Through the largest gift given to Auburn University specifically designated for advancing research, the Alabama Power Foundation has created the Charles D. McCrary Institute to improve the security and operations of our nation’s infrastructure while valuing natural resources and conservation. The creation of the institute will enable Auburn to attract nationally recognized faculty who are at the forefront of emerging technological issues, while leveraging existing university resources and personnel to broaden the institute’s technological impact and to inform policy and practice.

University President Jay Gogue said the formation of the institute will begin this year with the establishment of an advisory council and the search for a director who will oversee and direct the institute’s day-to-day operation. The university will look to appoint a director that is an eminent scholar with a national reputation for excellence and has expertise in infrastructure security or industrial systems. Three leading faculty members will be recruited to endowed chairs in power grid design and protection, cyber security for infrastructure protection, and energy production and efficiency, Gogue said.

Gogue also said significant emphasis will be placed on developing partnerships to expand the breadth and depth of the institute’s impact. Potential partners at the federal and state level may include the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Homeland Security and the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Ramsay Hall is slated to house the institute’s administrative offices on campus.

The institute was named in honor of McCrary, ’73 mechanical engineering, following his retirement in April 2014 from Alabama Power Company as president and CEO. During his tenure as chief executive, McCrary led the company through some of its most significant natural-disaster challenges, including Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, and the devastating tornadoes of 2011.

McCrary is a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees, as well as a leader in numerous civic, business and educational initiatives including serving as chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and a key figure in the creation of the seven-county Birmingham Business Alliance. He is an avid outdoorsman and serves on the board of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.