Office of Sustainability

Housed in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling, the EAGLES Program, or Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success, is a two-year  or four-year, comprehensive, transition program for students with intellectual disabilities. The EAGLES Program has the primary goals of promoting academic achievement, developing social skill sets, fostering independent thinking and living, maintaining quality physical and mental health, and integrating work opportunities with anticipated transition to a four-year undergraduate degree upon program completion. Students have the support of a WINGS peer, a Warmhearted Individual Nurturing Great Success, to help them navigate various experiences at Auburn University. For the first time in 2020, six EAGLES students participated in Greek Life recruitment, paving the way for future participants that may wish to join Greek life.

FOUN 3000: Diversity of Learners and Settings includes the exploration of how socio-political factors and students’ diverse identities shape their experiences and opportunities in educational settings and society, with a focus on the interaction between schooling and inequity. The course also includes a service-learning requirement composed of community-based discovery learning that connects theory and application in a local agency or service center. Diversity of Learners and Settings equips students to better understand learners from different cultural backgrounds, abilities, and values and helps educators kindle a safe and healthy learning environment.

The Adult Education (ADED) program in the College of Education serves Auburn University, the city of Auburn, the State of Alabama, and communities around the world by providing quality education that develops and prepares adults to build strong communities and solve everyday problems. ADED students represent academia, individual communities, and industry. They seek to improve the world around them through increased innovation, improved economic sustainability, and a more equitable society. Program faculty and staff work to build partnerships, lead in community improvement, and provide for the personal and collective empowerment of those whom they serve.

Opelika Grows (O Grows) is a renowned community garden and outreach and research program that partners with Auburn University to meet the needs of a local community. O Grow’s mission is to create “sustainable community- based food systems, where communities work to create shared values in meeting food needs of all residents in a matter that is economically, socially, and environmentally viable for future generations.” O Grows supports youth programs at six local schools and conducts a daily food systems class at the Opelika Learning Center to teach practical skills on gardening, sustainable production, and community involvement. O Grows also invites youth from the Lee County Department of Juvenile Probation to complete their community service hours by learning about sustainable food systems.

The Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project (APAEP) provides quality educational opportunities for people incarcerated in Alabama prisons. Incarcerated individuals have the opportunity to participate in arts and science courses, and those that meet Auburn University’s academic standards are able to earn college credit. APAEP has reached 3,650 students through 243 classes, ensuring quality educational opportunities that are meaningful and empowering. One APAEP student said of his experience, “What I remember clearest about that first APAEP class I took is… the light which appeared in some of my classmates’ eyes… as they accomplished something meaningful for the first time in their lives.” APAEP is housed in the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction.

In her book, Leadership for Green Schools, College of Education’s Lisa Kensler provides aspiring and practicing leaders with the tools they need to facilitate the design, leadership, and management of greener, more sustainable schools. This publication uses illustrative examples of successful schools and leaders to show how establishing and managing green schools aligns with the work they are already doing to restore engaged learning within their schools and communities. Leadership for Green Schools helps education leadership immerse students in purposeful, meaningful learning for a sustainable, just future.