Dear School of Education alumni and friends:
On August 1, we will celebrate 45 years as an officially recognized academic school at UAB. We are pleased to have been part of the origins of UAB, having first been a department in The University of Alabama Extension Center College of General Studies. In 1971, when the College of General Studies was reorganized, we became one of the original four academic schools at UAB.
In 1968, our enrollment was 574 students in undergraduate, graduate, and certification programs:
- Elementary Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Secondary Education
- High School Education
- Vocational Education
- Physical Education
- Health Education
- Special Education
- Library Media
- Counseling
Today, we have nearly 1,600 students each year seeking a degree from one of our undergraduate, graduate, or certification programs that span across our Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Department of Human Studies:
- Community Health and Human Services
- Counselor Education
- Educational Leadership
- Kinesiology
- Early Childhood & Elementary Education
- English as a Second Language
- Arts Education
- Secondary Education
- Special Education
- School Psychometry
- Educational Studies in Diverse Populations
On January 30, 1970, construction began on the first academic building at UAB, leading major growth across the UAB campus. Known as University College Building No. 1, or the Education Building, the building still stands today. With support from Annual Fund contributions, the building was renovated internally in 2014, with the installation of new flooring, painting walls, and other general improvements to classrooms and faculty offices.
In 1974, we had about 800 School of Education alumni. Today, we have nearly 23,000 alumni – with some 18,000 living in Alabama. Many of you continue to live in central Alabama, as well as around the world. We are very proud to note we have alumni living on six of the seven continents! (If you have ever lived in Antarctica, please let me know.)
We have had five Deans, including myself:
- Dr. Fain A. Guthrie – 1971-1980
- Dr. Milly Cowles – 1980-1987
- Dr. Clint Bruess – 1987-1999
- Dr. Michael J. Froning – 1999-2010
Through the years, our alumni and friends have supported us with their time and talent. We are grateful, too, for the many philanthropic gifts provided to the School of Education faculty, programs, and students. These investments remain critical to:
- Creating innovative solutions to today’s health and education challenges.
- Supporting key research and study to help us improve our schools and communities.
- Fostering academic opportunities for students.
- Providing essential tuition support for our best and brightest students to complete their degree.
We are grateful to be part of the UAB family. We are delighted that our faculty and student efforts have helped to build this university into an internationally renowned research institution intent on ensuring that our knowledge is helping to change the world.
Your support has helped us develop into a strong and important member of the UAB family. We look forward to working with you toward still greater accomplishments in the next 45 years, and continuing our efforts to help improve the health and education in our communities – here and around the world.
Sincerely,
Deborah L. Voltz
Dean