Auburn University’s College of Education welcomes students to first day of class in new building

Mary Walton was in awe upon entering the new College of Education building for the first time on Monday.

“It feels like a breath of fresh air,” said Walton, a senior majoring in elementary education, as she stood in Auburn’s newest, state-of-the-art hub for learning.

With the start of summer semester classes on Monday, Walton was among many such students to eagerly open doors to the 167,000-square-foot, three-story facility at the corner of Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive, signaling a new chapter in the college’s history. 

“Today marked a key milestone in our college’s 110-year journey as we welcomed students into our new, state-of-the-art facility for the first time,” said Dean and Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor Jeffrey T. Fairbrother. “As we begin an exciting summer semester in this vibrant hub of innovation and collaboration, we’re proud to be opening doors—to fresh ideas, expanded opportunities, and new ways to further our mission of building a better future for all.”

The new building—which features a 6,000-square-foot, first-floor commons area complete with skylights—is now home to the College of Education, ensuring that advising, multimedia technology and independent study and collaboration areas are within reach of every student. While the School of Kinesiology remains in its building on Wire Road, each of the college’s three other units — Curriculum and Teaching; Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling; and Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology —have designated space in the new building to accommodate their instruction and research needs.

The building’s first floor features an updated space for the college’s Learning Resources Center, Academic and Faculty Affairs and a new 4,300-square-foot space—named the Scott Alan Lawrence EAGLES Suite—for the Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success (EAGLES) program, a comprehensive transition program for students with intellectual disabilities. That space includes state-of-the-art classrooms, a huddle room and a tech lab. The building also incorporates 17 huddle spaces for collaborative pop-up meetings, five seminar rooms as well as multiple labs.

“I believe the new space will foster a stronger sense of community among students—not just within the program, but throughout the entire college,” said assistant clinical professor Kelly Brumbeloe Schweck.

Hers was one of the first classes in session in the new building bright and early on Monday morning. Students sat in brightly colored chairs at brand-new tables, surrounded by pristine white boards and screens built into the walls. It’s a stark contrast to the rows of desks in screenless classrooms of the iconic Haley Center, which housed much of the College of Education for many years since its opening in 1969.

Just before Associate Professor Sean Durham’s class, students talked about how bright and airy the new building is and how the new space equates to a fresh start.

“We’re so excited to have collaborative spaces to be in after spending a lot of time sitting in the hallways of the Haley Center,” said Ashley Rohan, an early education major in Durham’s class.

Before classes started, College of Education faculty and staff greeted students with a Donuts and Directions event where students were provided with sweet treats and maps of the new building. Later that day, Engagement Coordinator Claudia Hendrix also offered tours of the new facility.

“It’s so exciting to see all the new spaces and classrooms with windows in them,” said special education major Alli Schorr while on the tour. “It just feels comfortable in here.”

To learn more about the new Education Building—located at 345 W. Samford Avenue, Auburn, Alabama, 36849—visit the annual Keystone Magazine for a feature story on the college’s new home.