University of Alabama in Huntsville Informations

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (also known as UAH) is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees, and comprises nine colleges: arts, humanities and social sciences; business; education; engineering; honors; nursing; professional and continuing studies; science; and graduate. The university's enrollment is approximately 9,000.

UAH is one of three members of the University of Alabama System, which includes the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. All three institutions operate independently, with only the president of each university reporting to the Board of Trustees of the system.

The genesis for a publicly funded institution of higher education in Huntsville was years in the making. Beginning in January 1950 as an extension of the University of Alabama and known as the University of Alabama Huntsville Center, classes were first taught at West Huntsville High School.

However, the university's direction changed in 1961, when Wernher von Braun, a German rocket scientist brought to the United States under Operation Paperclip after working for the Nazi regime, helped create a research institute to provide advanced engineering and science curricula to NASA scientists and engineers.

UAH's first undergraduate degrees were awarded in May 1968 as part of the spring commencement ceremony at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, (although a "cap and gown" ceremony was held in Huntsville). One year later, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted to make UAH an independent and autonomous campus. Dr. Benjamin Graves, a 1942 graduate of the University of Mississippi and president of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, was tapped as UAH's first president in 1970. He returned to faculty status in 1979 and retired in 1989. The first degree awarded for work completed entirely on the UAH campus was awarded to Julian Palmore in 1964. Mr. Palmore was at the time a United States Navy ensign assigned to NASA's Research Projects Division. The first official on-campus graduation ceremony at UAH was in June 1970. The first woman to earn a Ph.D. from UAH was Virginia Kobler in 1979, in Industrial Engineering.

UAH's second president, Dr. John Wright, former Vice Chancellor of the West Virginia University, served from 1979 to 1988. UAH's third president was Dr. Louis Padulo, former Stanford professor and dean of engineering of Boston University. Huntsville leader Joseph Moquin took over the UAH presidency on an interim basis in 1990. Dr. Frank Franz, who was then provost at West Virginia University, was chosen as UAH's fourth president. His wife, Dr. Judy Franz, accompanied him and was granted full professorship in the physics faculty. Her renown in the scientific community was reaffirmed when she was named executive officer of the American Physical Society in 1994. At the beginning of the 2006–2007 academic year, Dr. Franz announced his plan to step down as president after that year. On July 1, 2007, Dr. David B. Williams, formerly a professor of materials science and engineering and the vice provost for research at Lehigh University, began serving as UAH's fifth president. He left in 2011 to join Ohio State University as dean of engineering. Dr. Robert Altenkirch was hired as the university's sixth president in September 2011. Dr. Altenkirch served as president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology for nine years before joining UAH. In 2019, Dr. Darren Dawson, former dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Kansas, became UAH's seventh president.

UAH offers 89 degree-granting programs, including 44 bachelor's degree programs, 30 masters' degree programs, and 15 PhD programs through its nine colleges: arts, humanities and social sciences; business; education; engineering; honors; nursing; professional and continuing studies; science; and graduate. Nursing is UAH's largest single major, although Engineering is the largest college. There is also an Honors College that offers an enriched academic and community experience for undergraduates in all disciplines.

Not surprisingly given Huntsville's technology-based economy, UAH is known for engineering and science programs, including astrophysics, atmospheric science, aerospace engineering, cybersecurity, and digital animation. The first "commercial" non-rocketry programs (Consort and Joust) in the U.S. were managed by UAH scientists, the first "high-temperature" superconductor was discovered at UAH, and the first U.S. experiment flown aboard the Soviet Mir Space Station was from UAH. UAH is a Space Grant university and has a history of cooperation with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. In conjunction with helping NASA reach its goals, UAH makes NASA's research and technology available to all of Alabama's colleges and universities. The National Space Science and Technology Center is one of 17 high-tech research centers on UAH 505-acre campus.

The UAH Propulsion Research Center (PRC) promotes interdisciplinary research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. The PRC was founded by Dr. Clark W. Hawk in 1991 and has since provided support for NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the U.S. Department of Energy. Research topics include air-breathing and electric propulsion; solid, liquid and hybrid propellant combustion; magnetoinertial fusion; high-temperature materials; and space and terrestrial power systems.

Research in nanotechnology and microfabrication is conducted by the Nano and Micro Devices Center.

Atmospheric Sciences and related research areas are headquartered in the NSSTC and SWIRLL buildings.

At least nine departments or programs also hold accreditation from professional associations, including the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, the American Chemical Society, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the National Association of Schools of Music.

UAH ranks #263 of National Universities and #128 of Top Public Schools in the 2020 U.S. News Best Colleges. In 2019, the Carnegie Foundation classified UAH as "high" in the research category. The UAH 2018 freshman class's ACT score averaged 28.5, highest among Alabama's public universities.

Compared with similar-sized public universities (~9,000 students), UAH ranks first in research expenditure in the nation (over $99 million). UAH often partners with surrounding federal agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Army, and other U.S. DoD agencies and contractors.

In the 2017 National Science Foundation rankings of federal research funding, UAH had four programs ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The top programs were No. 5 in federally funded RandD in aeronautical/astronautical engineering; No. 9 in business and management research; No. 10 in federally funded computer sciences; and No. 12 in federally funded atmospheric science. UAH ranks 11th in the nation in NASA-sponsored research and 28th in DoD research.

UAH sponsors nine men's and nine women's varsity athletics programs. In 2016, UAH added men's and women's lacrosse to its varsity athletic programs. UAH is a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), competing in Division II in 17 sports and Division I in men's ice hockey. UAH is a member of the Gulf South Conference in all sports except hockey, which plays in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The UAH Student Government Association is the primary recipient of student-activity funding from UAH's Office of Student Life; the Space Hardware Club, a registered student organization in the College of Engineering is the secondary recipient. The SGA holds an advisory role with campus administrators on activities involving students. The SGA hosts a number of events including Week of Welcome, a bi-annual event welcoming students back to campus that begins the weekend they arrive on campus and runs through the first week of each semester.

UAH has five residence halls: Central Campus Residence Hall (CCH), Frank Franz Hall (FFH), North Campus Residence Hall (NCH), Southeast Campus Housing (SCH), Charger Village (CVG). Central Campus is reserved for first-time freshmen. Frank Franz Hall is reserved for Honors College students. Charger Village is reserved for sophomores, whereas upperclass students have the option of living at the other residence halls.

Campus housing originated with the construction of Southeast Campus Housing. These suites were originally built under the auspices of the late Dr. Benjamin Graves, the first President of UAH, with the assistance of the late Alabama Senator John Sparkman.

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