbling.

THIS IS AUBURN.

“

”

This is Brandon Loomis, an Army veteran and master of natural resources student at Auburn. He is the first recipient of the Vick Fellowship, which was established thanks to a generous gift from John and Faye Vick of Andalusia, AL.

Graduate School Staff

George FlowersDean

Sherry RayDirector of Matriculation (Last names M-Z) raysher@auburn.edu

Megan Owens Information Technology Specialistmno0003@auburn.edu

Sarah Razavi Insurance Coordinatorinsurance@auburn.edu

Theresa MorganDirector of Graduate Admissions morgatk@auburn.edu

Julie ReeceExecutive Assistant/ Business Manager reeceju@auburn.edu

Minnie BryantReceptionist/Admissions Processing gradadm@auburn.edu

Clint LovelaceRecruiting, Academic Evaluator of Theses and Dissertationsjcl0014@auburn.edu

Justin GilbertResidency Advisor/ Admissions Officergilbeju@auburn.edu

Julia ThompsonInformation Technology Specialistjjt0013@auburn.edu

Melanie SmithDevelopment Officer mgs0011@auburn.edu

Donna RyanMatriculation and Program Specialist; Academic Evaluator of Theses dct0002@auburn.edu

Penny ChristopherResidency Advisor/ Admissions Processing pzc0003@auburn.edu

Jennifer LovelaceDomestic Admissions Processing jml0006@auburn.edu

Leonard ViningSpecial Projects Coordinator vininjl@auburn.edu

Dale WatsonDirector of Professional Developmentwatsofd@auburn.edu

George CrandellAssociate Dean

Chris AnthonyCommunications and Marketing Specialistchris.anthony@auburn.edu

30

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body, and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by “doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God.”

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.

– George Petrie

THE AUBURN CREED

31

© September 2015. Auburn University Office of Communications and Marketing. Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

grad.auburn.edu/3MT

An 80,000-word thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their time limit ... 3 minutes.