The McCrary Institute

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Charles McCrary ‘73 served as president and chief executive officer of Alabama Power Company, following a distinguished 40-year career with the company. His record of leadership and service to Alabama Power Company is widely recognized, and the impact of his work is undeniable. In recognition of Charles D. McCrary’s service and dedication to Auburn University’s threefold mission of education, research and extension, the Alabama Power Foundation established the Charles D. McCrary Institute at Auburn University.

Funding Objectives

The endowed fund for excellence supports the establishment and programmatic initiatives of the McCrary Institute. Its objectives are to support interdisciplinary research that focuses its efforts on two important programmatic areas of discovery that are of critical concern for Alabama and the nation: (1) infrastructure security and protection, and (2) natural resource development and conservation.

Charles D. McCrary Endowed Professorship in Natural Resources Conservation and Development

Established in 2026, this professorship represents a strategic investment to accelerate interdisciplinary research, innovation and education at the intersection of emerging technologies and natural resource management. Through collaborations across the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE), it will unite faculty expertise from diverse disciplines and apply technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance research capacity, strengthen competitiveness for external funding and support conservation solutions across Alabama and beyond. The professorship will also foster innovative instruction that prepares students for an evolving workforce while creating opportunities for faculty, particularly emerging scholars, to grow as leaders in research, teaching and service. Together, these efforts will cultivate a culture of collaboration and innovation, strengthening the college’s long-term capacity for leadership and impact.

McCrary Postdoctoral Fellow

Funds from the McCrary Institute also support a postdoctoral fellowship created to foster innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural resource/environment management. Supervised and mentored by the Charles D. McCrary Endowed Professor, the McCrary Postdoctoral Fellow will collaborate with CFWE faculty members to provide analytical support, assist with competitive grant proposals and integrate AI-powered methodologies to increase the impact of environmental and natural resource-focused research.

Opportunities

The earnings from the endowment provide sustained funding for faculty support, graduate student fellowships and stipends, travel, equipment and other current needs of the McCrary Institute in the area of natural resource development and conservation. Among other priorities related to infrastructure security and protection, the spendable portion of the endowment is intended to provide start-up support for outreach activities and integrated research in wildlife management and conservation, forest management and environmental services.

Focus Areas

The CFWE also draws on support from the McCrary Institute as a seed source to leverage extramural funding from industry, federal agencies and private donors to better understand the most appropriate pathways for restoring habitat for commercial wildlife and to clarify the limitations and potential for the development of natural resource-based environmental services in Alabama.

Research funding inquiries may be directed to: