About UAB

INTRODUCTION TO UAB
UAB’s vision is to be an internationally renowned research university and a first choice for education and healthcare.  In its relatively short history –– it first became an autonomous campus of The University of Alabama System in 1969 –– it already has become a research university and academic health center that discovers, teaches and applies knowledge for the intellectual, cultural, social and economic benefit of Birmingham, the state and beyond.  UAB’s top-tier academic medical enterprise, research, and graduate and undergraduate education make it an educational and economic force in the state of Alabama.

In fall 2009, UAB enrolled 16,874 students, including a record graduate enrollment of 5,193.  Enrollment at UAB has set new records in 2009 and 2010. In the past three years, UAB has produced six Goldwater Scholars, five Fulbright Scholars, five NSF Fellows, and three USA Today Academic Team members.  UAB offers 139 degrees for undergraduate, graduate and professional students.  UAB conferred 3,480 bachelors, masters, doctoral and professional degrees in 2009. While its primary missions are those of education, research, and patient care, an institution as large as UAB also is vital to the economic well-being of the state of Alabama and the Greater Birmingham region. UAB’s daily operations provide ongoing financial benefits to the state’s economy. The University impacts the statewide economy through expenditures, government revenues, employment and the personal income of its residents.
 
UAB is educating the workforce of the future and building intellectual capital by channeling the talent of faculty and students who are employed by and study at the University.  In FY 09, UAB’s research enterprise surpassed all previous years by securing $489 million in external research funding, ranking 31st nationally in federal funding and in the top 20 nationally in funding from the National Institutes of Health. UAB‘s faculty and students are achieving research breakthroughs in the sciences and medicine, engineering, business, education, and the arts and humanities.

Working together because of UAB’s highly collaborative culture, faculty mentors and their students are developing revolutionary treatments and cures for the most devastating human diseases;  pioneering nanotechnology and engineering new materials for use in everything from dental implants to body armor;  using satellite imaging to uncover lost cities in the Nile delta and track public health threats worldwide;  combating cybercrime perpetrated from computers around the globe, partnering with the FBI, CIA and Interpol;  and conducting groundbreaking projects and studying abroad on every continent of the globe, to the ends of the earth in Antarctica.

UAB’s top-quality clinical care continues earning high marks at the local, state and national levels. U.S. News & World Report has ranked UAB for 21 straight years in its “Best Hospitals” issue, in which only 3 percent of hospitals nationwide –– and none other in Alabama –– are represented.  UAB is an asset to the residents of the state of Alabama.

The results presented in the UAB economic impact study are generated on an annual basis. The economic impact in future years can either be higher or lower based on the number of students, capital expansion, increases in external research and the level of state appropriations.  Finally, it is important to note that the economic and employment impacts  reported in this report represent the “fresh dollar” impact of UAB.  Stated simply, if UAB were not located in the state, $4.6 billion in impact and over 61,000 jobs would not be generated.