Donor Spotlight: Andy and Sue Steele

College of Education Donor Support Spotlight

Andrew and Susan Steele (Andy and Sue)

 

New Education Building Room name:

Andrew and Susan Steele Dean’s Executive Conference Room-3rd floor

 

Named after:

Andy and Sue Steele

 

Their story:

Andrew Steele graduated from Auburn University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and Susan Steele graduated from Auburn University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Adult Education. They were active in several student organizations, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Football Letterman’s Club for Mr. Steele as well as Alpha Delta Pi, “Mrs. Auburn”, and War Eagle Girls for Mrs. Steele. 

They were both selected as recipients of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which is given to honor those who demonstrate outstanding service, loyalty, and spirit for Auburn University.

After graduation, the Steeles moved to Birmingham, where Mr. Steele taught and coached at Mountain Brook Junior High School and Mrs. Steele taught Home Economics at Mountain Brook High School. Today, Mr. Steele is an experienced, seasoned professional possessing diverse experience in the steel and petroleum industries, and Mrs. Steele is an industry leader with 35 years of engineering, procurement, and construction project experience. Mr. Steele is active in the Auburn Football Letterman’s Alumni Club, and Mrs. Steele is active in 100 Women Strong in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

 

Tell us the “why” behind your decision to name a room in the College of Education’s new building:

Andy and Sue Steele, both former graduates of the Auburn School of Education, decided to contribute to the Capital Campaign because of the strong foundation the college had laid for their lives together in their careers and their 50-year marriage. They both gained from the quality of education they received and the Auburn experience. 

Andy and Sue met in 1972 on a "blind date" after the Iron Bowl: the "Punt Bama Punt" game. Andy played football for Auburn (1971-74) and Sue was a War Eagle Girl. They married in 1974 and moved into married student apartments until Andy graduated in 1975. Sue's first job was for Dean James E. Foy as activities advisor for the Office of Student Affairs. 

They later moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where they both used their degrees in the Mountain Brook School System. Andy was head football coach at the junior high school and taught Health Science, while Sue taught Home Economics at the senior high. After a few years, Andy was recruited to coach at Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida, Sue's hometown, and she went to work for Florida Power & Light as a liaison with the Dade County Public Schools.

After a few years, Andy joined Belcher Oil Company, and both he and Sue were financially sponsored by their companies to study for a Masters in Business Education at the University of Miami. After both obtained MBAs, they shifted their focus to business, eventually both retiring in 2019.

What excites you most about the College of Education’s new building?

The building excites us for a number of reasons:

1. The location is on "the Hill" in the exact place that Andy proposed to Sue in 1973 in front of Berta Dunn Hall! Berta Dunn had a lot of memories because Sue lived in that dorm during most of her Auburn years. When Sue noticed that Berta Dunn would be demolished, she asked Molly McNulty, who had been meeting with Sue about her endowed scholarship for the College of Education, who told her it was the site for the new building. 

 

2. The new facility is long overdue after being housed in Haley Center since Andy and Sue attended and demanded modern facilities because of the need for advanced education and technology in education. 

 

3. We had gotten to know Dean Fairbrother and Molly McNulty and were excited that they would be the first to occupy the new building, and we wanted to share in this historic "once in a lifetime" opportunity. We also moved to Lake Martin, Alabama, to retire in 2015 to be close to Auburn to participate in athletic events and personally support the college as it was completed.

There’s so much to love about Auburn and its College of Education. What do you love most?

The people affiliated with the school are amazing and committed to excellence. Faced with many changes in the way that education is delivered and the challenges to maintaining the highest standards for the United States, Auburn's College of Education is positioned to be world-class, and that excites us! 

 

What do you hope future generations will know about you/your family and the importance of the room that bears your family’s namesake?

We were both graduates of Auburn’s School of Education, and the foundation we received enabled us to exceed our expectations for our careers. Although we started in education as teachers, after both receiving an MBA from the University of Miami, Andy went on to become an executive in a global oil & gas company and a recycle steel manufacturer. Sue became an executive for a global engineering company. 

We decided to name the Dean's Conference room as a symbol that the "sky is the limit" when you commit to the College of Education. We both appreciate the importance of the decision-making process. Leadership by the dean and his team is critical to the school in maintaining its mark in Alabama, the US, and globally. Plus, we have spent a lot of time in executive conference rooms, so we wanted to make it special.