Auburn Athletics Department case statement

AUBURN ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

O

ur goal is straightforward: to provide the best student-athlete and fan experience in the country.

Because This is Auburn is a $1 billion campaign to propel our university forward through a renewed commitment to our students, a continued promise to our state, and a shared responsibility to the world. Through your support of Auburn Athletics’ $237 million campaign goal, Auburn will enhance facilities and programs for its student-athletes and teams.

The philanthropic investments our donors make in our student-athletes are vitally important to empowering them to be successful in every aspect of their lives. Your support also enables our coaches, our facilities, our game-day experience, and the entire Athletics Department team to represent Auburn in the most positive manner.

Your continued support through this campaign will provide the foundation upon which we will achieve our strategic vision as a unified team focused on bringing success to Auburn University.

TOTAL GOAL FOR THE AUBURN ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT:

$237 million

“It is our steadfast commitment to provide Auburn University student-athletes with the best collegiate experience. And although this may be a lofty goal, I know when a team works together, everything is possible.”

— Jay Jacobs

Director of Athletics

PRIORITIES

for the Auburn Athletics Department

Our priorities have always been focused on the development of our student-athletes.

To ensure their success, we must make substantial investments in their academic careers, the facilities in which they compete, the coaching staff that molds their bodies and minds, and the numerous support programs that range from sports medicine and nutrition to equipment and housing. Although college athletics revenues are at an all-time high, the costs associated with making these investments and of doing business continue to climb at an even faster pace.

6

CONSECUTIVE YEARS

an Auburn student-athlete has been named a Rhodes Scholar Finalist

200+ STUDENT-ATHLETES

honored as members of the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll, 2013-14 academic year

61%

STUDENT-ATHLETES

had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Spring 2014

100% AUBURN TEAMS

met Academic Progress Rate score requirements, making them eligible for post-season competition

Student-Athletes

The primary mission of the Auburn Athletics Department is to provide a quality education, leading to graduation, for the more than 500 studentathletes who compete as members of our 21 teams. Auburn Athletics has always been committed to providing our student-athletes with the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA and has encouraged its coaches to recruit prospective student-athletes from within Alabama, throughout the U.S., and from the vast pool of international talent. And although Athletics grants-in-aid costs have risen during the past decade, Auburn has continued to fulfill that commitment.

Collegiate athletics is in a transition period as pending legislation will allow the Power Five conferences to provide student-athletes the full cost of attendance each year. With the health and well-being of our student-athletes in mind, and through our donors’ generosity, these additional resources will assist us in supporting our student-athletes with any personal needs above and beyond academic provisions.

Facilities

Academic Programs

To be competitive regionally and nationally, we must maintain the quality of our existing facilities while planning for growth and exceeding our fans’ expectations. Auburn Athletics has both short- and long-term plans for upgrades and new projects that will provide our student-athletes, donors, and fans with state-of-the-art competitive facilities and outstanding gameday experiences. During the past 10 years, with the help of donors who share our vision, Auburn Athletics has funded more than $100 million in facilities improvements. Although these past and current improvements have included the construction of new facilities, we also must take great care as responsible stewards by properly maintaining, and when necessary, renovating and enhancing, existing facilities that serve our fans and student-athletes.

In order to fully prepare Auburn’s studentathletes for graduation and professional life, the Athletics Department has created a number of programs to assist in every transition along the way — educational preparedness, personal development, and career placement. The department embraces the notion that every studentathlete comes to college with differing levels of high school education, maturity, and career aspirations. Our motto is “meet them where they are.” To assist in taking student-athletes to the level required to succeed in college, the department has launched initiatives like the mentoring program, learning specialists, and the tutoring program. Additionally, the Life Skills academic curriculum and complementary speakers and educational seminars assist in developing the holistic student-athlete. And finally, with numerous job fairs, career mentoring events, and an on-site career placement center, the Athletics Department is actively involved in the professional advancement of our student-athletes.

Support Programs Auburn Athletics is committed to providing our student-athletes with the best support programs in the areas of sports medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition, equipment, and travel to competitions. Our student-athletes’ health and well-being are paramount, which is why we are committed to providing them with the best in sports medicine — from brilliant medical staff to partnerships with the most innovative minds.

Experts in sports nutrition, and facilities like our new Wellness Kitchen, promote healthy dietary lifestyles and proper nutrition. We also work to ensure our student-athletes are safe on the field of competition by providing them the best in protective equipment, as well as the transportation we provide them as they travel to those competitive events.

Your gift to Auburn has

REAL IMPACT

“It’s something I definitely wanted to get done to be an example to my family. I can tell my son, ‘Your daddy got a college education.’ ” — Carnell “Cadillac” Williams ’14 Sociology, College of Liberal Arts

From the 2001 through 2004 football seasons, Carnell Williams was a standout college running back. His 80-yard touchdown run against Alabama in 2003 is one of the greatest plays in Iron Bowl history. As a first-round NFL draft pick in 2005, he achieved his goal of playing professional football. And, a decade after his final season with the Tigers — Auburn’s 13-0 perfect season in 2004 — he achieved another goal: completing his college degree.

Since his initial recruiting visit, Williams considered Auburn to be an extension of his own family. “I knew in my heart that this was the place where I wanted to attend school,” he said.

When drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, Williams lacked just a few credit hours to complete his degree in sociology. In the years that followed, he played seven NFL seasons, married Evan Christina ’04 (an English major he met during his freshman year), and recently had a son. And nearly a decade after his final season at Auburn, he returned home to finish what he started.

Williams’ success at Auburn, balancing the academic expectations of a student and the physical demands of an athlete, laid a strong foundation for life and shaped him into the man he is today. His experiences in the classroom and on the field, made possible in large part through generous donor support, provided Williams with memories of and interactions with thousands of members of the Auburn Family. These memories eventually called him home to fulfill his personal goals for himself — and his family.

As a member of the prestigious Talon Society, Babs Anderson epitomizes the Tigers Unlimited spirit.

Her love for Auburn and her experience working as a student in the Athletics Department help fuel her continued passion for giving. She, like many donors, understands how her charitable giving through Tigers Unlimited serves as an investment in the futures of Auburn’s student-athletes and the success they experience on the field, in the classroom, and in life.

“I give because I just love Auburn.

I got so much out of Auburn when I was there that I want to give back to the university and to the Athletics Department.”

— Barbara “Babs” Thorne Anderson ’88 Speech Communication, College of Liberal Arts

“These days, in the world of college athletics, it’s all about who has the best facilities and who has the best coaches — and I know it takes the support of many donors for Auburn to successfully compete.

I always want us to be at a competitive level,” Anderson said.

Donations to Athletics through the Tigers Unlimited Foundation comprise one-third of Athletics’ annual budget and allow Auburn’s athletics programs to continue striving for preeminence through graduating student-athletes, hiring the best coaches, and maintaining top-notch facilities.

Auburn Athletics Department 392 South Donahue Drive, Auburn, Alabama 36849 (334) 844-9486 Twitter: @AuburnTigers | Facebook: AuburnTigers Tigers Unlimited | Twitter: @TigersUnlimited | Facebook: TigersUnlimited B E C AU S E T U@AU B U R N . E D U | B E C AU S E . AU B U R N . E D U Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.