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AU Engineering

Powering the Economic Engine

The National Governor's Association recently reported that the United States is undergoing a dramatic transformation as our nation moves from a manufacturing economy to an economy driven by technology industries and the application of technology to traditional industries. This transformation has made it critical that we maintain the research and development base necessary to provide these technology intensive companies with access to state-of-the-art research, researchers and research facilities. Of the 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States today, only approximately 125 are research universities, producing the ideas that evolve into the new products and services that spur economic development.

Auburn University is one of these research institutions, and as such, plays an important role in the state, the region and the nation. In 2006, AU's overall contribution to Alabama's economy was $4.85 billion, including $1.7 billion in direct economic impact. AU's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering is a key part of this effort - educating the next generation of engineers, professors and researchers, and delivering more than 50 percent of Auburn's extramural research funding. The college is home to three multidisciplinary areas of research excellence, 15 centers and numerous laboratories that represent significant sources of the new technologies, entrepreneurs and start-ups that drive technology-based economic growth. In recognition of the important role the college plays in the economic well being of the state, College of Engineering Dean Larry Benefield has outlined a strategic plan that includes a focus and expansion of the college's graduate and research efforts.