Untitled Document

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Good morning! Here's today's summary of news coverage of Auburn University.
NOTE: Any errors in text are due to formatting by the publication.

Total Clips: 5

	Date	Outlet
Making room	08/16/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Percentage of Alabama students taking ACT up	08/16/2006	Gadsden Times
44 states outscore Alabama on ACT	08/16/2006	Birmingham News
Aubie Inducted in Hall of Fame	08/16/2006	WRBL-TV
University sets state fundraising record	08/16/2006	Montgomery Advertiser


Making room 08/16/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
Auburn University wants more freshmen to live on campus. Officials hope a new housing development, which could open next fall, will entice 80 percent of the incoming class to reside in university housing. About 50 percent of freshmen live on campus presently. Auburn does not require any students live on campus because it doesn't have the room, said Director of Student Housing Kim Trupp. The university has 22 halls and one apartment community to accommodate about 2,800 students. The freshman class has been more than 4,000 students for the past two years. "We need more on-campus housing, primarily for freshmen," said John Mouton, senior advisor to the president. "Every freshman who wants to live on campus ought to," added Trupp. University officials believe Auburn is at a recruiting disadvantage because the limited campus housing forces students to live off campus in houses, trailers, apartments, condos or townhomes. "I have no doubt it has to do with a student's decision to come to Auburn," Trupp said. A significant number still come if they can't live on campus, "but having more housing is certainly a benefit in terms of recruiting." Auburn incidentally created a demand for campus housing. As enrollment increased through the years, the number of beds dropped, said Trupp. "We turn away thousands every year," she said. There is a plethora of off-campus housing, but Trupp said it might not be the kind of places parents want their children to live. Auburn hopes to change that and get students back on campus with living and learning communities in the new development. New concept Mouton said living and learning communities are becoming increasingly common at universities across the country. It is especially popular among freshmen because it helps ease the transition into college. The concept has 20 to 25 students with similar academic interests taking some of the same classes and living in the same residence hall. Other universities have found the built-in study group and campus location helps freshmen be more successful and increase retention rates, he said. Auburn has had learning communities, but never with students living around an academic interest. Sororities and the Honors College are similar, but the students aren’t necessarily studying the same subjects, Mouton said. The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Sciences and Mathematics, however, are piloting true living and learning communities in a hall on the Quad this fall. If the test goes well, Trupp said, Auburn could see more of them throughout the other halls. "That's what the emphasis will be in our residence life program," Trupp said. Mouton and Trupp are optimistic the premise will increase the number of freshmen on campus. Auburn's percentage pales in comparison to other universities who capture between 75 and 90 percent of their first-year students. The University of Alabama and the University of Georgia get them all because each requires freshmen live on campus. New space The current plan is to erect multiple buildings, enough to house an additional 1,200 beds, on the west side of campus between Wire Road and Donahue Drive. The site will be confirmed by the Board of Trustees at its Sept. 1 meeting, Mouton said. The buildings will not be taller than four stories, but will be consistent with the architecture of the university. Mouton doesn’t foresee Auburn ever building towers to accommodate a large number without taking up much space because it would take away from the character and image of the entire campus. Also, Auburn wants to keep its residence hall population to a minimum so students are more apt to socialize. Nothing about the development has been set yet, but the plan is for "super suite" rooms. Most will have four beds, two baths and a common area with kitchen amenities such as a microwave, sink and cabinets. Some will have two beds and one bath. The buildings will have classroom space to be used for tutors or speakers, "so learning continues outside the classroom," Trupp said.
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Percentage of Alabama students taking ACT up 08/16/2006 Gadsden Times Associated Press		Return to Top
MONTGOMERY - More Alabama high school students took the ACT college entrance exam this year than in 2005, apparently indicating a greater interest among seniors in attending college, according to test results being released today by the ACT. Alabama students scored an average overall score of 20.2, the same as the 2005 average score and below the national average of 21.1. State education officials said they were encouraged that more minority students took the test in 2006 and that their overall scores were improved. The number of black students taking the test in Alabama rose from 8,011 in 2005 to 8,240 this year. "The overall picture from this report is very encouraging," said Deputy State Superintendent Ruth Ash. "Scores look good, more students are planning on attending college, and they are being better equipped with the key academic skills needed for their first year of college-level studies." Overall, Alabama students did the best on the reading comprehension portion of the test, with an average score of 20.6 and did the worst on the math test, with an average score of 19.5. The results showed that in all subjects Alabama students improved or stayed the same in meeting the ACT's benchmark score, which is the level where students are considered to have a good chance of making a C or better on college level courses. This was the first year that ACT released the results of a new optional writing test and Alabama students made an average score of 23, above the national average of 22. The ACT report also showed that Auburn University was the most popular college choice among Alabama students taking the test, followed by the University of Alabama, UAB, Troy and South Alabama. The most popular out-of-state schools among Alabama students were Mississippi State, the University of Georgia and Florida State. Students taking the test were also asked what subject they planned to pursue as a major. The most popular choice among Alabama students was health sciences and allied health fields, followed by business and management.
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44 states outscore Alabama on ACT 08/16/2006 Birmingham News Charles Dean		Return to Top
Alabama's college-bound students continue to trail college-bound students in all but a handful of states on the ACT college entrance exam, according to scores released Tuesday. Alabama's graduating seniors in the class of 2006 posted an average composite score of 20.2 on the exam, the same score seniors posted in 2005 and 2004. But seniors this year lost ground to their counterparts nationally, who improved their overall average composite from 20.9 to 21.1, the biggest increase in 20 years on the exam. ACT results reflect how ready students are to tackle college-level course work in English, mathematics, reading and science. Exam results are used by colleges for admissions, academic advising, course placement and scholarship decisions. Nationally, students in 44 states did better than Alabama students on the exam. Alabama outperformed students in only Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, New Mexico and the District of Columbia. Alabama's average student composite score tied with students in Georgia. Despite the state's composite score remaining unchanged for three years, state school officials put a positive spin on the latest results. They pointed out that more Alabama students took the exam - 32,860 of them, up from 32,122 last year - and yet the overall score remained the same. They also pointed out that more minority students not only took the exam this year but scored higher than the average for minority students nationally. "The overall picture from this report is very encouraging," Ruth Ash, the state's deputy school superintendent, said in a prepared statement. "Scores look good, more students are planning on attending college, and they are being better equipped with the key academic skills needed for their first year of college-level studies." Some 79 percent of college-bound students in Alabama took the ACT this year, making it by far the dominant college entrance exam in the state. The top five colleges Alabama ACT takers said they planned to attend are Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Troy University and the University of South Alabama.
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Aubie Inducted in Hall of Fame 08/16/2006 WRBL-TV Teresa Whitaker		Return to Top
It's official! Auburn University's mascot is a member of the Hall of Fame. Aubie, the loveable Tiger, made history Tuesday morning when he became one of the first collegiate mascots to be inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place this morning at Love Park In Philadelphia. Aubie joined the University of Delaware's U.D. and the University of Wisconsin's Bucky the Badger as the newest inductees. Aubie was created in the 1950s
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University sets state fundraising record 08/16/2006 Montgomery Advertiser		Return to Top
AUBURN -- Auburn University's "It Begins at Auburn" campaign has set the record for the largest campaign fundraising effort by any Alabama university, generating more than $390 million so far. With a goal of $500 million, the campaign is the largest in Auburn's history, according to a statement from the university. The previous record for the largest campaign fundraising effort was held by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which raised $388.7 million through "The Campaign for UAB" that ended in 2003. The six-year "It Begins at Auburn" campaign began in June 2002 and entered its public phase in February. The campaign includes all 12 colleges and schools on campus as well as athletics, Auburn University Montgomery and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine. Endowments for students, faculty, programs and unrestricted dollars make up 63 percent of the campaign's goal.
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