Warhawk Weekly 4-28: Pookie Wilson returns to AUM; Vote Best of the River Region
Full Circle: Pookie Wilson returns to inspire spring Class of 2026
For most graduates, commencement marks the end of one journey. For Pookie Wilson, it marks both an ending — and a remarkable new beginning.
Just months after earning his degree, Wilson will return to the stage at Auburn University at Montgomery — this time not as a graduate, but as the voice guiding the next class forward.
Wilson, an AUM Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, former professional baseball player, and respected coach and mentor, has been named the university’s spring 2026 commencement speaker. He will address graduates during two ceremonies on Saturday, May 9, at the AUM Athletics Complex.
About 700 students are expected to celebrate their achievements during the ceremonies. Graduates of the Colleges of Nursing & Health Sciences, Business and Education will be recognized at 10 a.m., followed by graduates from the Colleges of Sciences, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and University College at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed.
But what makes this moment extraordinary is how recently Wilson stood in their place.
In December 2025, he crossed the same stage as a member of AUM’s Fall graduating class, earning his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies—a milestone that reflected perseverance, purpose, and a deeply held belief: it is never too late to finish what you start.
That day carried an unexpected and powerful surprise. Among the graduates was former teammate Otis Dunning, who played at AUM from 1988–91. The two reconnected during the ceremony, sharing memories from their early days on campus and reflecting on the decades-long journey that brought them back together. What began as a chance encounter became a lasting reminder of the lifelong bonds formed through AUM baseball.
Vote for AUM in ‘Best of the River Region’ awards
Readers of the Montgomery Advertiser have recognized Auburn University at Montgomery as the best university in the River Region for seven consecutive years.
AUM will have an opportunity to extend that streak – and collect honors in additional categories – in the Advertiser’s 2026 “Best of the River Region” Community Choice Awards. AUM earned nominations in three categories: Best College/University, Best Place to Work, and Best Hearing Aid/Hearing Specialist Center.
You can cast your votes for AUM in these three categories through April 28 at 11:59 p.m., with the winners and finalists in each category being revealed in July.
The annual awards honor a variety of local non-profits and businesses in more than 25 categories.
Outstanding scholars recognized at Honors Day
Honors Day recognizes Auburn University at Montgomery’s highest achieving students, celebrating their academic excellence, campus involvement and outstanding contributions.
A longstanding tradition of Honors Day is the unveiling of Chancellor’s Scholars, the highest academic award bestowed by the university. Awarded to one outstanding student from each of AUM’s colleges, recipients were named during this year’s Honors Day ceremony last Friday.
AUM proudly recognized the following students as Chancellor’s Scholars for the 2025-2026 academic year:
- Iris Guin,College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
- Braden Nye,College of Business
- Anna Steen,College of Education
- Ansleigh Herring, College of Nursing & Health Sciences
- Tessa Hardaway, College of Sciences
Congratulations to our student honorees and their families on this well-deserved recognition.
Faculty members earn promotion, tenure
Promotion and tenure recognize and reward faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and teaching while providing meaningful service to their field and the university.
AUM’s Office of the Provost has recognized the following 12 faculty members who earned promotion or tenure:
AUM Library
- Samantha McNeilly, promoted to Librarian III
College of Business
- Benjamin Larson, awarded tenure
- David Simmonds, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
College of Education
- Tara Beziat, promoted to Professor
- Sherry Campbell, promoted to Clinical Professor
- Yuh-Jen Guo, awarded tenure
- Samantha Hood, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
- Matthew Killmeier, promoted to Professor
College of Sciences
- Jessica Bodily, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
- Nicholas Cuba, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
- Hoe Hun (Bryan) Ha, promoted to Professor
- Olcay Kursun, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
Discover AUM’s Speech and Hearing Clinic
AUM’s Department of Communication Disorders invites students interested in speech-language pathology and audiology to attend Speech and Hearing Preview Day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, May 1.
Participants will explore the AUM Speech and Hearing Clinic, view newly renovated classrooms and take part in hands-on learning experiences.
AUM’s Speech and Hearing Clinic has served the university and surrounding communities for more than 30 years. As a teaching clinic, it gives students hands-on experience providing speech therapy to clients under the supervision of a certified audiologist or speech-language pathologist.
The clinic is located at 7145 Halcyon Summit Drive in Montgomery.
Cybersecurity expert shares real-world lessons on AI security risks
Aonan Guan, a cybersecurity researcher and security engineer at Wyze Labs, recently served as a guest lecturer in AUM’s Department of Computer Science & Computer Information Systems.
During his lecture, titled “Security Risks in Modern AI Systems: Lessons from the Real World,” Guan walked attendees through case studies drawn from vulnerability disclosures, illustrating how security flaws emerge in modern agentic AI systems and the practical steps researchers and engineers take to responsibly disclose and remediate them. A lively Q&A session followed, drawing questions from both undergraduate and graduate students.
Guan has built a reputation for uncovering critical vulnerabilities in widely used platforms and AI systems, including Microsoft Azure, GitHub, Google Gemini CLI and Anthropic Claude Code. His research has been featured in The Hacker News, The Verge, Tom’s Guide, ITPro and other international media outlets. He is also an invited speaker at BSidesSF and Black Hat, two of the most prominent conferences in the cybersecurity industry.
The lecture was hosted by Pengzhou He, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems. The department regularly hosts industry professionals and researchers to connect students with the evolving demands of careers in cybersecurity, computer science, software engineering and related fields.
Spring Fling honors outstanding staff
AUM’s Staff Council recognizes outstanding staff for their contributions to the university and dedication to student success during its annual Spring Fling event. This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, May 12.
As part of the annual celebration, the council presents staff awards and scholarships. Full-time staff members who are enrolled as students at AUM may apply to receive a $100 scholarship to support their professional development. Five scholarship recipients will be announced at Spring Fling. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 1.
Established to foster collaboration and provide a voice for staff on campus issues, the Staff Council’s Spring Fling event is one of many activities hosted by the council to promote a positive work environment.
Build in-demand data analytics skills this summer
Data drives decisions, and professionals who can interpret it are in demand across industries.
AUM’s 2026 Summer Data Analytics Certificate Program helps students, professionals, and practitioners build high-impact skills in data science, statistical learning, statistical modeling and data-driven decision making.
In this three day, six-module course, participants will gain practical tools to analyze, interpret, and leverage data across industries such as business, healthcare, academia, and public policy.
Take your analytical skills to the next level this summer by registering for a session:
