Extracurricular Evolution

With more than 150 student organizations and social clubs, there is a place for every kind of student at UAB.

“We don’t have any traditions to uphold. We can do anything we want. ” What Joseph Volker, UAB’s first president, said decades ago has inspired generations of UAB students. Year after year, they eagerly participate in the university’s growth, helping to create new traditions that become part of UAB’s history—such as the hotly contested Gurney Derby race during Homecoming Week.

In 2005, UAB opened the Campus Green, a traffic-free walking and gathering space at the center of campus. Anchoring the Green are new landmarks that now rank among the most popular hangouts for UAB students—the Campus Recreation Center and the Commons on the Green dining facility.

Throughout the year, students experience the excitement of Blazer athletics and intramural sports, annual events such as Homecoming and Springfest, Greek life, and more than 150 student organizations and social clubs. Some of these activities may one day get a new home on campus; future expansion calls for a student union complete with a theater and other amenities.

Read more breakthrough stories in UAB Magazine's new fall issue.