AUM Chancellor John G. Veres announces retirement
October 2015
MONTGOMERY – At the annual faculty and staff convocation, Auburn University at Montgomery Chancellor John G. Veres III announced his plans to retire near the end of the current academic year.
“John has been a dedicated leader at Auburn Montgomery and a valued member of the greater Auburn family,” Auburn University President Jay Gogue said in a statement. “He has helped AUM grow as a collaborator and resource in Montgomery, the River Region, and the state. We are appreciative of his service and wish him the best.”
Under Veres’ leadership, the university has implemented several major strategic initiatives to grow AUM and its recognition as a provider of quality higher education and continuing education as well as services for local and state businesses and government.
“I am proud to be the first alumnus of Auburn Montgomery to lead our university,” Veres said in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve as chancellor and a great privilege to work with the excellent faculty and staff members at AUM. I shall miss the daily interaction with students, faculty and staff, but I am looking forward to watching AUM continue to grow and serve the citizens of Alabama and beyond.”
Among the university’s successes under Veres’ leadership is its recent academic transformation and expansion. The university underwent a major academic reorganization in 2015, creating two new colleges: the College of Public Policy and Justice and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The university also realigned two schools to form the College of Arts and Sciences.
Another initiative under Veres’ leadership has been attracting foreign students to the campus. Auburn Montgomery enrolled 229 international students from 37 countries last fall. Ongoing programs with universities in Wuhan and Changsha, China, are scheduled to bring approximately 100 students to Montgomery in fall 2016, allowing them to complete their senior years and degrees on the AUM campus. These programs not only enhance opportunities for international students, but foster new cultural experiences and benefit all students, who interact in a more diverse environment.
Veres’ time at AUM has been marked by the strong connection he forged between the university and the community. Long before becoming chancellor, as the developer of University Outreach’s consulting and applied research unit, Veres became an active member of economic development initiatives, partnerships and advisory groups among businesses and government in the state, particularly in the River Region. As chancellor, he brought that same collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit and keen appreciation of the place Auburn Montgomery holds in the community to find new ways to deepen that relationship and to increase the university’s contributions as a resource and partner.
He has demonstrated a strong commitment to connecting with students and improving their experience. This has led to many changes to the campus’s physical profile, including the additions of the AUM Wellness Center, Warhawk Hall (a student residence), a new softball complex, the Grove (an outdoor gathering area), the Confucius Garden, fitness trails and a new residence hall now under construction.
Prior to his selection as chancellor, Veres had multiple roles as a faculty member and leader of AUM applied research programs, going on to be named executive director of University Outreach in 2000 and chancellor in 2006.
