University of Auburn

Auburn University

Former names	East Alabama Male College (1856–1872) Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (1872–1899) Alabama Polytechnic Institute (1899–1960)
Motto	For The Advancement of Science and Arts
Type	Public University Flagship Land-grant Space-grant Sea-grant
Established	1856
Academic affiliation	APLU ORAU SURA ACES
Endowment	$646.6 million (2016)
President	Jay Gogue
Vice-president	Donald L. Large, Jr.
Provost	Timothy R. Boosinger
Academic staff	1,216 (2015)
Administrative staff	6,965 (2015)
Students	28,290 (2016)
Undergraduates	22,658 (2016)
Postgraduates	5,632 (2016)
Location	Auburn, Alabama, U.S.
Campus	College town, 1,843 acres (7.45 km²)
Battle Cry	War Eagle
Colors	Orange and Blue
Athletics	NCAA Division I – SEC
Nickname	Tigers
Mascot	Aubie the Tiger
Website	www.auburn.edu

Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 22,000 undergraduate students and a total of more than 28,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of Alabama's largest universities and one of the state's two public flagship universities.

Auburn was chartered on February 1, 1856, as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1872, under the Morrill Act, it became the state's first public land-grant university and was renamed as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1892, it became the first four-year coeducational school in Alabama, and in 1899 was renamed "Alabama Polytechnic Institute" to reflect its changing mission. In 1960, its name was changed to Auburn University to acknowledge the varied academic programs and larger curriculum of a major university. In 1964, under Federal Court mandate, AU admitted its first African American student.

Auburn is among the few American universities designated as a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research center.

The Alabama Legislature chartered the institution as the East Alabama Male College on February 1, 1856, coming under the guidance of the Methodist Church in 1859. Its first president was Reverend William J. Sasnett, and the school opened its doors in 1859 to a student body of eighty and a faculty of ten.

Auburn's early history is inextricably linked with the Civil War and the Reconstruction-era South. Classes were held in "Old Main" until the college was closed due to the war, when most of the students and faculty left to enlist. The campus was a training ground for the Confederate Army, and "Old Main" served as a hospital for Confederate wounded.