Auburn University was established in 1856. It wasn’t until 1964 that it opened its doors to their first African American student, Harold Franklin. Little did Franklin know, he and many other culturally diverse people would pave the way to the diversification of Auburn University.

According to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, of the 24,530 students currently enrolled at Auburn University, 4,001 are of a different ethnicity other than Caucasian. This then means that only 16 percent of the fall 2008 Auburn University enrollment would be considered multi-cultural and therefore culturally diverse.

These numbers are not promising for Auburn University, but they have taken a proactive approach to studying diversity in its many different aspects. Many different faculty, staff and administration comprise a team whose sole purpose is to study the different areas of life that that can be affected by diversity.

Dr. Saralynn Smith-Carr of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine (AUCVM) does not sit on a diversity committee, but has commented on the research efforts of Auburn University. Smith-Carr graduated from Tuskegee University, which is known to many as a “historically black college.”

According to Smith-Carr, “Auburn University’s research initiative for diversity is a wonderful thing. This is a way for the public to see real numbers that affect real people when regarding diversity.”

Smith-Carr went on to reference past injustices to iterate the present need for the continued study of diversity. She mentioned the integration of the public school systems and past Auburn University scandals regarding race relations.

When speaking about past injustices that have faced diversity and Auburn University, she said, “There has been a lot of negative publicity for Auburn University in regard to certain things that have happened in the past. The whole world sees these negative things, but probably never will see the proactive approach to diversity that we are taking. The Research Diversity conference should be highly publicized to counteract some of our negative publicity.”

She went on to say, “Diversity is not just an Auburn University issue, but an issue that faces the entire south.” She feels there should be more coordination between public institutions, specifically Tuskegee University, with regards to events, educational endeavors and social interaction.

She believes that change is the key factor that affects diversity and she believes that she is seeing change on Auburn University’s campus.

When discussing change, Dr. Smith-Carr said, “I believe change is coming about. We are seeing more minorities attending Auburn University from different cultural backgrounds and diversities, but it has a long way to go.”

When asked about suggestions for Auburn’s diversity research, she said that she has encountered a lot of indifference between the two institutions that she has been affiliated with. She stated that Tuskegee University has incorporated diversity into their mission statement. She would like to see Auburn University incorporate diversity into theirs as well.

For more information on Auburn University’s Research Initiative for Diversity, you can visit https://fp.auburn.edu/researchdiversity/UnderstandingDifferencesThatMatter.aspx or contact the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs.


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