Auburn leaders make the case for universities’ critical role in national security

Universities have long supported national security through research, education and workforce development. But Auburn University leaders say the scale and speed of today’s challenges require institutions to play a more direct role as trusted partners to government and industry.

Auburn University President Dr. Chris Roberts said that responsibility is rooted in his university’s land-grant mission and its commitment to translating knowledge into public impact.

“Part of our mission is to translate the knowledge that we generate, the graduates that we produce, talent that we’re putting in the American workforce, and having those folks reach into our communities and make a difference,” Roberts said during a recent episode of the McCrary Institute’s Cyber Focus podcast.

That work increasingly includes national security. Roberts said the largest share of Auburn’s research is tied to national security, adding: “And that’s not an accident. It’s a commitment.”

The need for that commitment is growing as national security threats become more interconnected. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ron Burgess, chairman of the McCrary Institute Advisory Board and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, pointed to the return of great-power competition, rapid technological change and the growing difficulty of separating meaningful intelligence from noise.

Burgess said many of the internet’s persistent security problems stem from the fact that it was not originally designed for the scale, uses or threats it faces today. Security protections have been added over time, he said, often as “band-aids” on top of a system whose foundations were built for a different purpose.

He argued that artificial intelligence presents an opportunity to avoid repeating that mistake by treating security as a foundational requirement rather than something added later. “AI is so new,” Burgess said. “Let’s get the foundation set.”

For Auburn, that approach is taking shape through applied research and expanded partnerships. Dr. Steve Taylor, the university’s senior vice president for research and economic development, said Auburn’s national security portfolio includes work supported by the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and other federal agencies.

Auburn has also expanded its presence in Huntsville, Ala., where researchers are working on challenges related to space, missile defense and cybersecurity. Taylor said the university can help bridge gaps between government needs and private-sector innovation.

“The university can serve that role as a trusted partner,” Taylor said. “We’re not selling a product. We’re here to educate our students and use our faculty and researchers to solve some tough problems.”

That trusted role can include testing and validating new technologies, supporting smaller companies and connecting federal research needs with faculty and students.

For Dr. Mario Eden, dean of Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the workforce dimension is equally important. He said students increasingly want to work on problems with visible public impact, and universities must provide opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.

“We’re not a diploma factory,” Eden said. “If the only thing that defines them when they graduate is their GPA, then we have failed.”

Eden said artificial intelligence should be viewed as an opportunity to move engineers toward more complex work rather than as a threat to their profession. AI may handle more routine tasks, he said, but defining the right problem and exercising sound judgment will remain human responsibilities.

“The judgment of what problem to solve in the first place will still require a good engineer,” Eden said.

Together, the Auburn leaders described a model in which universities do more than generate knowledge. They apply it, test it and prepare people to use it in service of the country.

You can find the full conversation and other Cyber Focus episodes wherever you get podcasts or at McCraryInstitute.com