Auburn’s Feb. 23 fundraising event, Tiger Giving Day, united campus and community needs with a record-breaking lineup of 50 projects. For 24 hours, the Auburn Family supported a variety of campus-wide projects, including those to benefit projects proposed by faculty member Todd Franks and staff member Michael Buckman.
Franks serves as a coordinator for wildlife enterprise management in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment and is an instructor for courses in the major. Buckman works to enhance the communications, marketing, and overall administrative management of the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center as its manager.
For Tiger Giving Day, Franks led a project to help fund the growth of the sporting firearms and archery course that introduces a new generation of Auburn students to the wide range of shooting sports activities. Each donor’s gift helped enable the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment to expand upon its current offering of hands-on, expert marksmanship, and safety training to meet the demand of the course’s increasing popularity. “The sporting firearms and archery course is gaining popularity as it is not only an integral part of the wildlife enterprise management program but is a course that is made available to all students,” Franks said. “Financial support was needed to accommodate the increase in enrollment to allow for personalized instruction.”
A second project will benefit students as well as the community. For Tiger Giving Day, Buckman managed a project to help the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, or KPNC, maximize the functionality of its newest facility – the pond pavilion.
The KPNC is a beloved outdoor attraction for visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities within the Lee County community. Its natural beauty, nature trails, and outdoor programs offer a perfect setting for environmental education for all ages. The project raised the funds to install clear, roll-up vinyl curtain walls that will surround the entire pavilion to protect visitors from inclement weather without detracting from the serene, natural setting of the KPNC. Similar curtains, which are currently in use at the KPNC’s main pavilion, have significantly increased the number and quality of programs the KPNC can offer within the structure while minimizing cancellations due to inclement weather.
