FROM THE DEAN
The inaugural issue of The Keystone digital magazine coincides with exciting times for Auburn’s College of Education. We’ll move into our new building at the corner of West Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive in 2025. We’ll also launch a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program next year. In the meantime, we’ll continue creating robust student experiences, compelling instruction, innovative research and meaningful outreach as told in the stories that follow.
We’re thrilled you are part of our journey.
Table of Contents
Students
Student-athletes in the College of Education pursue their passions in athletics and academics, creating their own Auburn Experience.
Six graduate students in the College of Education continue their research through prestigious fellowship opportunities.
Undergraduate students participate in research to gain experience for master’s programs and beyond.
Programs
College faculty are pioneering funded research, outreach and programmatic initiatives with impact on health and education issues.
A new partnership brings the College of Education and Auburn’s student veteran community together, on new ground.
Community outreach helps music education majors gain experience in the classroom before they graduate.
Alumni
Auburn alumni educators find the ‘why’ in teaching that keeps them in the classroom.
Students gain independent living skills they need to navigate the college experience through graduation and beyond.
Looking Ahead
Exciting things are ahead and there has never been a better time to engage with the College of Education.
Eyes on the Prize: Student-athletes find home and purpose in Auburn’s College of Education
Each year, thousands of students pour onto Auburn University’s campus, looking to shape their own student experience during the next four years. Every student’s story shares common threads, but no Auburn Experience is the same.
Gymnast Sophia Groth, wheelchair basketball and tennis player Evan Heller, cross-country runner Hannah Tarwater, and football player Elijah McAllister all came to the Plains with lofty goals: to elevate themselves in their sports and in the classroom. Being a full-time student and athlete is no small feat, but each of them have found ways to make a home on campus and lean into the full Auburn Experience.
Raising the Bar
One of the most compelling aspects of the Auburn College of Education student experience is found in the research opportunities available to our exceptional students like those listed below.
In the Lab
Many activities are considered hallmarks of the undergraduate student experience at Auburn—core classes, club involvement, campus dining, sporting events and uniquely Auburn traditions, to name a few. For some students, the undergraduate experience is enhanced by the opportunity to participate in research—something typically associated with a graduate program.
Collaborative Efforts Drive Success
College of Education faculty members pioneer funded research, outreach and programmatic initiatives with impact on a wide range of critical health and education issues. Our greatest success is found in collaboration with colleagues who are also committed to building better futures for all.
An unlikely crowd files into the basement in Foy Hall—the dean of the College of Education, faculty and graduate students, and military veterans, who also happen to be students at Auburn University. Each selects a box lunch and finds a seat amid the laughter and storytelling. Breaking bread is an apt description. This is a gathering about more than food. It’s about sharing and connection.
It makes sense for the college to sponsor the first “Third Friday Connections” lunch hosted by Auburn’s Veterans Resource Center, or AVRC. Connection is at the heart of the partnership between the college and the AVRC and Auburn’s Student Veterans Association, or ASVA.
Striking the Right Chord
Back in 2017, College of Education faculty members Jane Kuehne and Kathy King had a revelation while teaching first-year music education majors.
So, that was exactly what they did. Kuehne and King knew the elementary school in Loachapoka, a rural community just a few minutes down the road from the Auburn University campus, didn’t have a music teacher. They began assigning groups of first-year students enrolled in their spring lab class to teach children in kindergarten through sixth grade once a week.
Making the Grade
As schoolchildren count down the days until summer, hundreds of districts still struggle to find qualified teachers. Here’s how Auburn alumni find the “why” in teaching that keeps them in the classroom.
But he’s not leaving the teaching profession any time soon. And despite headlines to the contrary, he’s not alone.
“This is the best job in the world,” said the 2018 social science education graduate. “But even still, you have to know your ‘why.’ I started my teaching career with a desire to give back—to my community and my high school that gave me so much. But after I got into this I realized, that’s not enough to stay in it.”
EAGLES Alumni Spread Their Wings and Fly
Auburn University’s Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success (EAGLES) is a program designed to give students with intellectual disabilities the independent living skills they need to navigate the college experience through graduation and beyond.
If you haven’t checked out Auburn’s College of Education lately, you’ve missed a lot! We are excited to share several new initiatives that will help us stay connected and engaged with our alumni and friends.
Jeffrey T. Fairbrother
Sheryl Caldwell
Mary Kate Hughes
Miranda Nobles
Jared Long
Kelley Young / Auburn University Office of Communications and Marketing
Neal Reid / Auburn University Office of Communications and Marketing
Molly Bartels / Auburn University Photographic Services
Steven Dixon / Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics
Auburn University Adapted Athletics
Auburn University Athletics
Auburn University Office of Communications and Marketing
Dr. Harsimran Baweja / Auburn University College of Education