University Of Alabama Campus Organization History

In fall 2003, UA had an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. Its president is Dr. Robert Witt . The university has garnered regional renown for its programs in business, communications and law, and its engineering and natural sciences programs are also on the rise, thanks to recent cash infusions from donors.

1 Campus

Campus landmarks include Bryant-Denny Stadium, the President's Mansion, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, and Denny Chimes , the clock tower located on the Quad next to University Boulevard. The school is also home to the Paul W. Bryant Museum and the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

2 Organization

The University is divided into 12 colleges and schools. The eight divisions granting undergraduate degrees are the College of Arts and Sciences, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Human Environmental Sciences, the Capstone College of Nursing, and the School of Social Work. Graduate degrees in those eight divisions at the master's, specialist, and doctoral level are awarded through the Graduate School. The School of Law offers J.D. and LL.M. programs. The College of Community Health Sciences provides advanced studies in medicine and related disciplines and operates a family-practice residency program. The College of Continuing Studies provides correspondence courses and other types of educational opportunities for non-traditional students.

The University is Alabama's oldest institution of higher learning; today, it is one of three major research universities in the state (along with athletics rival Auburn UniversityAuburn, is home to the University's administration. Auburn University (AU) is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama with over 23,000 students and 1200 faculty. It is the largest university in Alabama. Auburn was chartered on February 1, 1856 as t and the much younger University of Alabama at BirminghamThe University of Alabama at Birmingham is an American four-year institution of higher education located in Birmingham, Alabama. The university is part of the three-member University of Alabama System, which also includes the main University of Alabama ca). UA has Alabama's only publicly supported law school. The Cumberland School of LawThe Cumberland School of Law is a law school operated in Birmingham, Alabama under the auspices of Samford University, which purchased it from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1962. Law schools in Alabama. at Samford UniversitySamford University is an accredited private, Baptist-related university located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the home to the Cumberland School of Law, purchased from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1951, and other graduate programs as well in Birmingham is the state's only other ABAThe American Bar Association (ABA is a voluntary bar association of lawyers which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. It has been criticized for perceived elitism and an over-representation of white male corporate defense lawyers in-accredited law school. Academic programs unavailable elsewhere in the state include doctoral programs in anthropology, library and information studies, music, Romance languages, and social work.

3 History

3.1 Foundation

In 1820, an "educational seminary" called "The University of the State of Alabama" was created. It set up in Tuscaloosa in 1827, and opened its doors to students in 1831.

3.2 Racial segregation

The University of Alabama was racially segregatedRacial segregation is a kind of formalized or institutionalized discrimination on the basis of race, characterized by their separation from each other. The separation may be geographical, but is usually supported by providing services through separate ins prior to 1963.

On June 11June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. Events 1184 BC According to the calculations of Eratosthenes, the date that Troy was sacked and burned. 1509 Marriage of King Henry VIII of Engl, 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey, George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, stood in front of a schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama in an attempt to stop desegregation of that institution by the enrollment of two African-American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood; when confronted by federal marshals, Wallace stepped aside. Later in life he apologised for his opposition at that time to racial integration.

4 Sports, Clubs, and Traditions

4.1 Athletics

The school's athletics teams are known as the Crimson Tide. They compete at the NCAA's Division I level and are members of the 12-member Southeastern Conference. The Tide's football team, started in 1892, is one of the oldest in the country. It has brought national attention to the state in recent decades, winning 21 SEC titles, and a total of 12 national championships: in 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992. These are the years the NCAA Official record book recognizes the Tide as being the national champion. There are also 5 additional years in which the Crimson Tide is recognized as being the national champion: 1945, 1962, 1966, 1975, and 1977. The team has played in 51 bowl games (29 wins, 19 losses, and 3 ties), has 17 hall-of-famers, and 91 All-Americans honored 101 times. The football team plays in 83,818-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium, which is named after legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and former UA President George Denny .

In recent years the athletics program has taken a hit, with NCAA sanctions hindering the Crimson Tide's football program. The Tide's football program was hit with a two year post-season ban, which it will be off of in the fall of 2004. Since the Tide's last national championship in 1992 against the Miami Hurricanes, the Alabama football team has had five different head coaches. Following Gene Stallings was defensive coordinator Mike Dubose , who proved to be an excellent recruiter of defensive linemen. He benefited tremendously from the leadership of Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels , winning the SEC championship in 1999. Expectations quickly rose for the Tide, which started the season as high as No. 3 in some polls. The Tide quickly lowered, ending up 3-8 in a season exemplified by a last-second loss to Central Florida. Dubose was quickly fired and replaced by an up-and-coming coach from TCU, Dennis Franchione . The media-savvy Franchione was quickly popular because of his coaching style and media-friendly press conferences. He led Alabama to two winning seasons from 2001- 2002, going 7-6 and 10-3, respectively. After NCAA sanctions hit in 2002, Coach Fran was rumored to be interested in other jobs, including the University of Kansas opening. One year later, under a pile of media scrutiny, Franchione left for Texas A&M University. After the well-documented Mike Price fiasco, in which the former Washington State University coach was hired and subsequently fired without coaching a game, Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Mike Shula received his first head coaching job. Shula went through many first-year pains, ending up 4-9.

The University of Alabama's men's basketball team has also achieved recent success, advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2004, losing to eventual champion UConn in the Phoenix Regional Final (formerly known as the West Regional). Alabama's head coach is former Tide guard Mark Gottfried .

The gymnastics team, which, like the school's basketball teams, competes in Coleman Coliseum , has also won four national championships.

4.2 Student life

Student life at the school is marked by a division between students who are members of traditionally white social fraternities and sororities and students who are not.

The divide among students often shows up during the school's annual Student Government Association (SGA) elections, which are dominated by white greek candidates backed by a secretive group called the Machine, which is the local chapter of the secret society Theta Nu Epsilon, which is similar to the infamous Skull and Bones at Yale University. According to newspaper accounts and a documentary produced by the university shown on public television, the Machine has a long tradition at the university, dating back to its founding in 1914 by the late Senator Lister Hill, who also founded the Jason's Mens Senior Honorary and who served as the first president of the SGA. Initially, only select fraternities were members; sororities were not offered membership until the 1970s - to this day, not all greek letter organizations have been offered membership, and it is believed that over the years, some fraternities and sororities that were members have had their memberships revoked. It is believed that 90% of those who are put up for SGA office by the Machine go on to political careers in Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana. Members include former Alabama Lt. Gov. Bill Baxley, former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and current U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby.

SGA elections have been marred by violent assaults and death threats in the past, resulting in an FBI investigation, and turnout among so-called "independents" remains low because of apathy. A Machine candidate is guaranteed several thousand votes, thus ensuring victory. Machine-backed candidates have won all but seven races for the SGA presidency since 1914, including wins against former Alabama Gov. George Wallace (a non-Machine candidate).

Gamma Phi Beta, a member of the white sorority system -but rumored to not be a member of the Machine- admitted its first black member in fall 2003. There are several greek letter organizations for blacks, as well as a multi-cultural sorority, none of which are believed to be members of the Machine.

The university in recent years has developed an image as a "party school," thanks to rankings from The Princeton Review and other publications that cited lots of drinking and drug use on and near campus. University officials responded by starting a series of late-night, on-campus entertainment programs and successfully pushing for a citywide limitation on bar hours, moving from no specified closing times to a scheduled closing time every day but Friday.

5 Noted University of Alabama Alumni

Hugo Black (Law 1906), Supreme Court justice 1937 - 1971
William Christenberry , Artist
Winston Groom , Author of Forrest Gump
Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize winner for To Kill a Mockingbird
Timothy Leary, 1943
Joe Namath, Super Bowl III champion quarterback for the New York Jets
Joe Scarborough, member of the United States House of Representatives 1995 - 2001 and television talk show host.
Bart Starr, Super Bowl champion quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
George Wallace, governor of Alabama 1962, 1970, 1974, 1982
Sela Ward, Actress, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Advertising, 1977
E.O. Wilson, entomologist known for work on evolution and sociobiology; Pulitzer Prize winner

6 External links

Universities and colleges in Alabama Alabama

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