AUBURN, Ala. (EETV)- A recent report by the Chronicle of Higher Education issues a scathing report of how Auburn University’s Athletics Department allegedly wields substantial influence of some portions of the University’s academic units.
The report outlined some of the details associated with the fallout over the large number of student athletes enrolled in the College of Liberal Art’s Public Administration major at one time.
The article states that at one point in 2013, Auburn’s Public Administration major held 40 percent of all scholarship football players.
According to a 2015 article by the Wall Street Journal, officials, overruled a decision by University committees to remove the Public Administration major due to heavy lobbying from athletic leaders.
In some emails obtained by the Chronicle, there seemed to show a willingness by former Auburn University academic administrators, including former Provost Timothy Boosinger, to change academic programs in order to benefit athletics.
The article also discusses tensions between the Chair of Auburn’s Economics Department, Micheal Stern, and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Joesph Aistrup.
In one portion of an email exchange publish by the Chronicle between Stern and Aistrup, Aistrup wrote, “I know you were trying to beat up on Athletic Advisors, but your remarks did cause collateral damage on PA, in a very public way. They are up in arms, and I don’t blame them.”
The report also discussed how clustering of Auburn’s athletes seemed to effect more minority student athletes. According to the Chronicle’s numbers, roughly 37 percent of all African American male athletes in the fall 2014 semester were enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts' Public Administration major.
The Chronicle quotes former Auburn football player Tommy Jackson, who majored in public administration during his time at Auburn, writing that if administrators purposefully clustered student athletes in majors such as Public Administration it could impact student athlete’s shot at the American Dream.
"If there were efforts to ‘game’ the system to provide a less rigorous and authentic educational experience for athletes without thinking about the long-term consequences for those athletes, that is wrong," wrote Jackson in a statement to the Chronicle, "This is particularly true for African-American athletes who are disproportionately from families in poverty, who are trading their time, talent, and physical health for the social and economic opportunities that can be provided by the right university education — their one shot at the ‘American Dream.’"
New Auburn Provost Dr. Bill Hardgrave told the Chronicle, "We’re absolutely committed to academic integrity, and we make every decision based on how it best equips our students to lead, engage and influence. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false."
Eagle Eye TV reached out to President Steven Leath’s spokesperson Brian Keeter, Auburn’s Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing Mike Clardy and Director of News and Media Services for Auburn’s College of Liberal Arts Victoria Santos for comment.
At the time of publishing, Keeter was the only one to respond and pointed to the University’s responses within the Chronicle’s original article. Eagle Eye TV will update this story if any additional responses are received.
