KeyFacts
The University of Alabama had five students named to the USA Today All-USA College Academic Team for 2003—the most awards of any school in the nation. Harvard and Johns Hopkins each had three recipients of the award, and UA had more than Dartmouth and Yale combined. UA's Sarah Adair, a microbiology major from Hartselle, was named to the first team. UA's Kana Ellis, Allison Kellogg, Gabriel Walvatne, and Laura Medders were also among the honorees. USA Today selects the All-USA Academic Team from students throughout the country. They are recognized for grades, awards, leadership roles, and ability to use their academic skills outside the classroom.
The University of Alabama is ranked among the nation's top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report.
The University of Alabama's graduates include 15 Rhodes Scholars, 15 Goldwater Scholars, and nine Truman Scholars. Our most recent Rhodes Scholar is Bradley Tuggle, an English major who received the award in 2001.
The University of Alabama's chapter of the prestigious liberal arts honor society Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest of the three chapters in the state.
Approximately 66 percent of UA's undergraduates receive some type of financial aid.
UA ranks as one of the top public universities in enrollment of National Merit, National Achievement, and National Hispanic Scholars. More than 300 of these students are currently enrolled at Alabama.
For over a decade, The University of Alabama has been one of the top public flagship universities in the Southeast in enrollment of African-American students. In fall 2002, African-Americans comprised 10 percent of enrolled freshmen, 14 percent of total undergraduate enrollment, and 13 percent of the student body overall. Enrollment of African-American students in UA's Graduate School has increased by 44 percent since 1996.
Across our beautiful 1,000-acre campus, several buildings dating back to the founding of the university are still in use today—alongside other historic structures and recent construction housing state-of-the-art technology. We offer excellent facilities for study and research, including campus-wide computer labs, multimedia classrooms, and online libraries.
More than 33 percent of the university's entering freshmen and 21 percent of all undergraduates received merit scholarships for the academic year 2002-03.
The University of Alabama debate team holds 14 national championships—two more than our football team!
UA offers 220 degree programs.
Founded in 1831, The University of Alabama was the state's first university.
McNair Scholars Program Offers UA Students Mentoring for Success
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A select group of University of Alabama students is conducting research and preparing for graduate school through the McNair Scholars Program.
The national program, named after Dr. Ronald Ervin McNair, an astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle accident, provides a $3,900 stipend for undergraduate students to participate in a semester of funded research and to engage in other scholarly activities.
Each year, 20 McNair Scholars at UA are chosen from a large pool of deserving applicants. Each student develops a topic of research related to his or her field of study, partners with a faculty member for mentorship and fully implements a research study project during his or her research internship. Students then make formal presentations of their research findings at the UA McNair Scholars Conference and submit papers summarizing their research. These papers are then published in the McNair Journal, an annual research periodical.
McNair Scholar LaTisha Creagh of Bossier, Louisiana, said, "The research internship allowed me to learn the step-by-step process of conducting academic research…I would strongly encourage any student who has determination and wants to be challenged on both an intellectual and personal level to take full advantage of this program."
The UA McNair Scholars Program was recently granted more than $1 million in additional funding for the continuation of the research program. The McNair Scholars Program at UA is a U.S. Department of Education TRIO project and the program must reapply for funding every four years.
Funding for the UA McNair Scholars Program has been renewed for five years for a total of $1,102,135. Normal funding cycles are four years, but because the UA McNair Scholars Program grant earned a position within the top ten percent of the 162 programs funded, it was awarded a five-year grant by the Department of Education.
Dr. Jacqueline Morgan, UA McNair Scholars program director, has been with the program since UA joined the national project in 1999.
"For the past four years, I have watched students become transformed as they engage in original research projects, present at national conferences and prepare their work for publication. They gain an appreciation for the process of contributing knowledge to their discipline and learn patience and perseverance as they face the normal obstacles related to research. Most importantly, they gain confidence as potential scholars," Morgan said.
To qualify for the program, a student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; be a first-generation college student with a qualifying income level established by the U.S. Department of Education or be a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in graduate education; have at least a 3.0 GPA; have completed at least 60 semester hours; and demonstrate a potential for doctoral studies.
The program is currently accepting applicants for next year's class. Applications are available in the McNair Program Office (326 Osband Hall), and the deadline to apply is November 7.
Additionally, the UA McNair Program will be presenting its annual research conference on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in Smith Hall.
For more information regarding the McNair Scholars Program call 205/348-0580 or 205/348-0572. You may also visit www.ctl.ua.edu/msp.
