Proposal to Host the 2015 TBSr Annual Meeting
About Auburn University:
Auburn University was established in 1856 as the East Alabama Male College, 20 years after the city of
Auburn's founding. In 1872, under the Morrill Act, the school became the first land-grant college in the
South and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1899 the name again
was changed, to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Finally, in 1960 the name of the school was changed
to Auburn University, a title more in keeping with its location, and expressing the varied academic
programs and larger curriculum of a major university.
Today, Auburn is one of the few universities to carry the torch as a land, sea and space grant university.
Fall 2012 semester enrollment was 25,134. Our students can choose from more than 140 degree options
in 13 schools and colleges at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.
About the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University:
Auburn University proudly introduced the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business on June 21, 2013, in
the wake of a $40 million commitment from 1982 industrial management graduate Raymond J. Harbert.
Lowder Hall, home of the Harbert College of Business, has recently undergone a complete exterior
renovation which consisted of new windows and exterior doors as well as total rebricking of the
building. There are plans for an exterior addition to provide a 2400-square foot café for students,
faculty and staff. Planned interior renovations should also be complete by 2015.
Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University
Founded as a school in 1967 and elevated to college status in 1984, Harbert College is home to nearly
4,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 75 tenure-track faculty members, two research centers,
four academic departments and one school. The college is among the top five percent of colleges and
schools of business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Reputation for Excellence:
Some of the college’s recent highlights include the following:
Best Executive Remote Learning Program in North America, European CEO Magazine
No. 7 online graduate programs, U.S. News & World Report
No. 13 Physicians Executive MBA Program, Modern Healthcare
No. 16 online MBA program, Poets & Quants
No. 27 public undergraduate college of business, U.S. News & World Report
No. 27 public university MBA program, Forbes Magazine
Harbert College By the Numbers:
40,000 alumni worldwide
3,813 students enrolled (Fall 2012)
75 tenure-track faculty members
26.0 average ACT score of Fall 2012 freshman students
20 visiting and part-time faculty members
12 undergraduate programs
11 study abroad programs
6 graduate programs
4 academic departments – Aviation and Supply Chain Management, Finance, Management, Marketing
1 school within the college – Accountancy
Location:
Auburn University is located adjacent to the city of Auburn in Lee County, Alabama. Auburn is the
largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2012 population of 56,908 and is currently the fastest growing
metropolitan area in Alabama and the 19th fastest growing metro area in the United States since 1990.
U.S. News ranked Auburn among its Top 10 list of Best Places to Live in the United States in 2009. The
city’s unofficial nickname is “The Loveliest Village On The Plains,” taken from a line in the poem The
Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith: “Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain…”
There are numerous recreational and cultural opportunities in the Auburn area which include 16 parks,
highlighted by Chewacla State Park, a 700-acre park in the Appalachian foothills. Chewacla State Park is
complete with a 26-acre lake, peaceful waterfalls, hiking trails, campsite areas and 15 miles of mountain
biking trails. Newly renovated rustic cabins make the perfect get-away for rest and relaxation.
Golf Digest named Auburn-Opelika the No. 1 Golf City in the U.S. Grand National, one of the most
challenging and award-winning sites on the renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, is situated on the
shores of Lake Saugahatchee in nearby Opelika. The course has 54 lake-hugging holes and is open 364
days a year.
Auburn is also the home to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, the Southeastern Raptor
Rehabilitation Center and the world famous Toomer’s Lemonade.
A creek flowing through Chewacla State Park in Auburn.
Grand National in Opelika, Alabama.
Transportation:
Auburn is located in the southeastern part of Alabama and is accessible by Interstate 85, US 29 and US
280. The closest major-commercial airport to Auburn is the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport (ATL) (Atlanta), which is within 2 hours driving distance. There are two regional airports within
one hour driving distance to Auburn: Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) (Montgomery) and the
Columbus Metropolitan Airport (CSG) (Columbus). Express 85 provides daily ground transportation
between Auburn and the Atlanta airport.
Lodging:
The Hotel at Auburn University, on South College Street, is just a short walk from downtown Auburn and
across the street from the Auburn University campus. It has 236 rooms and suites, a fitness room, pool,
and 22,000 square feet of private event space. Tucked inside the Hotel at Auburn University is Ariccia
Trattoria & Bar, Auburn’s home for fresh, rustic Italian cuisine. Located next to Ariccia Trattoria & Bar is
Piccolo, which features specialty cocktails, a small bites menu, with a large variety of appetizers and
desserts -- perfect for sharing -- and live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights.
Come join us in Auburn for the 2015 Technology in Business Schools Roundtable - TBSr. We will
welcome you to a clean, safe and vibrant community, where you can get toilet paper, lemonade, fine art
and foie gras all on the same block, and where it’s still OK to walk downtown after dark.