the issues themselves, AL-IE can create partnerships between designers and local organizations to develop effective means for educating communities about local issues and opportunities. Build Partnerships. Within Alabama there are numerous local, state, and federal organizations working to develop small and large-scale projects. Given the complexity of these projects, many of the organizations don’t have the resources to expand their viewpoint to include other developments occurring within their geographic region or within other groups that have similar goals. AL-IE is working with numerous organizations of all types to create connections and partnerships that lead to projects of a critical mass. Rural communities have a reputation for being isolated and competitive in their development approach. However, AL-IE works with those communities to demonstrate how linking local, smaller projects with other nearby communities creates a larger project that can then access resources not otherwise available to either of them.
Auburn University Auburn University today is a comprehensive land, sea and space grant institution—among the few that hold that distinction—occupying more than 1,840 acres and helping fulfill the dreams of nearly 25,000 students. 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. The original mission of a land-grant college or university was to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanical arts and classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. The land-grant designation was given by its state legislature or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. 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.
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives
July 21 to 24, 2011
»»auburn.edu
The original mission of a land-grant college or university was to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanical arts, and classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education.
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