University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than 24,200 faculty and staff and over 53,000 jobs at the university. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[7]
Former name
Medical College of Alabama (1859–1966)
Birmingham Extension Center (1936–1966)
College of General Studies (1966)
The University of Alabama in Birmingham (1966–1969)
June 16, 1969
$1 billion[1]
$4.34 billion (2021)[2]
Pam Benoit
3,096[3]
24,259[4]
22,563[5]
13,836
8,087
Midsize city, 636 acres (2.57 km2)
The Kaleidoscope
Green, white, and gold[6]
UAB offers 140 programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees.[8] In the fall of 2020, UAB enrolled 22,563 students from more than 110 countries.[9] The UAB Health System, one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States, is affiliated with UAB.
The UAB athletic teams known as the Blazers compete in 18 varsity-level sports in the NCAA Division 1 - American Athletic Conference. [10]Its official varsity colors are green and gold.[11] The Blazers have won 11 conference championships to date.
History[edit]
In 1936, in response to the rapid growth of the Birmingham metropolitan area and the need for the population to have access to a university education, the University of Alabama established the Birmingham Extension Center.[12] The center operated in an old house in downtown Birmingham at 2131 6th Avenue North and enrolled 116 students. In 1945, UA's newly established four-year School of Medicine moved from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham and took over management of Jefferson and Hillman hospitals. In 1957 enrollment at the extension center stood at 1,856. By 1959, research grants, training grants, and fellowships exceeded $1 million, and ground was broken for a new Children's Hospital.
By the 1960s, it grew apparent that the extension center was becoming a university in its own right. An engineering building was built close to the medical center in 1962. In September 1966, the Extension Center was renamed the College of General Studies and elevated to a full four-year program. That November, the College of General Studies and the School of Medicine were merged into the University of Alabama in Birmingham, with Dr. Joseph Volker as "Vice President for Birmingham Affairs"–reflecting that it was still treated as an offsite department of the main campus in Tuscaloosa. An Advisory Board for UAB was created in 1967. In 1969, the legislature created the University of Alabama System. UAB became one of three four-year institutions within the new system, which also included UA and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in Huntsville. Volker became UAB's first president.[12]
Academic rankings
307
137
196
256
301-400
169
147
