David Bowdich, second in charge of the FBI, visited Auburn University last week to give public remarks and sign a memorandum of understanding.

During his visit, Bowdich made reference to the FBI’s ongoing expansion of its presence in Huntsville — an expansion that is not yet complete but will soon total $1 billion invested with over 4,000 FBI employees brought to the Rocket City.

The memorandum of understanding Bowdich signed aims to address the lack of students graduating in STEM fields and the dearth of students fluent in foreign languages.

“This profession is rapidly changing,” Bowdich said. “We can’t recruit like we used to.”

According to Auburn, the agreement means the FBI and the university will share “mutually beneficial information, research and technology that advances criminal justice and student and faculty opportunities.”

“The FBI making a significant presence in Huntsville enables Auburn to take on a leadership role to work jointly on threats targeting critical infrastructure sectors such as power and telecommunications,” said Rodney Robertson, executive director of the Auburn University Huntsville Research Center.

Bowdich mentioned specifically his interest in Auburn’s work on artificial intelligence, 5g wireless technology and cybersecurity.

Bowdich also seemed determined to pique students’ interest in working at the FBI during his visit to campus through appeals to their patriotism.

In pitching a career with the FBI, he said, “It won’t relieve tension like that big check will, but I promise you at the end of the day you will go home feeling good about what you just did or about what you are doing, and that’s something that money cannot buy.”

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.