University of Alabama at Birmingham

In 1936, in response to the rapid growth of the Birmingham metropolitan area and the need for the population to have access to a university education, the University of Alabama established the Birmingham Extension Center. [ 10 ] The center operated in an old house in downtown Birmingham at 2131 6th Avenue North and enrolled 116 students. In 1945, UA's newly established four-year School of Medicine moved from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham and took over management of Jefferson and Hillman hospitals. In 1957 enrollment at the extension center stood at 1,856. By 1959, research grants, training grants, and fellowships exceeded $1 million, and ground was broken for a new Children's Hospital. By the 1960s, it grew apparent that the extension center was becoming a university in its own right. An engineering building was built close to the medical center in 1962. In September 1966, the Extension Center was renamed the College of General Studies and elevated to a full four-year program. That November, the College of General Studies and the School of Medicine were merged into the University of Alabama in Birmingham, with Dr. Joseph Volker as "Vice President for Birmingham Affairs"–reflecting that it was still treated as an offsite department of the main campus in Tuscaloosa. An Advisory Board for UAB was created in 1967. In 1969, the legislature created the University of Alabama System . UAB became one of three four-year institutions within the new system, which also included UA and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in Huntsville . Volker became UAB's first president. [ 10 ]

UAB campus and downtown Birmingham UAB is located on the Southside neighborhood of downtown Birmingham, Alabama , occupying more than 100 city blocks and surrounded by three historic district neighborhood including the Five Point South, Glen Iris, and the Southside. [ 11 ] There is a blend of public and private property inside the university limits. I-65, 10th, 11th, and 12th Avenues South, 22nd Street South, and 2nd Avenue South are the boundaries of UAB campus. The campus has more than 216 academic, residential, and recreational facilities spread across around 636 acres (257 hectares) , or roughly 16 million square feet (1.5 million square meters) of building area. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] The UAB strategic plan's pillars are supported by the campus master plan, which places an emphasis on innovative facilities and improved growth management. The campus master plan also includes the creation of eight zones concentration locations: Academics, Athletics & Recreation, Cultural, Hospital/Highlands, Residential, Research, Southern Research, and Support with overlapping zone areas of collaboration such as Academic, Research, and Hospital. Honors Hall, the Collat School of Business, the School of Nursing, University Hall, Gold Hall, McMahon Hall, McCallum Basic Health Science Building, Early Learning Center, and the Technology Innovation Center are amongst the recently completed building construction projects on the university. The Science and Engineering Complex's second phase project, the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine & Data Sciences Building, the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Conference Center, Biomedical Research and Psychology Building, Unity Park, Department of Art and Art History, Cooper Green Mercy Health, University Emergency Department, Rehabilitation Pavilion, 14th Street Parking Deck, and the Southern Research Biotechnology Building are among the ongoing constructions in the university.

Since 2013, about 1.1 million gross square feet (100,000 m 2 ) of new facilities have been added to UAB's footprint through the completion or ongoing development of 17 major university construction projects. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] UAB Campus Green UAB Campus Green in Birmingham, Alabama UAB's Campus Green, also referred to as "the Green", is an open green area and a quadrangle intended for usage by members of the university community and visitors. It was built in 2008 and considered to be the focal point of the campus. The university's long-term master plan, which describes Campus Green as "the signature open space and the center of the academic core," includes the quadrangle as a key element. [ 17 ] The Green is surrounded by green grasses, plants, shrubs, trees and walkways, that include 10th Avenue South, University Boulevard, the Chemistry Building, University Dining Facility, Camp Hall, Blazer Hall, Heritage Hall, University Hall (UAB College of Arts & Sciences) and the Campus Recreation Center. The Green is a part of a centuries-old higher education tradition that offers a serene outdoor space for introspective thought and communal gathering. [ 18 ] [ 19 ]

The Alys Stephens Center is home to the performing arts of the city of Birmingham and is the residence venue for events by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra , UAB's theater and music departments and other globally recognized performers. The Alys Stephens Center is the hub of UAB's Cultural Arts Corridor, located on the cultural zone of the campus, which houses the cutting-edge Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts (AEIVA) that brings the arts into the community through its ArtPlay and Arts in Medicine programs. [ 20 ]