Office of Sustainability

Student Excellence Programs (SEPs), overseen by the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, foster an inclusive academic environment for prospective and current students. SEPs focus on recruiting and retaining underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds. Through SEPs, underrepresented students are provided with information about financial aid, scholarships and fellowships, careers, and other success strategies. SEPs aim to bridge the gap between international and domestic students and inform underrepresented students about resources to help them succeed and excel at Auburn University. SEPs include Tiger Retreat, War Eagle Scholars Day, Academic Excellence 3.0 Ceremony, and Diversity Student Ambassadors.

Health disparities are systematic group differences in health indicators or health outcomes that are the result of past or present social injustice. The mission of the Health Equity Research Lab is to conduct cutting edge health disparities research and provide related training opportunities for students and scholars. The lab examines mechanisms for socioeconomic and racial disparities in health and health behaviors across the life span and to make clear how these mechanisms—and the overall magnitude of inequalities—are shifting in contemporary societies. The Health Equity Research Lab is housed in the College of Human Sciences.

College of Liberal Arts’ Dr. Rebecca Retzlaff studies urban planning history and law to better understand the systemic inequality prevalent in cities in the United States. Her article, “Connecting Public School Segregation with Urban Renewal and Interstate Highway Planning: The Case of Birmingham, Alabama,” analyzes the connection between public school segregation, Urban Renewal, and interstate highway construction in Birmingham, Alabama. The article argues that interstate highways and Urban Renewal were used to preserve segregation. Dr. Retzlaff’s research demonstrates how policies from decades ago can still perpetuate inequalities even today.