Opening Doors, Integration 40th Anniversary Commemoration

UA ranks as one of the top public universities in enrollment of National Merit, National Achievement, and National Hispanic Scholars. Our fall 2002 freshman class accounts for 69 of these 300 outstanding undergraduate students. In fall 2002, a record number of freshman students — 316 — enrolled in the University Honors Program. UA student Kana Ellis was chosen as the first recipient of the national Honors Student of the Year Award in 2002.

The Capstone also continues to educate many of the state's and nation's leaders in government, business, law, health, science, and the humanities. The University of Alabama's graduates include 15 Rhodes Scholars, 15 Goldwater Scholars, and 9 Truman Scholars. Our most recent Rhodes Scholar is Bradley Tuggle, an English major who received the award in 2001. Our student scholars take their cues from nationally recognized faculty who are committed to their students, including the Carnegie Foundation and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) 2001-02 National Professor of the Year Cornelius Carter, a professor of dance at the University and an African-American. Professor Carter is an internationally renowned choreographer.

UA ranked 11th in the nation in the number of master's degrees in English awarded to African-Americans for the 2000-01 academic year, according to Black Issues in Higher Education. UA's national rankings for degrees awarded to African-Americans also included the following: 44th in total doctoral degrees, 45th in doctoral degrees in education, 49th in total baccalaureate degrees, 54th in master's degrees in engineering, and 59th in law degrees.

A total of 35 SREB Minority Doctoral Fellows have enrolled at The University of Alabama since the program began in 1993. UA is first in the nation in attracting students through this program that encourages minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and become college-level professors.

U.S. News & World Report named The University of Alabama one of the top 50 public universities in the nation in both 2002 and 2003, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked UA among its top 100 Best Public Colleges in the nation in 2002, based on quality education at an affordable cost. U.S. News & World Report also has perennially ranked the University of Alabama School of Law and our undergraduate business program among the top 50 in the nation. The most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings for communication graduate programs placed UA's advertising program 12th and our telecommunication program 14th in the nation. The College of Communication and Information Sciences has been ranked sixth in the nation by the Association for Communication Administration.

Academic achievement has been matched by athletic excellence as several Crimson Tide teams build on a rich heritage and national reputation. For example, the Crimson Tide football team has 12 national championships and the women's gymnastics team has four. NCAA figures also show that UA's six-year graduation rate for scholarship student-athletes has ranged from 56 percent to a high of 70 percent in recent years.

At The University of Alabama, diversity is now the norm rather than the exception. We welcome this diversity and are committed to maintaining a supportive learning and working environment for all. Such a commitment is integral to our continued growth as a premier institution of higher learning in the state, region, and nation.

BRIEF HISTORY OF UA

Solidifying a Tradition of Excellence