Joseph F. Volker, DDS, stands in front of UAB’s Volker Hall, rededicated in his honor in 1977, the year after he was named the first University of Alabama System chancellor.
Volker became UAB’s first president when, nearly 50 years ago, Alabama Gov. Albert Brewer announced the formation of the University of Alabama System in June 1969. With the system’s formation, UAB and the University of Alabama in Huntsville became independent campuses, joining the University of Alabama in a three-campus administrative venture. He served as chancellor until 1982.
In 2003, Volker underwent a $36 million renovation to bring the School of Medicine's teaching and research facility well into the 21st century, installing computer-based technology in lecture rooms, multipurpose teaching laboratories featuring computer simulations, student learning communities, a modernized study classroom and up-to-date security systems.
Earlier this month, UA System Chancellor Ray Hayes announced his retirement from the post he has held since 2016, with his term officially ending at the end of July. According to the Tuscaloosa News, he will return to the board in September as chancellor emeritus to begin working on student health care and behavioral health projects, a passion that he said he and his wife Kathy share.