The Village on the Plain: Auburn University, 1856–2006 by Dwayne Cox (review)

In The Village on the Plain: Auburn University, 1856–2006, Dwayne Cox does a masterful job of documenting Auburn University's history from its humble beginnings to its becoming the largest land-grant institution in Alabama. In 1856, the state of Alabama incorporated Auburn University's forerunner, East Alabama Male College. When federal funds were made available to states through the Morrill Act of 1862, several towns vied for funding to establish Alabama's land-grant institution. After a contentious debate, the property of the East Alabama Male College was ceded to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, which opened its doors in 1872. In 1899, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama became the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Although the college had been referred to as Auburn before the institution officially became Auburn University, the state legislature changed the name in 1960.

The book's twelve compelling chapters are written in an alluring, conversational tone that guides readers through several complex topics and themes. Cox skillfully analyzes and interweaves Auburn University's history, Alabama history, and southern history in general. He utilizes a hefty mixture of primary and secondary sources in completing this work. Several themes emerge from this stimulating and superb piece of scholarship. These themes include the instability of the university's early administrations, loss of revenue and funding instability during the early years, and the role of intercollegiate athletics, or as the author pronounces, "the spell of intercollegiate football," in the development of the university (p. xi). One of the most intense intercollegiate sports rivalries takes place on the gridiron between Auburn University and the University of Alabama; perhaps their political rivalry via competition for state appropriations and prominence was far more intense.

It is fascinating to find that many of the contemporary issues currently discussed in the corridors of higher education echo many of the same debates in higher education of yesteryear. These incessant debates include assessing the role and mission of public universities, establishing sufficient funding models for public universities, and developing competencies through academic curriculums. Tensions over a curriculum that emphasized a classical liberal approach versus an industrial approach were at the center of the curriculum debate. As Cox explains, with the acceptance of federal funding through the Morrill Act, Auburn was required to teach mechanical and agricultural courses in the hopes that applied science would move the South toward modernity. Cox is judicious in his analysis and meticulous in his research. This book provides the reader with a better understanding of the history of Auburn University and of southern history.

As with many books documenting university histories, this volume does not sidestep polemical themes such as race relations, the inequitable treatment of women, and the role segregation played in the history of the university and higher education in the state. Cox importantly notes Auburn University was the first coeducational institution in Alabama, admitting women in 1892. The first African American student, however, was not admitted until 1964.

If there is a flaw in this exceptional work, it is that the author might have spent a few pages explaining how passage of the Morrill Act of 1890 reaffirmed the separate-but-equal doctrine and thus energized tensions between Alabama's white land-grant college and historically black land-grant colleges in the state. Lastly, a few photographs would have enhanced this book. Photographs would help readers visualize the faces and places instrumental in the development of this storied institution.