Margarita M. Phillips 
Last November, Tiffany Sippial, principal of Honors College, was contacted by Cortney Moore, executive assistant to the show’s senior producer, Lori Singer. Moore told Sippial that the Viewpoint team is working on a documentary series for Public Television, CNN and the Discovery Channel.
The series would revolve around the topic “Leaders in the Future of Higher Education and the Role of Honors College,†and Viewpoint thought Auburn University Honors College might be an excellent choice.
Soon, Singer set up an interview with Sippial to discuss the details. At the same time, Singer was interviewing other Deans and officials to see who would be best suited for the documentary.
“The interview gave me a wonderful opportunity to discuss the past, present and future of our program and to talk about the key values ​​that underpin our work,†said Sippial. “I was so thrilled when, following the deliberations of the production team, we were selected as the Honors College feature film for this program. ”
“This program gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary work of our students, faculty and staff. It also allows us to show what educational excellence means at Auburn University and the State of Alabama. “
Directly after his call with Moore, Sippial telephoned Wade Berry, communications specialist at Honors College. Berry, an Auburn alumni graduate with a degree in public relations, attended future meetings with the film crew alongside Sippial after the selection.
Berry couldn’t help but wonder how Viewpoint found Auburn’s Honors College.
“They talked a lot about… our social media – about getting the headlines for what we were doing,†Berry said. “(Also,) our kind of attitude towards how an Honors College should work and what our students do with it.”
Berry was responsible for presenting Honors College to Viewpoint – via brochures, rack cards and other promotional material – before scriptwriting and filming began. The scripts were written by members of Honors College and cut into tangible segments for the show by Viewpoint staff.
COVID has made the waiting period for filming intense and stressful for Honors College. Berry said that at one point, due to COVID restrictions, they weren’t sure if Viewpoint would even be able to come, but by the spring the restrictions were lifted and Viewpoint came to campus.
When filming began in early March, Berry pulled together some of Auburn’s top locations to serve as the backdrop for the segment, primarily Mell’s classrooms and parts of Samford Hall. Berry admitted that the film crew missed the flowering plants on campus by just a week, but the crew still managed to capture Auburn’s winter wonderland.
In addition to the B roll, interview segments were filmed including the voices of Sippial, Honors College student Ada Ruth Huntley and Sherman Pitts. Berry said Pitts was not only a longtime donor but also the parent of two Honors College graduates.
“So not only is he a donor, but he’s a parent,†Berry said. “And that’s the most important part… And he was sort of able to show that parent perspective – the great things your child can experience in Honors College.”
Berry said he and others were eagerly awaiting to see what the Auburn University Honors College segment looks like in the documentary.
This piece will be updated with more information on the show’s airtime when the information is released.
