CACC chemistry instructor honored with Auburn College of Education award

Central Alabama Community College chemistry instructor Dr. Jeremy M. Carr received Auburn University’s College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award for work that has reached far beyond a résumé line and into the daily path students take toward college transfer and careers.

Auburn honored Carr on April 10 during its annual Spring Awards Celebration, the 45th such ceremony and the first held in the college’s new building. The College of Education has recognized alumni with Distinguished Alumni Awards since 2014, using the honor to single out graduates who show excellence, leadership, service and lasting professional impact. Carr was one of the 2026 recipients.

At CACC, Carr has built a reputation for guiding students toward medical, veterinary and pharmacy programs, especially first-generation students and students from rural communities. His help has gone well beyond chemistry lectures. Students have relied on him for personal statements, applications and interview preparation, support that can determine whether a student moves from interest to admission in a competitive field.

His impact has also shown up in the classroom through a project that reached into space science. Since 2025, Carr has helped lead CACC’s participation in Mission 20 of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, starting with a five-week course called Proposal Writing for Microgravity Science Experiments. CACC said Carr worked with 52 students organized into 15 teams, producing 12 proposals. Three of those proposals advanced for national review, and one was selected for launch. The program says that through Mission 20, 169,300 students in grades 5 through 16 have participated, 32,604 proposals have been submitted and 446 experiments have been chosen for flight.

Carr’s work has also helped open more traditional transfer routes. He played a role in establishing Alabama’s first 2-plus-2 articulation agreement between a community college and Auburn University’s College of Agriculture, a pathway now used to expand transfer opportunities elsewhere in the state. The agreement covers 13 undergraduate majors and requires participating CACC students to be in good standing, maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and earn a C or higher in coursework while meeting Auburn admission and college-specific prerequisites.

CACC President Jeff Lynn has described Carr as someone who represents the best of both institutions because he expands opportunity for students who need a champion. The college also recognized him in August 2025 with its Innovative Teaching Practices Award and a Certificate of Contribution to Student Success and Engagement for the ISS Space Station Research Project, additional evidence that his work has already altered what local students can see as possible.