Auburn University today announced a $22 million investment from the state of Alabama, championed by Gov. Kay Ivey, an Auburn alumna, to establish the Kay Ivey Institute for Civic Leadership.

The institute will extend Auburn’s commitment to preparing students for lives of character, informed citizenship and responsible leadership, while creating an educational legacy for students, communities and the nation.

“Gov. Ivey exemplifies the very best of Auburn — strength of character, a deep commitment to service and an abiding love for Alabama and our country,” President Christopher B. Roberts said. “It is an extraordinary privilege to recognize her consequential career through an institute dedicated to equipping students to lead with knowledge, integrity and purpose. As our nation celebrates 250 years of independence, we can reaffirm the role of higher education in developing not only accomplished graduates, but informed citizens who understand our nation’s history and embrace their responsibilities to its future.”

Gov. Ivey’s record reflects that tradition of service and leadership. A 1967 Auburn graduate, she has served Alabama as state treasurer, lieutenant governor and 54th governor, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to education, economic opportunity, responsible government and the well-being of the state’s people.

Rooted in the Auburn Creed and the university’s land-grant mission, the institute will place character, civic fluency and respect for U.S. history at the center of leadership education. Its academic direction, programming and long-term priorities will be developed in the coming months.

“The Board of Trustees is deeply appreciative of Gov. Ivey’s extraordinary commitment to Auburn University and her vision for cultivating civic leaders,” said Jimmy Sanford, president pro tempore of the Auburn University Board of Trustees. “This is a remarkable moment for Auburn University and the state of Alabama,” said Jimmy Rane, Auburn trustee and chair of the Board of Trustees’ Governmental Affairs Committee. “I’ve had the privilege of calling Kay Ivey a friend since our days as students at Auburn, and I’ve watched with great admiration as she has devoted so much of her life to serving our state and its people. I can think of no more fitting way to honor her extraordinary legacy than through an institute dedicated to preparing future generations for lives of responsible citizenship and leadership. The Kay Ivey Institute will embody the values that have long defined Auburn — love of country, strength of character and a commitment to serving something greater than oneself.”

The Kay Ivey Institute for Civic Leadership will carry forward Auburn’s educational mission by preparing graduates to serve their communities, institutions and nation with knowledge, integrity and purpose. In doing so, it will extend Gov. Ivey’s legacy of civic leadership through generations of Auburn students.

Courtesy of Auburn University.