School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences case statement

SCHOOL OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE SCIENCES

B

ecause 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.

As part of the overall campaign, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences has set a goal of $19.8 million to benefit students, faculty, programs, and facilities.

We are dedicated to nurturing an era of sustainable forestry that will ensure future generations have abundant supplies of forest products, diverse wildlife populations, and clean air and water. The school serves the renewable natural resources needs of the citizens of Alabama and society as a whole through a comprehensive approach to education, research, and extension.

TOTAL GOAL FOR THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE SCIENCES:

$19.8 million

“Private support is essential to maintain the standard of excellence for which the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is known. These gifts allow us to provide our students with a high-quality educational experience and to continue the growth and progress of our programs. I invite you to support us in our pursuit of excellence.”

— Marc Walley ’85

Campaign Committee Chair

PRIORITIES

for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

For more than 60 years, Auburn’s forestry program has fueled one of the state’s largest industries by providing well-prepared graduates for the workforce, practical and forward-thinking solutions to industry challenges, and a continuous flow of resources and information for landowners, practicing foresters, industry professionals, government representatives, and the general public.

In addition, our wildlife sciences program has conducted significant research resulting in the restoration and proper management of a diverse array of wildlife populations throughout the state and has educated hundreds of wildlife biologists.

Auburn’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is home to the oldest accredited forestry program in the state, as well as Alabama’s only accredited wildlife program. Private support is critically important to ensure that our venerable programs continue to produce well-prepared forestry and wildlife professionals and innovative frontline research for years to come.

20

NEW SCHOLARSHIPS

to attract the best and brightest students and diversify our student enrollment

4

ADDITIONAL

faculty positions focused on outreach and extension

$300 THOUSAND

for a new classroom at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center Students

$1,800,000

Faculty

$1,000,000

Programs

$14,700,000

Facilities

$2,300,000

$1.5 MILLION

to establish a Fund for Excellence to support research

Students Students are the heart and strength of our school.

In our programs, our students learn the importance of responsibility, community, and integrity — values that connect them with generations of alumni. To enhance their educational experience and prepare them for a competitive global workforce, more and more of our students are participating in study abroad opportunities and domestic and international internships. Increased endowment support for students allows more of our students to take advantage of these lifechanging opportunities. In addition, we have seen a rise in the number of students working to overcome economic and social challenges. We must continue to build our scholarship endowment to support these deserving students. Increased funding for undergraduate scholarships allows

us to attract highly qualified students who possess the work ethic to succeed in our programs and beyond. Securing additional funding for graduate fellowships ensures that we are competitive with peer institutions for the very best graduate students.

$1.8 million

Programs

Faculty

Facilities

Support for academic, research, and outreach programs is our highest priority and will allow us to achieve our goal of providing students with the absolute best educational experience. Such support will enable us to purchase much-needed equipment to improve technology, hire a new specialist devoted to expanding our outreach initiatives, and grow our research enterprise.

Gifts for programs also will help build outdoor classrooms to serve as areas for instruction, study sites for research, and demonstration properties for extension and outreach. Another vital part of program support is unrestricted funds that provide for areas of immediate need and allow us to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Our faculty members are educators who devote themselves to building an academic community in which every student can flourish. Our reputation depends upon their achievements, as well as their commitment to both creating and shaping the knowledge that forms our world. Increasing our endowment to support our faculty allows the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences to attract and retain the very best teachers, researchers, and scholars by creating new professorships to reward those faculty who demonstrate excellence in their respective fields.

To achieve our aggressive goals of increased student enrollment, faculty enrichment, and program expansion, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences must renovate several existing facilities to enhance our students’ learning experience.

These facilities include technological and facility upgrades to the Camp Hill Deer Lab and renovated lab spaces for the Forest Products Development Center. Upgrading and constructing an enclosed pavilion at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve will allow us to conduct outreach programs regardless of weather conditions.

Funds for facilities also will enable us to finish funding the new classroom complex at the Solon and Martha Dixon Forestry Education Center.

$14.7 million

$1.0 million

$2.3 million

Your gift to Auburn has

REAL IMPACT

“My scholarship has given me freedom from financial obligations that allowed me to attend the school of my dreams, concentrate on my classes, and enrich my experience through extracurricular activities.”

— Hilary Rizk

Senior, Wildlife Sciences

Auburn, Alabama, is a long way from Hilary Rizk’s hometown of Strongsville, Ohio, but it has quickly become her second home. And the senior majoring in wildlife sciences counts the students and faculty in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences as her second family. “It is a close group of people who go to great lengths to help one another reach their potential,” Rizk said.

The ability to become involved in extracurricular activities like SFWS Ambassadors and Study Partners, as well as participating in an undergraduate research program, also have led to Rizk’s successful undergraduate career — activities she notes would not be possible without the benefit of receiving academic scholarships. “My scholarship has given me freedom from financial obligations that allowed me to attend the school of my dreams, concentrate on my classes, and enrich my experience through extracurricular activities,” she said.

“This scholarship is significantly decreasing the amount of debt that I will have upon graduation, which will greatly improve my financial status when I get my first job. My scholarship has given me freedom to pursue my dreams and the confidence in knowing people believe I can succeed.”

Orville “Butch” Bach, Jr. may have graduated from Auburn with a degree in business, but the forestry and wildlife classes he took as an undergraduate also had a tremendous impact on his life. Bach supplemented his business education at Auburn with classes in forestry, wildlife, fisheries, and resource economics. While he spent his professional career as a professor of business and economics at Walters State Community College in Tennessee, these extra classes prepared him to work during the summers as a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park.

“I want to see Auburn continue to feature outstanding, inspired, dedicated faculty providing a great education to our younger generations on how to be good stewards of God’s great creations.”

— Orville Bach, Jr. ’69 Business Administration

“I owe everything that I have achieved to my Auburn education and the faculty members who emphasized integrity, ethics, and leadership. My professors were outstanding, and I was very wellprepared for my career at Walters State and my work with the National Park Service,” he said. In 2006, Bach retired from Walters State, and he and his wife, Margaret, moved to Bozeman, Montana, where he continues to work for the National Park Service. When he recently made the decision to give back to his alma mater, Bach felt the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences was a natural fit.

“I would love to see Auburn contribute to maintaining healthy and diverse forest communities in Alabama and continue its focus on educating, interpreting, preserving, and conserving our natural resources,” he said. “I also want to see Auburn continue to feature outstanding, inspired, dedicated faculty providing a great education to our younger generations on how to be good stewards of God’s great creations.”

School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, Alabama 36849 (334) 844-2791 | sfwsdevelopment@auburn.edu www.auburn.edu/sfws B E C AU S E@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.