6/7/06 Contact: Dean Timothy Boosinger, 334/844-3694 (boositr@auburn.edu)
David Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

LOWDERS PLEDGE $1 MILLION TO AU COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

AUBURN - Auburn University trustee Bobby Lowder and his wife Charlotte of Montgomery have pledged a $1 million gift to Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine as part of the ongoing “It Begins at Auburn” campaign.

The Lowders are providing the funds to support the Small Animal Teaching Hospital which has treated two of their pet Boxer dogs since 1992.

“We are very grateful for their support and will use it to upgrade equipment and to renovate part of our clinic,” said Timothy Boosinger, the college’s dean. “The enhancements will help our faculty use the latest technology in treating pets and will give our students even more experience. It will, in turn, benefit our efforts to retain and attract top faculty.”

With the gift, Auburn initially plans to purchase a three-dimensional radiation treatment planner and a flexible endoscope, and will also allocate funds toward recruiting faculty.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is making large strides in the research and teaching of oncology and critical care,” said Lowder. “Many of the efforts are the same as those being applied to humans. The high-tech research and equipment allows new advances to benefit both animals and humans.”

In 1998, the Lowders gave $300,000 to establish the Robert and Charlotte Lowder Distinguished Professorship of Veterinary Surgery and Oncology. The oncology faculty use surgery, radiation and chemotherapy to treat animals with cancer.

The Lowders’ gifts to the university are numerous, including many to athletics, the College of Agriculture, the School of Nursing, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and the College of Business.

“Bobby Lowder has been and continues to be one of the most generous contributors to this university,” said AU interim President Ed Richardson. “This gift will help advance Auburn’s ability to serve as a resource for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases found in small animals which will provide comfort to pet owners throughout the region.”

Lowder, a 1964 AU honors graduate in business, has served Auburn as a member of its Board of Trustees, president and member of the board of directors of the Auburn Alumni Association and as a member of the advisory council for the College of Business.

He is chairman of the board and CEO of Montgomery-based Colonial Bancgroup Inc., a bank holding company with assets of $22 billion and locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas. Colonial, which started with $166 million in assets, is now one of the 50 largest banks in the United States. He is a veteran of the United States Army and Alabama National Guard.

Auburn’s $500 million campaign, “It Begins at Auburn,” encompasses all colleges and schools as well as the library, athletics, Auburn University Montgomery and the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Endowments for students, faculty, programs and unrestricted dollars make up 58 percent of the campaign’s goal.

In addition to endowments, the campaign focuses on facilities and equipment, campus beautification, research and current operations. The campaign has raised more than $369 million, or 73 percent of the total goal.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 40 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama's largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

(Contributed by Kristen Jackson and Charles Martin; photos available upon request.)

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june06:AU-lowdervetgift