AU gets two for the price of one

By Amy Weaver

Published: July 15, 2008

Auburn University has been getting two employees for the price of one for a year now.

When Dr. Jay Gogue was named the institution’s 18th president in March 2007, he and his wife, Susie, declined any spousal compensation. The $450,000 he would earn annually was suitable for the both of them.

“We’re a team,” Mrs. Gogue said. “That’s the way our marriage has been for (nearly) 40 years.”

Dr. Gogue may be the face of AU, with the title, the office in Samford Hall and all the responsibility, but that doesn’t make Mrs. Gogue any less important to the Auburn family.

“We’ve poured 100 percent of our time into every position,” she said. “It’s a total commitment from both of us.”

Mrs. Gogue has spent much of the past year at the president’s home on campus, but not as a first lady of leisure, watching soap operas and eating bon bons. She has been busy overseeing a number of improvement projects at the property.

The Gogues have lived in presidential housing before, but this was different. This was their alma mater. What Mrs. Gogue found upon arrival a year ago was unacceptable. As an alumna, she was displeased. As first lady, she was in a position to do something about it.

“I’m a graduate, it’s my university and I’m embarrassed,” she said.

Since the house is university property and the Gogues just live there as a perk of the job, they couldn’t make the necessary remodeling decisions on their own. A few committees were formed to help. Under Mrs. Gogue’s urging, some wallpaper, furniture and electrical units will be updated, the one and only first floor bathroom will be replaced with two that are handicap-accessible, and the university-owned furniture that was infested with rats will be replaced.

Mrs. Gogue’s primary concern was not the living space, but the areas used for entertaining. She said they are supposed to be able to host events at the house, but the amount of usable space is limited. She supported plans to not only make improvements inside, which should be completed by the end of this month, but outside as well.

A new special events facility being constructed east of the garden is the biggest change outside. Mrs. Gogue said it will provide Auburn with space for large fundraising dinners. It will have its own catering kitchen and parking area.

Dr. Gogue used his connections to assemble a committee of fellow AU horticulture graduates to make landscaping decisions, she said.

Living amongst the chaos of construction hasn’t been so bad for Mrs. Gogue, however, it has prevented her from attending everything that she wanted to this year. She anticipates that will change when all the projects are finally finished.

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