Only at Auburn

When talking about Auburn hiring or recruiting, I often hear coaches or admissions people say that “once we get them on campus, it’s all over.” And I’m sure part of that sentiment is the beautiful, walkable campus that we have at Auburn. It’s a stunning place.

But even more of the reason, I’m certain, is because of the people and personality of Auburn. That sense of family and the humble spirit of the place that you can’t really smell, taste or touch but is undoubtedly there. It is, you might say, distinctively Auburn.

That’s why I think one of the most pivotal goals from Auburn University’s Strategic Plan 2035 is #5, “Distinctively Auburn.” This goal recognizes the uniqueness of Auburn’s traditions and its people.

One of the subgoal’s aims under this section is to preserve and transmit the values and traditions that distinguish Auburn University and are foundational to an enduring Auburn Experience. There’s a timelessness suggested by those words “foundational” and “enduring.”

Speaking of foundational and enduring, whenever I am on the Plains, I enjoy visiting the Nichols Center, home to the Army, Air Force and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.

The Nichols Center is named after the late U.S. Congressman William (“Bill”) Nichols ’39, a WWII veteran, Auburn trustee and patron. I recall marching in several “Pass in Reviews” in his honor during my time in NROTC.

The Nichols Center was built in 1986 and continues to teem with Auburn midshipmen, cadets and active-duty personnel. For me, the Nichols Center has served as a touchstone and represents a portal into the real world that awaited me in 1988. Perhaps many other Auburn marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen can say the same.

I think you’ll find in this, and every issue of Auburn Magazine, stories and people that are “distinctively Auburn.” In this issue you meet our incredible 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, Auburn men and women who all have made lasting differences in their communities and their companies.

Or how about alumna Lt. Cmdr. Lilly Montana ’10, who was named to the Blue Angels this past year? Her perseverance and hard work got her accepted into the prestigious flight demonstration squad of the Navy and Air Force after being rejected the previous two years. Or Eugene B. Sledge ’49, the WWII Marine whose experience fighting in the Pacific became the foundation of his classic World War II memoir “With the Old Breed.”

None of them would become who they are without Auburn, and Auburn wouldn’t be the amazing school it is without them.

As you read these pages and engage with Auburn, I know you’ll find the people and spirit that make this university so great. And I’m sure you’ll agree with me, there’s no other place I’d rather call home and believe in than Auburn.

War Eagle!