Established 1969 Postgraduates 13,654 Website www.uasystem.ua.edu Founded 1969 Academic staff 3,531 | Chancellor Ray Hayes Location Alabama, U.S. Undergraduates 43,297 Type of business Public university system | |
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Campus Birmingham (UAB)
Huntsville (UAH)
Tuscaloosa (UA) Endowment 1.239 billion USD (2015, pooled) Headquarters Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States Subsidiaries University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Alabama, University of Alabama in Huntsville Profiles | ||
University of alabama system
The University of Alabama System consists of three public universities in Alabama, United States: The University of Alabama (UA) located in Tuscaloosa, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The schools have a total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 55,000, with over 30,000 students in Tuscaloosa, just under 18,000 at Birmingham and 7,600 in Huntsville. The system operates on state appropriations, student tuition and fees, public and private grants and contracts, and revenue from the UAB Health System. The three universities' endowments are managed by the UAS office and have a total pooled value of $984.9 million.
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Campuses
The University of Alabama was founded in 1831 at Tuscaloosa and is the system's flagship campus. An extension center created in Birmingham in 1936 along with the University of Alabama School of Medicine eventually grew into UAB, while UAH began as an extension center established in Huntsville in 1950. The Birmingham and Huntsville campuses became autonomous institutions with the creation of the UA System in 1969.
University of Alabama
Founded in 1831 and located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, or colloquially as 'Bama) is the flagship school of the University of Alabama System and the largest university in the state in terms of enrollment. Within Alabama, it is often called the Capstone and UA. UA is the senior and the largest in terms of enrollment of the state's major research universities. Outside the state, it is well known for the fact that its athletic teams are nicknamed the "Crimson Tide" (crimson the primary color of the State Flag of Alabama and one of the school colors).
UA offers programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, Education Specialist, and doctoral degrees. The only publicly supported law school in Alabama is at UA. Other academic programs unavailable elsewhere in Alabama include doctoral programs in anthropology, library and information studies, metallurgical and material engineering, Romance languages, and social work. The doctoral program in health education, a joint program of the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, ranks seventh in the nation according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health Education.
The University of Alabama has consistently ranked as a top 50 public university in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report and has a selectivity rating of "more selective". In the 2011 edition of the USNWR rankings, UA was 31st among the public schools category. UA had the highest ranking of any university in the state of Alabama.
As of Fall 2015, Alabama had an enrollment of 37,100 students and its president is Dr. Stuart R. Bell.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (also nationally known as UAB) is a doctoral, public research university covering 83 blocks in the heart of Alabama's largest city Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies UAB as an institution of RU/VH or "Very High Research Activity," the only university in the state of Alabama to meet that definition. UAB is one of only 96 universities in the nation with the designation. UAB is a vital economic engine of the state of Alabama with an estimated almost $5 billion annual impact. UAB is currently the state's largest employer with more than 18,000 faculty and staff and over 53,000 jobs at the university and in the health system. Almost 10% of the jobs in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area are related to UAB.
UAB offers over 140 nationally and regionally accredited programs of study through 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees in various fields, including the social and behavioral sciences, the liberal arts, business, education, engineering, and health-related fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, nursing, and public health. The school is highly renowned for its medical research and natural sciences programs. UAB ranks 26th nationally in federal research and development funding and 1st in the state of Alabama, receiving more funding than all other Alabama universities combined. UAB received over $416 million in external grants and contracts in fiscal 2007-2008. As of 2009, UAB is 4th in the Southeast for NIH research funding behind only Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Vanderbilt University. UAB Hospital also sponsors residency programs in various medical specialties, including internal medicine, neurology, surgery, radiology, and anesthesiology. UAB Hospital is the only ACS verified Level I trauma center in Alabama, as rated by the American College of Surgeons Trauma Program. The other two Level I trauma centers in Alabama (Children's Hospital of Alabama and Huntsville Hospital) are not ACS verified.
In the 2011 edition of the U.S. News & World Report rankings, UAB was ranked 73rd in the public school category, which was the third highest ranking of any college in the State of Alabama.
In the Fall of 2009, the University of Alabama at Birmingham enrolled a record 18,047 students from over 110 countries including 1,517 freshmen. The school's president is Dr. Ray Watts.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (also known as UAH or UAHuntsville) is located in Huntsville, Alabama and it was founded in 1969. UAH is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorates. This university is organized into five colleges: business, engineering, the liberal arts, nursing, and the sciences.
UAH is known for its programs in engineering and the physical sciences, such as geophysics (the Earth's magnetosphere) and the physics of interplanetary space. UAH is a Space Grant university, and it has a history of cooperation with both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (See: Marshall Space Flight Center) and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. The National Space Science and Technology Center is on the campus of UAH.
UAHuntsville has been classified in the “very high activity” research category by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. That places the university among a select group of only 73 public universities in America. UAH has 14 research programs that are ranked in the Top 20 nationally, including four in the Top 10 (2009 National Science Foundation rankings)
The enrollment of U.A.H. is about 7,700, and it has a ratio of 49:51, women to men. Incoming freshmen have an average score of 26 on the A.C.T., which is one of the best among Alabama's public universities. The President of UAH is Robert A. Altenkirch.
Governance
The University of Alabama System is governed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama. The Board of Trustees appoints a Chancellor for the System, currently Robert Witt. The Chancellor is the chief executive officer of the System, and, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, appoints deputies holding the title Vice Chancellor in such areas as Academic Affairs, Financial Affairs, System Relations, and International Programs and Outreach. Additionally, the Chancellor appoints a General Counsel, who is the primary representation for the Board of Trustees in all legal matters involving any or all of the three campuses. Each institution in the System is led by a President who reports directly to the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor.
Administration
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama is a self-nominating board composed of 15 elected members and two ex officio members. The makeup of the Board is dictated by the Constitution of the State of Alabama, and requires that the board be made up of three members from the congressional district that contains the Tuscaloosa campus, and two members from every other congressional district in Alabama. The Governor of Alabama and the Superintendent of the Alabama State Board of Education are both members of the board by virtue of their offices. Elected Board members are nominated by the Board and are confirmed by the Alabama State Senate. Board members may serve three consecutive six-year terms.