University of Alabama Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
University of Alabama (or simply UA) is a public four-year university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. In Alabama, it is known as the "Capstone."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.
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2 Organization 3 History 4 Sports, Clubs, and Traditions 5 Noted University of Alabama Alumni 6 External links |
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.
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 University and the much younger University of Alabama at Birmingham). UA has Alabama's only publicly supported law school. The Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham is the state's only other ABA-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.
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.
The University of Alabama was racially segregated prior to 1963.
On June 11, 1963, 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 marshalss, Wallace stepped aside. Later in life he apologised for his opposition at that time to racial integration.
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 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 Alabama Sen. Richard 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.
This is an Article on University of Alabama. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About University of Alabama History
Foundation
Racial segregation
Sports, Clubs, and Traditions
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 has brought national attention to the state in recent decades, winning 12 national championships and 21 SEC titles. 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. The gymnastics team, which, like the school's basketball teams, competes in Coleman Coliseum, has also won four national championships.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.Noted University of Alabama Alumni
External links