PROVIDING ACCESS TO AN EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION

You responded in great numbers to the call to support our students through gifts for scholarships. You created more than 2,000 merit- and need-based scholarships, funded PLUS scholarships for first-generation students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and supported special programs to enrich the student experience.
Campaign gifts also have increased graduate support university-wide that is foundational to strong research and the advancement of knowledge. The net effect of your giving is that Auburn can attract the very best students, regardless of financial need, at all levels of study.

285,735,252

AMOUNT RAISED

2,108

MERIT/NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS

1,239

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS

Mike Patterson

Among Auburn’s diverse student population are military veterans who are pursuing higher education. Mike Patterson, Air Force veteran and senior studying economics, is one of more than 1,000 students who have found community through Auburn’s Veterans Resource Center. The center meets the unique needs of student veterans who often are older than traditional college students and may be balancing the demands of school with families, jobs and, for some, service related trauma and disabilities.

Patterson is an inaugural recipient of the Veterans Success Program Scholarship, created by gifts from Barry and Shirley Daniel, Jim and Stephanie Hall, John and Heather Shemilt, and a couple who gave anonymously. All parents of Auburn students, the donors established the scholarship when they learned that the GI Bill doesn’t necessarily fund veterans for a full four-year degree. The scholarship, along with customized mentoring and tutoring, ensures that those who have served our country are given the opportunity to obtain an Auburn degree.

Bri Thomas

For many students, scholarship support is the determining factor in their ability to attend Auburn. This was the case for Bri Thomas, a junior studying political science. Working as a high school intern with the Jackson, Ala., city council, Thomas saw the value of a strong local government and knew that was where she wanted to make a difference.

Her mother, who worked for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, always insisted that Thomas do her best, especially when it came to her grades. They both knew that education would be the key to Thomas achieving success in life. They also knew that her attending Auburn would be possible only with significant financial assistance.

Bri was awarded a Provost Leadership Undergraduate Scholarship (PLUS), along with several other scholarships established through philanthropic gifts. She plans to pursue graduate studies in higher education administration, determined to leave her mark on the world.

Morgan Ellis

As the next generation of educators, researchers, and innovators, graduate students are vital to advancing the university. Outstanding students such as Morgan Ellis, who is pursuing graduate studies in chemical engineering, engage in multidisciplinary, collaborative research and add an important dimension to undergraduate instruction.

Ellis came to Auburn because of the university’s innovative work in cardiovascular tissue engineering and the guarantee of graduate funding. During her time at Auburn, Ellis is working to advance the study of disease mechanisms and drug discovery by creating a 3D tissue-engineered model of genetic congenital heart disease. To help Auburn compete with other institutions for highly qualified graduate students, Walt Woltosz, a 1969 and 1977 graduate in aerospace engineering, and his wife, Ginger, have provided resources to create prestigious graduate fellowships. A portion of their $10.55 million commitment to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering is helping students defray the cost of graduate education and research.

Cheyenne Redus

A college education creates the path to a new life for many young people. First-generation college student Cheyenne Redus dreamt of attending Auburn University as a child. Her mother, who works in a manufacturing plant in Athens, Ala., often told her that she wanted a different life for her daughter. Even in middle school, Redus and her mother knew that to attend Auburn she would need to work diligently and receive substantial financial assistance. Because of the generosity of donors, Redus is on the path to a vibrant career and is living the dream she and her mother envisioned.

A member of the Honors College and a senior in accounting, Redus is cognizant of the role that donors have played in making her college dreams a reality. She has received several scholarships and strives to make every dollar invested in her education count. After graduation in May 2018, she plans to attend graduate school at Auburn and, ultimately, work in a public accounting firm.