Mission of the University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UA Huntsville) is an autonomous campus of The University of Alabama System dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and service. UA Huntsville is a key participant in one of the nation’s major international centers for advanced technological research and utilizes its position in this environment to provide unique opportunities and creative programs for students, faculty, and the community. UA Huntsville is committed to maintaining a diverse academic community of the highest quality, and to providing an environment that facilitates intellectual, cultural, personal, and professional growth. UA Huntsville fosters leadership, creative and critical thinking, clear communication, a respect for knowledge and the pursuit of truth, and an engagement in the challenge and pleasure of a lifetime of learning. UA Huntsville, through its graduates and its programs, contributes to economic advancement, health care, cultural enrichment, and the quality of life of the region, state, and nation.
History
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UA Huntsville) is a part of the University of Alabama System. In June 1969, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees established the University of Alabama System with three independent, autonomous campuses at Huntsville, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa. Each campus has a separate president who reports to the Board of Trustees through the chancellor of the system.
Academic programs were initiated in Huntsville in 1950; in 1963 degree opportunities at the master’s level were provided and in 1964, at the baccalaureate level. The first master’s degree based on work begun and completed in Huntsville was awarded in 1964 and the first undergraduate degrees in 1968. Doctoral programs were initiated in physics and engineering in 1971, and the School of Nursing was established the same year. In 1974, in a component of the Alabama School of Medicine, the first full-time medical students began their core clinical experience in Huntsville. (These programs were transferred to direct UAB management in 1995.) In the two decades of the 1970s and 1980s, UA Huntsville implemented a broad range of undergraduate degree programs; established master’s programs in the liberal arts, nursing, and administrative science; initiated professional degree programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; and inaugurated selected Ph.D. programs in high-technology fields in the sciences and engineering.
UA Huntsville is focused to meet the specific needs of scientific and technological enterprises and the cultural and intellectual needs of a rapidly expanding region. It is UA Huntsville’s intention to be innovative, even experimental, to explore what is new, to evaluate existing programs continually, to develop and establish curricula and pedagogical techniques calculated to help students live and perform well in a complicated environment.
Accreditation
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. SACS (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA. 30033-4097; telephone: 404-679-4501) should be contacted only for information about UA Huntsville accreditation. Several UA Huntsville programs are accredited by their respective accrediting agencies. Academic programs in chemistry are accredited by the American Chemical Society. Eight undergraduate engineering programs (aerospace engineering option in mechanical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial and systems, optical, and mechanical) are accredited by the ABET, Inc. Both undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Computer science holds accreditation from the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. All programs, both undergraduate and graduate, in the College of Administrative Science are accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In addition, the University of Alabama in Huntsville is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education, according to standards of the National Association of the State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC), for the issuance of appropriate professional certificates for service in public schools, and the Department of Education at The University of Alabama in Huntsville is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Facilities
The 376-acre UA Huntsville campus is situated in Cummings Research Park, which is located in northwest Huntsville. The University has 30 major buildings, all of which have been constructed since 1960. The buildings contain modern equipment and exemplify modern functional design.
Student housing consists of Frank Franz Hall, North Campus Residence Hall, Central Campus Residence Hall, and the nine-building Southeast Campus Housing Complex. Frank Franz Hall opened in fall 2002, and North Campus Residence Hall, a near replica, opened in fall 2005. Fall 2006 saw an exciting and welcome addition to University housing with the completion of five fraternity and sorority houses. These houses give a more prominent place to the organizations and provide a communal living and gathering place for their members.
Morton Hall, the oldest building on campus, houses classrooms, computer laboratories, and offices for the dean and several of the departments in the College of Liberal Arts, the Honors Program, and the Writing Center. Morton Hall is also home to Suite 106, a black box theater that operates as a venue for more experimental and avant-garde productions in an intimate setting.
Wilson Hall is currently being renovated to create updated and efficient teaching space for the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Nursing, the Division of Continuing Education and Instructional and Testing Services.
The Kenneth E. Johnson Research Center contains research laboratories and offices for that Center, the Alabama Solar Energy Center, the Propulsion Research Center, and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
Madison Hall houses the offices of Graduate Studies, Graduate Admissions, the Student Success Center, International Programs, and General College Advisement; It also accommodates Multicultural Affairs, Continuing Education and the Offices of Career Services and Cooperative Education.
Shelbie King Hall is the home of the executive administrative offices; the Offices of Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Accounts Payable, Alumni Relations, University Advancement, University Development, University Relations, University Counsel; and the Institute for Science Education.
Von Braun Research Hall contains offices for Research Administration, offices and research laboratories for the Center for Microgravity & Materials Research, and the Center for Automation and Robotics. Additionally, it houses the University’s mainframe computer facility and the Department of Computer and Network Services.
The Engineering Building contains classrooms, computer laboratories, instructional and research laboratories, and Office of Admissions and Recruiting as well as offices for the dean and some of the engineering departments of the College of Engineering.
The Materials Science Building contains offices for Chemistry and Materials Science, classrooms, and state of the art research laboratories for programs in chemistry and materials science, as well as administrative offices for the dean of the College of Science and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It also has a 350-seat auditorium/lecture hall.
The Optics Building is a four-story building designed and constructed for research and graduate studies in the field of applied optics. The building contains research laboratories, classrooms, meeting rooms, and offices for the Center for Applied Optics and the Department of Physics.
The University Center houses the officers of Dean of Students, the Student Government Association, Association for Campus Entertainment, the Exponent, Admissions and Records, Student Financial Services, International Student Services, Charger Central, Student Activities, Student Health Services, the Counseling Center, Charger Card and the Bursar. The UC has facilities for dining, assemblies, meetings, dramatic presentations, and recreational activities as well as housing the University Bookstore.
The Frances C. Roberts Hall, a two-unit complex, contains classrooms, studios, and offices for the art, history, and music departments in the College of Liberal Arts. The Humanities Center is located here, and there is a large auditorium/lecture room for varied university programs.
The Nursing Building is a contemporary triangular structure that houses the College of Nursing. Its four levels contain administration and faculty offices, classrooms, an auditorium, laboratories and service areas, and a large and well-equipped Learning Resources Center.
The Business Administration Building contains classrooms, computer laboratories, and offices for the dean and the departments of the College of Administrative Science. This well-designed teaching facility also has a large auditorium/lecture hall and several student lounge areas.
Marion Beirne Spragins Hall has classrooms and offices for Health and Physical Education and Athletics, a gymnasium with a seating capacity of 2,800, racquetball courts, and other physical education, recreational, athletic training facilities, and the faculty/staff clinic.
The Central Receiving Building houses the shipping and receiving office and storage facility and the central mail room.
The Physical Plant Building contains offices, shops, and storage areas for the Department of Facilities and Operations’ administrative offices, custodial services, facilities maintenance, grounds management services, stockroom, and fleet services.
In addition to providing parking, the new Intermodal Parking Facility also houses Public Safety (campus police) and acts as a transit stop for Huntsville city busses on their routes to Madison Square Mall, Research Park, Bridge Street Towne Center, and Wal-Mart.
The Tom Bevill Center has 100 hotel rooms, a restaurant, offices for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Training Division, meeting rooms, and computer laboratories. It also has sophisticated audio-visual systems, computer networking, links to Huntsville’s super computer, and easy access to other facilities on campus and in the nearby Cummings Research Park.
The WLRH Radio Station facility is located on the south end of the University campus and houses public radio station WLRH-FM. The University leases the facility to the Alabama Educational Television Commission but has no involvement in the operation of the radio station.
The Business Services Building houses administrative offices of the Department of Business Services including Purchasing Services, Telecommunications, and the Copy Center.
Olin B. King Technology Hall is located on the west side of Sparkman Drive and contains offices, classrooms, specially equipped distance-learning classrooms, a 119 fixed-seating seminar room, computer classrooms and laboratories, and instructional and research laboratories for several of the departments in the College of Engineering as well as in Computer Science. It also houses the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), the Propulsion Research Center, and the Information Technology & Systems Center.
The Robert “Bud” Cramer Research Hall which houses the National Space Science & Technology Center or NSSTC is also located on the west side of Sparkman Drive and contains offices for Atmospheric Science, research laboratories, meeting rooms, and the Global Hydrology Resource Center computer laboratory to support the extensive ongoing research between NASA, UA Huntsville, and the Universities Space Research Association. All three organizations have employees housed in the building.
The University Fitness Center provides facilities for student recreation and physical education activities. It contains three basketball courts, weight training area, aerobic area, cardiovascular fitness area, elevated running/walking track, swimming pool, locker rooms, offices, and support areas. The facility serves UA Huntsville students and employees as well as the general public through external memberships.
The Shelby Center for Science and Technology provides state-of-the-art laboratory and economic development facilities as well as teaching and resource facilities for chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematical sciences. It serves to make the campus more modern in facilities and design by helping to create a technology quadrangle that consolidates engineering, math, and science.
The M. Louis Salmon Library is housed in a 105,000 square feet facility which includes a state-of-the-art hightech wing with an Information Arcade, five computer labs including a math tutorial lab, a liberal arts lab, a nursing lab, and a Library/distance learning lab. Over 250 workstations are supported in the facility. A Media/Distance Learning support center is also housed in the Library. Customer Service and Training from Computer and Network Services relocated to the library in 2008, and 2008 also marked the addition of a new Super Teaching classroom that utilizes a multimedia classroom teaching system to promote “Learning at the Speed of Thought” as well as Jazzman’s Coffee Shop. For students in science and engineering and technology, research at UA Huntsville is supported by the Redstone Scientific Information Center (RSIC), located five miles from campus. RSIC was developed to support the wide-ranging research interests of NASA and the United States Army Missile Command and is one of the finest technical libraries in the Southeast. UA Huntsville subscribes to numerous full-text and bibliographical data bases each of which supports specific colleges, including Liberal Arts, Nursing, Administrative Science, Engineering, and Science. |
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