A new chapter for student life at Solon Dixon

Just over 160 miles from the Auburn campus, you can still get away from it all — walk through a forest, sit by a pond or simply take a deep breath and appreciate nature.

Solon and Martha Dixon made sure of this when they gifted land and other resources to Auburn University, establishing the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. Solon Dixon, a 1926 engineering graduate, famously said he wanted the center to be a place people could come and learn “by putting their hands in the dirt,” and since its creation in 1978, the Dixon Center has been just that.

The natural beauty of the property remains, but after nearly 50 years of constant use, some features require updating, including dormitories that typically house thousands of people each year. The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE) has launched a philanthropic campaign to enable these upgrades, and once again, Solon and Martha Dixon have stepped up in a big way — helping fund the dormitory updates through a substantial commitment from the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation.

With additional support from the Auburn Family, the college will ensure the Dixon Center remains a beacon of experiential learning and stewardship in the fields of forestry, wildlife and environmental education in the Southeast.

A respite and a resource

Bordering the Conecuh River and National Forest in Covington and Escambia Counties near Andalusia, Alabama, the Dixon Center is a natural entryway for visitors to explore the region’s diverse ecosystems and learn best practices on a wide range of topics — including prescribed fire and wildlife conservation — from leaders in their field.

Each summer, the Dixon Center hosts the college’s forestry and wildlife ecology and management students’ weeks-long training practicums, where they gain the necessary field skills for their professions.

Auburn alumnus Solon Dixon famously said he wanted the center to be a place people could come and learn “by putting their hands in the dirt.”

“The Dixon Center is the college’s primary hub to enhance the student experience,” said Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of CFWE. “This type of outside-the-classroom learning provides our students with real-world experience and ensures they are very competitive and highly sought-after in the field when they graduate.”

Immersive learning

In addition to Auburn students, the Dixon Center provides a training ground for students and faculty from other universities, the U.S. Forest Service, the Alabama Forestry Commission, wildland firefighters, landowners, industry professionals and more.

During each course or training session, students and trainees study, explore and practice while living on site.

“The dorms are the original 1978 construction, including open bedrooms — with as many as 10 beds to a room — and locker room-style bathrooms,” said Joel Martin, center director. “That was not uncommon back then, but as we look to the future, we will need to offer accommodations that are more in line with what people expect today.”

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Out of the classroom and into nature

A $5 million dollar project at the Solon Dixon Center will replace 1970s-era dormitories with a new facility that offers modern amenities for forestry and wildlife students' field studies.

The need to update is not only rooted in a concern about privacy and modern conveniences but also in the fact that aging buildings — like the center’s dorms — create difficult and expensive upkeep and repair issues and, at some point, will be impossible to maintain. The need for change is indisputable, but so is the college’s commitment to continue the original vision for the Dixon Center.

“This facility was built decades ago by someone with a very powerful, forward-thinking vision. So even as we look at potential changes to the center, we’re trying to continue Mr. Dixon’s vision,” Martin said. “He saw a place where people can explore a forest, put their hands on nature and do what they’ve only read about in a book or heard about in a class, and then at the end of the day, have a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep.”

The Dixon Center is a living laboratory for hands-on, experiential learning for students, practitioners and landowners — and with the Auburn Family’s generosity, it will remain so for years to come.

“No other university in the state has a resource like the Dixon Center,” Alavalapati said. “We’ve established this site as an outstanding resource for our students and trainees from throughout the nation. Our top priority now is to ensure we continue to meet the needs of those who study and train here.”