A tragic death, budget cuts and optimism mark Gogue’s first year

By Amy Weaver

Published: July 15, 2008

Dr. Jay Gogue took a hard hit this year when the state legislature reduced funding to the Auburn University System by $40 million.

But that pales in comparison to the loss of Auburn freshman Lauren Burk in March.

Gogue said her untimely death was the “biggest loss” Auburn experienced in his first year as president. The 1969 alumnus returned to the Plains as the 18th president July 16, 2007.

“Losing a student is always tough,” he said. “It affects so many.”

Gogue didn’t know Burk, but her murder has left a profound impact on the Auburn family and community. He said there is discussion among AU officials about creating a memorial in the new student center for all Auburn students who have died, including Burk.

Auburn’s security measures have been improving since November, months before Burk was killed, Gogue said, but security became a much more pressing issue after.

The Auburn Police Division continues to patrol campus, but has more of a presence now, he said. Auburn’s emergency notification system, AU Alert, has also changed as a result. It is now used in time-sensitive situations, not just when students, faculty and staff need to react to an emergency.

“My fear is no matter how much you do, it won’t be enough,” he said.

Gogue wants to be able to do all that he can for Auburn, but a $40 million reduction in state appropriations, the largest deficit ever for the AU System, makes that difficult. With additional costs, the actual impact is a $60 million decrease, $40 million to the main campus alone, he said.

But Gogue refuses to dwell on the unfortunate circumstance. He prefers to see the matter as a chance for Auburn to show how it can flourish.

“Anybody can make a university better when the budgets are going up,” he said.

This year’s financial constraints will prevent officials from implementing parts of the new strategic plan, but Gogue said they will move forward with those initiatives at little or no cost in the first year instead.

Gogue became passionate about a plan for Auburn’s future soon after he started. He was in a position to take Auburn in whatever direction he wanted, but he opted instead to listen to everyone across the state instead. After a year of listening, the university has a plan for the future, to make Auburn better.

“It’s phenomenal when you think of the potential impact,” he said. “It has power.”

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