AUBURN – Foreclosed homes and unsustainable growth can wreck the tax base of local governments. That’s the warning being issued by Auburn University’s Center for Governmental Services following its study of newly released U.S. Census Bureau data on housing unit growth.

Auburn researchers compared housing data from the states of Alabama and Georgia to gauge the effects of the recession and its real estate bubble on property taxes that fund local governments and their services.

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AUBURN - Ben Tom "B.T." Roberts of Mobile was nominated today to complete the term of the late John C.H. "Jack" Miller Jr. on the Auburn University Board of Trustees.

If confirmed by the Alabama Senate, Roberts will represent Choctaw, Clarke, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties on the Auburn Board through May 10, 2012. Roberts was selected for the position in a unanimous vote by the Auburn University Trustee Selection Committee, which includes Gov. Bob Riley, two members of the Auburn Alumni Association's Board of Directors and two Auburn trustees.

Roberts is president of Roberts Brothers Commercial and Property Management Inc. in Mobile. He graduated from Auburn in 1972 with a degree in industrial management and has been active in Auburn alumni and development activities for many years.

Contacts: Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu), or
Brian Keeter, (334) 844-4650, (bkeeter@auburn.edu)

AUBURN - Auburn University has achieved its highest enrollment in history this fall, and its freshman class boasts the top ACT score of any previous class, according to numbers released today by Auburn's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

Enrollment is 24,602 among all students groups – undergraduates, graduate students and those enrolled in professional schools – which is up from 24,530 in fall 2008.

New freshman enrollment consists of 3,918 students, who compiled an average score of 26.2 on the ACT college entrance exam, outpacing last year's then-record of 25.9.

This year 477 new minority students are enrolled, up 15 percent from last year's 416, a number which includes all students of color. The number of new transfer students also increased, with 1,377 enrolled as compared to last fall's 1,305.

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AUBURN - Auburn University became one of the first universities to have its own social networking Web site last week with the launch of "Auburn Family," a site designed to inform and connect current and prospective students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and fans.

The site, which can be accessed at http://family.auburn.edu, allows users to manage their personal profile, upload Auburn-related photos, blogs and videos, set status updates and communicate with other members via their "comments wall" or direct messaging. The network also features current news stories about Auburn University from students' perspectives.

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AUBURN - Following an internal campus search, Auburn University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Ellen Mazey has announced the appointment of J. Emmett Winn as associate provost.

Winn had served as interim associate provost for five months, following the departure of Sharon Gaber to be provost at the University of Arkansas. As associate provost, Winn is responsible for faculty hiring and personnel issues as well as issues related to academic policies and procedures. Reporting directly to him are the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, the Graduate School, the Office of Information Technology, the English as a Second Language Program and the Office of International Education.

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AUBURN - Auburn University will bring the University of Wisconsin's Kelly Marie Kennington to campus as the speaker for its annual Constitution Day tribute. Kennington will present the lecture, "We the People? Slavery and the U.S. Constitution," on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 3:30 p.m. in room 2222 of the student center. Kennington is Law and Society Post-Doctoral Fellow for 2009-10 at the University of Wisconsin Law School's Institute for Legal Studies.

In her talk, Kennington will examine the key constitutional articles relating to the institution of slavery and the interpretation of these elements by the Supreme Court during the 75 years from the birth of the United States to the American Civil War.

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AUBURN - The Women's Philanthropy Board, in Auburn University's College of Human Sciences, will host its 2009 Fall Luncheon on Friday, Sept. 11, from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. The featured speaker will be Kirsty Coventry, Auburn alumna and Olympic gold medalist.

Coventry is a world-record holder and winner of bronze, silver and gold Olympic medals. In 2000, while still in high school, she entered the world scene in swimming as she reached the semifinals for the Millennium Olympic Games and was named Zimbabwe's Sports Woman of the Year. This international attention caught the eye of the Auburn Tigers and Coventry was recruited to join the Auburn University women's swimming team.

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AUBURN - Members of the Auburn University family can show their colors this fall by participating in the upcoming All Auburn All Orange and College Colors Day loyalty programs.

Events begin on Friday, Sept. 4, with College Colors Day, a national movement in conjunction with the kick-off of the college football season. College Colors Day promotes higher education and celebrates the achievements, spirit and traditions of colleges and universities. Governor Riley has officially proclaimed Sept. 4 as College Colors Day in Alabama. The Auburn Family is encouraged to wear their orange and blue on College Colors Day to show support for the Tigers.

Auburn fans can continue to show their support at home events throughout the fall by participating in All Auburn All Orange. Established in 2004 to celebrate the unity and spirit of the Auburn family, the All Auburn All Orange program encourages fans to purchase and wear the official All Auburn All Orange T-shirt to designated events.

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AUBURN - Randy Campbell of Shoal Creek, Ala., was unanimously selected today by the Auburn University Trustee Selection Committee to fill the District 6 position on the Auburn Board of Trustees currently held by Paul Spina of Pelham.

Campbell is president of Campbell Financial Partners and Harlan Partners, both in Birmingham. He graduated from Auburn in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial operations management.

The office of Gov. Bob Riley, who is president of the Auburn Board, will send the selection to the Alabama Senate. Nominations to the Auburn Board of Trustees require Senate confirmation.

Contact: Brian Keeter, 334-844-4650, (bkeeter@auburn.edu), or
Mike Clardy, 334-844-9999, (mike.clardy@auburn.edu)

AUBURN - Guests at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center are sure to notice the beautifully landscaped pool area. What they might not notice is that the area is actually a bountiful herb garden providing the hotel's restaurant with the freshest herbs every day.

Prepared and cultivated by Auburn's College of Agriculture, the garden is one of the latest partnerships between the hotel and the university.

Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, oregano, chives and a bit of lavender are among the cornucopia of aromatic herbs that flourish against a backdrop of muscadine and scuppernong vines in the garden, which is filled with the soothing sounds of a flowing fountain.

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