The African American Faculty Association (AAFA) has been in existence informally on the UAB campus for nearly 20 years and as an official organization for the past sixteen years. The association was formed for three reasons:

• to provide a forum for association among African American faculty at UAB.
• to function as an advisory board on behalf of the African American community at UAB.
• to support and maintain the cultural traditions of persons of African descent within the context of UAB and the Birmingham community.

The AAFA supports numerous groups in the community, including the Birmingham Housing Authority, the Black Graduate Student Association, Blazer Women Mentoring Excellence Network (BWOMEN), and Blazer Male Excellence Network (BMEN). One of the AAFA’s objectives for the new endowment is to encourage graduates of public high schools in the Birmingham metro area to pursue their educational goals at UAB. The endowed scholarship is also a symbol for many things, perhaps none more important than the AAFA’s commitment to making opportunities for students better at UAB.

Mission

The African American Faculty Association at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to recruiting, retaining, and supporting African American faculty, providing faculty with support and mentoring for professional development, advocating for African American faculty and their needs and concerns, promoting communication and networking between Association faculty and other faculty groups, supporting faculty and student activities, and encouraging participation in campus governance.

To achieve these goals, the African American Faculty Association will:

• provide a forum for association and collaboration among African American faculty;
• address issues related to the recruitment, hiring, promotion, treatment, and retention of African American faculty;
• promote professional development and scholarship among African American faculty and students;
• support and maintain the educational and cultural traditions of African Americans; and
• function as an advisory board on behalf of the African American campus community.

Vision

The African American Faculty Association aspires to:

• promote justice and equity for African American faculty;
• celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and students;
• create an environment that is inviting and conducive to the recruitment and retention of more Black faculty; and
• become unified in our efforts to represent the concerns and needs of Black faculty.

History

The African American Faculty Association (AAFA) has been in existence informally on the UAB campus for nearly 20 years and as an official organization for the past sixteen years. The association was formed for three reasons:

• to provide a forum for association among African American faculty at UAB.
• to function as an advisory board on behalf of the African American community at UAB.
• to support and maintain the cultural traditions of persons of African descent within the context of UAB and the Birmingham community.

The AAFA has supports numerous groups in the community, including the Birmingham Housing Authority, the Black Graduate Student Association, Blazer Women Mentoring Excellence Network (BWOMEN), and Blazer Male Excellence Network (BMEN). One of the AAFA’s objectives for the new endowment is to encourage graduates of public high schools in the Birmingham metro area to pursue their educational goals at UAB. The endowed scholarship is also a symbol for many things, perhaps none more important than the AAFA’s commitment to making opportunities for students better at UAB.