University of Alabama at Birmingham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Image:UAB_seal.gif

Established 1969
Type Public
Endowment $285.274 million
President Dr. Carol Z. Garrison
Faculty 2,059
Undergraduates 11,441
Postgraduates 4,725
Location Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Campus Urban (83 city blocks)
Athletics 15 intercollegiate sports
Colors Green, White and Old Gold
Nickname Blazers
Website http://www.uab.edu/

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (also known as UAB) is a public, coeducational university located in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The university is part of the three-member University of Alabama System, which also includes the main University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). UAB, along with the University of Alabama and Auburn University, constitute the state's three major institutions. UAB currently has an enrollment of approximately 17,600 students. The school's president is Carol Garrison.

The history of UAB began with the relocation of the University of Alabama School of Medicine from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham in 1945. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. UAB became an autonomous campus in 1969.

UAB offers programs of study leading to bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees in various fields, including social and behavioral sciences, liberal arts, business, education, engineering, health-related fields (such as medicine, dentistry, optometry and nursing) and public health. The school is highly renowned for its medical research and natural sciences programs. UAB received over $390 million in federal grants during the past fiscal year for research purposes. This places the school as one of the larger research institutions in the Southeast. In fact, UAB is currently 3rd in the Southeast for NIH research funding behind only Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UAB Hospital also sponsors residency programs in various medical specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, radiology, and anesthesiology.

Contents

[edit] Academics

UAB offers nearly 140 degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in 12 schools and the UAB Graduate School.

  • School of Arts and Humanities
  • School of Business
  • School of Dentistry
  • School of Education
  • School of Engineering
  • School of Health Professions
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • School of Nursing
  • School of Optometry
  • School of Public Health
  • School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Division of General Studies
  • UAB Graduate School

UAB also includes the UAB Health System, the University of Alabama Hospital, Viva Health, and the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation


[edit] General Accolades

  • The average ACT score of entering freshman at UAB was 23.7 in 2006.
  • Eleven faculty Federal Research Awards of $20-million or more in 2004.
  • The schools of Nursing and Medicine at UAB are among the nation’s best, according to the 2005-2006 U.S. News & World Report ranking of graduate schools. The School of Nursing is ranked 19th. The School of Medicine is ranked 23rd, two spots higher than the previous year's ranking. Five medical specialties at UAB are ranked in the top 20 nationally by the magazine: AIDS, 4th (up one ranking); women’s health, 8th; internal medicine 18th (up one ranking); geriatrics, 19th; and pediatrics, 19th. The school’s primary care program was ranked 34th, up four spots.
  • The School of Health Professions #1 in the nation in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and holds the record for 26 consecutive years in either first or second place.
  • The highest ranked academic program at UAB is the Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) program. It has been ranked in the top 10 programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since the early 1990's. The master’s program in physical therapy is also in the School of Health Professions and is ranked 25th.
  • The School of Engineering’s biomedical engineering program is ranked 40th. Doctoral programs in the biological sciences are in the top 50.
  • The UAB Mock Trial team is consistently among the nation's best as a perennial Top 25 program. The program has enjoyed so much success that, in 2006, it won the national title in the Silver Division defeating the defending national champions of Harvard University.
  • UAB also has its own police department of state certified peace officers. The department has reached CALEA standards and has a Special Operations unit (bicycle patrol, mounted patrol, etc.) as well as over 75 sworn officers and detectives.
  • UAB is the home of the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the State of Alabama, as rated by the American College of Surgeons Trauma Program.

[edit] Accolades of the UAB School of Business

  • The UAB School of Business is 7th in rankings of metro, state business schools by US News and World Report, 2004.
  • Accreditation by AACSB International was achieved in 1973 in a record time of just two years, never accomplished before or since by any business school in the world.
  • The accounting program at UAB was among the first 17 in the nation to receive separate accreditation by the AACSB in 1982.
  • UAB graduates achieve first-time pass rates on the CPA exam that are 30% higher than the national average.
  • During the past six years, a UAB graduate has achieved the highest score in Alabama on the CPA Exam 5 times. (Comparatively, no other university/college in the state has had more than 2 graduates achieve the highest score in the last six years.)
  • UAB School of Business finance graduates pass the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam at a rate 20% higher than the national average.
  • The Industrial Distribution Program is the only fully integrated business-engineering ID program in the U.S. and one of only two programs residing in accredited schools of business and engineering within a 17-state area from Virginia to New Mexico.

[edit] Athletics

UAB's Dragon Logo
UAB's Dragon Logo

The UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, generally known as UAB. The school is one of the twelve member institutions of Conference USA and participates in Division I-A of the NCAA. The UAB football team is led by Neil Callaway and plays its home games at 71,594-seat Legion Field. The school's men's basketball team, coached by Mike Davis, plays in 8,508-seat Bartow Arena.

While the football team entered post-season play only recently, the men's basketball program has a long history of success spanning several decades.

The basketball program's first coach was Gene Bartow, who was John Wooden's successor at UCLA. Bartow left UCLA after several exceptional seasons (52-9 over three seasons, including a birth in the Final Four in 1976) to head up the founding of the first UAB men's basketball team. He served as the school's first head basketball coach and athletic director for 18 years. Bartow led UAB to the NIT in the program's second year of existence, and followed that with seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982. Bartow retired from coaching in 1996, and in 1997, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor. Bartow continues to support the university as an influential booster and currently lives in Memphis where he serves on the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies as a Special Advisor. In 28 years UAB has made 13 NCAA appearances, 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances, 1 Elite Eight appearance, has had 25 winning seasons, of which 17 of those were 20+ wins seasons.

In addition to football and basketball, UAB also has programs in men's sports for baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's sports programs include softball, basketball, golf, soccer, synchronized swimming, tennis, track and field, rifle and volleyball.


Blazer Victory

All hail alma mater
We sing this song for thee
Raise up the banner for Blazer victory.
(Fight! Fight! Fight!)

All hail alma mater
We pledge to always be
Ever faithful, ever loyal
To dear old UAB!

UAB Fight Song

At UAB in Birmingham
All hail our players bold
They are the mighty Blazers
Who wear the green and gold.

Tonight let's fire their golden blaze
The flame of victory
Go Blazers! Go Blazers!
Win for UAB!

[edit] Student Life

[edit] Campus Green

UAB is in the process of constructing a new park called the Campus Green. The park will be divided in a North and South Greens. The Greens will be bordered by Blazer Hall, Commons on the Green (campus dining faculty), Campus Recreation Center, the new 95,000 square foot Academic Building. Blazer Hall opened in Fall 2006 and is a new 700 bed freshman dorm located next to the Commons on the Green. Other aspects of the Campus Green that would make it distinctly representative of UAB are being discussed.

[edit] Housing

UAB has five dormitories on campus:
Blazer Hall (Freshmen only)
Blount Hall (Sophomores and Higher)
Camp Hall (Freshmen and Higher)
Denman Hall (Juniors and Higher)
Rast Hall (Sophomores and Higher)

[edit] Greek Life

Sororities

Fraternities

Inter-Fraternity Council

[edit] Related links

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

[edit] External links


In other languages