As regular readers of this publication know, we have provided an overview of the college’s history in the past few issues, tracing the evolution of our programs from modest beginnings in the 1870s to where we stand today. In this fourth and final installment, we will cover a period of shrinking budgets that coincided with the technology boom of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and their effects on our engineering departments.

I have been privileged to observe Auburn’s engineering programs from a number of perspectives. As an undergraduate in the ‘60s, a graduate student in the ‘70s, a faculty member in the ‘80s, and an administrator in the years since, I can tell you that the view from the dean’s chair is not the same as it is from the back row of a statics class, and I have been in both. While I cannot turn back the clock to my carefree days as an undergrad, I can look at the tremendous progress that we have made not only as a college of engineering, but as a university.

I feel, like many others, that we have always had a gorgeous campus, great faculty, and one thing that all other campuses lack — the Auburn spirit. At the same time, we have throughout the years found it necessary to fight hard for funding for our classes, programs and initiatives, and sometimes we took it on the chin. When we did, I really believe that the element I just mentioned — the Auburn spirit, Auburn men and Auburn women — pulled us through, and pushed us to excel against the odds.

As you’ll read in this issue, a number of those Auburn men and women, our engineers, have played an important part not only in recovering from difficult times we have faced on campus, but also in addressing the challenges we have faced as a nation. In the 10 years following the September 11 attacks, our faculty members have remained focused on tackling research projects that offer new technologies and improved safety measures for our troops, as well as our families.

That same strength has helped to produce proud moments in our history, and you’ll read about just a few of our many alumni who have invested their careers in a program now at the end of its term, NASA’s space shuttle. It only begins to scratch the surface of the accomplishments and impact our alums have made in business, government and our daily lives.

Then, and now, Auburn Engineering is producing graduates who make a difference in the future — and it is a global one. As alumni, our graduates play a key role in how the university evolves and, more importantly, how our world evolves. As a member of the Auburn Engineering family, we invite you to take part in moving the college into the future, and invite you back to campus or for a visit when we hold alumni meetings throughout the nation.