Did You Know?

My friend Laura took a picture of one of my favorite Auburn places, Samford Hall.  It is probably one of the most photographed places on campus.....or at least one of the most well-known.  After seeing her picture I did a little research on the campus and since this is football Saturday.....and right now we are losing to Georgia....I thought I would share some Auburn facts with you.....why?  Because you might want to know....or because you were always curious....or just because I want to.  Did you know that Auburn University today is a comprehensive land, sea and space grant institution – among the few that hold that distinction. The university began, though, as the small, more humble East Alabama Male College, which was chartered in 1856 and opened its doors in 1859 as a private liberal arts institution.  From 1861 to 1866 the college was closed because of the Civil War. The college had begun an affiliation with the Methodist Church before the war. Due to dire financial straits, the church transferred legal control of the institution to the state in 1872, making it the first land-grant college in the South to be established separate from the state university. It thus became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.  A land-grant college or university is an institution that has been designated by its state legislature or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The original mission of these institutions, as set forth in the first Morrill Act, was to teach agriculture, military tactics, and the mechanical arts as well as classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. Women were admitted in 1892, making Auburn the oldest four-year, coeducational school in the state and the second-oldest in the Southeast. In 1899, the name was again changed to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. In 1960, the school officially acquired the name it has long been called and one more in keeping with its location, size, and mission — Auburn University. The institution has experienced its greatest growth since World War II, and now has more than 250,000 graduates. Auburn Montgomery was established as a separately administered branch campus in 1967. The institution has developed rapidly, especially since moving to a 500-acre campus east of Montgomery in 1971.  Auburn’s current colleges and schools and dates of inception are: 

College of Agriculture 1872

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering 1872

Graduate School 1872

James Harrison School of Pharmacy 1885

College of Veterinary Medicine 1907

College of Architecture, Design & Construction 1907

College of Education 1915

College of Human Sciences 1916

College of Business 1967

School of Nursing 1979

School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences 1984

College of Sciences and Mathematics 1986

College of Liberal Arts 1986

* In 1986, the colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences & Mathematics were created from the former schools of Arts & Sciences, Agriculture and Biological Sciences, and Architecture and Fine Arts.  That is probably more than you ever wanted to know about Auburn University.....but I am proud of my Alma Mater.  Win or lose I love this place.....I am the face of Auburn.