By Staff
Auburn University's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences dedicated new dormitories at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center near Andalusia recently. Of the $1.2 million cost of building the dormitories, $950,000 was provided by the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation.
Dean Richard Brinker presided over the ceremony and AU President Jay Gogue expressed appreciation to the Foundation for its generous contribution. James W. Rane of Abbeville, representing Auburn University and its Board of Trustees, also made comments on the importance of this gift to Auburn University and the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
The dormitories include five four-room cottages that will accommodate eight students each. With this increased capacity, the curriculum for the wildlife science major can be expanded to include a 10-week practicum that will provide students with a hands-on experience.
For the past 29 years, Solon and Martha Dixon and their foundation have given more than $3 million to AU's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences as well as the 5,300 acres on which the center is built.
The facilities will also be used for adult continuing education programs sponsored by Auburn University and for in-service training for employees of state and federal natural resource agencies.
The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is very grateful to the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation Board of Directors for their continuing generous support. With help from private donors, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is able to continue as a distinguished leader in forestry education throughout the region.
Auburn University has provided instruction, research and outreach to benefit the state and nation for more than 150 years, and is among a distinctive group of universities designated as Land, Sea, and Space Grant institutions. AU makes a nearly $5 billion economic contribution to the state each year, has more than 250,000 graduates and provides 130 degree programs to more than 24,000 graduate and undergraduate students.