Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University

Alabama A&M University is a public, historically black, land-grant university located in Normal, Alabama, United States. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in the 1870s as a normal school, it took its present name in 1969. Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Historic District, also known as Normal Hill College Historic District, has 28 buildings and 4 structures listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places.



History

Alabama A&M was established by an act of the Alabama State Legislature in 1873 as the State Normal School and University for the Education of the Colored Teachers and Students. Peyton Finley introduced twin bills in the State Board of Education for the establishment of four normal schools for whites and blacks in 1875.

By 1878, the state appropriation increased to $2,000 and the school changed its name to the State Normal and Industrial School. Industrial training began in 1883. In 1885 the name was changed to State Normal and Industrial School of Huntsville.

By 1890, the students numbered 300, with 11 teachers, the school site became known as Normal, Alabama, and a post office was established. Students were called "Normalites." In 1891, the school was designated as a land-grant college through legislative enactment February 13 and received funds as a land-grant college under the terms of the Morrill Act of 1890.

In 1896, its name was changed to The State Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. In 1919, the school became the State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute for Negroes, and in 1948 it was renamed the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1939, the State Board of Education granted authority to offer course work on the senior college level. In 1949, its name was changed to Alabama A&M College. AAMU became fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1963.

In June 1969, the school adopted its current name. In July 1996, the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. John T. Gibson as the university’s ninth president and the one who would ultimately lead the institution into the new millennium. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, and a graduate of Tuskegee University and the University of Colorado-Boulder, Gibson immediately began implementation of his ambitious "eight-step plan".

The Gibson administration saw the construction of the West Campus Complex, the erection of the 21,000-seat Louis Crews Stadium, the renovations of buildings and the moving of athletic programs to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The School of Engineering and Technology facility was built in 2002, and the Ph.D. program in Reading and Literacy was established.


Campus

On May 1, 1875, the school opened with a state appropriation of $1,000, 61 pupils, and two teachers at its first location on Clinton Street in Huntsville. In 1881, the school was moved to first school-owned property on West Clinton Street (the land upon which the Von Braun Center is presently located) known as the "Dement Place." The property on West Clinton Street was deeded to the State of Alabama by trustees in 1884.
In 1885, the state appropriations were increased to $4,000 and a building erected for industrial training through $1,000 grant from the Slater Fund.
On September 30, 1891 the present site of 182.73 acres (739,000 m²) was purchased. The school expanded to include agriculture and home economics and Palmer Hall (named for State Superintendent Solomon Palmer) and (Governor Thomas) Seay Hall were built with student labor.
In 1911, McCormick (Hospital) Hall and Councill Domestic Science Building were erected and Bibb Graves Hall was constructed in 1929. The university hired the noted Olmsted Brothers firm in 1927 to design a master plan for the campus. The firm continued to oversee campus planning and landscape architecture until 1959.
The first library on the campus was built with funds from the Carnegie Foundation in 1904 for $12,000, and was named for its benefactor, Andrew Carnegie.


Facilities

The J.F. Drake Memorial Learning Resources Center (LRC) houses approximately 256,884 volumes, 2,200 journals and is a partial depository for government documents. The University Archives located on the third floor has a collection of documents, records, correspondence and photographs related to AAMU. The 2002 LRC renovation added over 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²), an interactive Distance Learning Auditorium, conference, study and class rooms, lounges, and computer lab.
The State Black Archives Research Center and Museum, a part of the LRC, is housed in the James H. Wilson Building, a national registered historical structure.
The AAMU Small Business Development Center provides free counseling to small businesses in seven counties. Client services also include workshops, a business planning resource room, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services.
The Agribition Center is designed to host events, including trade shows and agricultural events.
Louis Crews Stadium is home of the AAMU’s Bulldogs football team. The multi-purpose stadium seats 21,000 and is the sixth largest stadium in Alabama.
The Student Health and Wellness Center is staffed with full-time licensed health care professionals. It offers gynecological services, limited dermatology services, nutrition services, sports medicine, and psychological and counseling services.
In 2002 the latest renovation saw the LRC become a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) structure now housing over 400,000 volumes, digital research sources and other student oriented services.
In 1994, the Mamie Foster Student Living/Learning Complex was erected. Groundbreaking was held for new School of Business facility in 1995 and stadium and residence hall construction began. The Engineering and Technology building construction was completed in 2002 and opened for classes in January 2003.
The campus is served by the Bulldog Transit shuttle bus system.



Colleges, schools and departments


College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences
Biological and Environmental Sciences
Community and Regional Planning
Family and Consumer Sciences
Food and Animal Sciences
College of Business and Public Affairs
Accounting
Business Administration (Concentrations in International Business and Management Information Systems)
Criminal Justice
Finance
Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Management
Marketing
Political Science
Sociology
College of Education, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences
Communication Arts-Telecommunication
Operations
Performance
Production
Communicative Sciences & Disorders
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
English & Foreign Languages
Performing Arts
Physical Education
Secondary Education
Agriscience Education
Biology
Career Technologies Education
Chemistry Live Teaching Secondary Education
English Language Arts
Family/Consumer Science Education
General Social Science
Mathematics
Physics
Technical Education
Special Education
Collaborative Teacher Education
Collaborative Teacher Education
Early Childhood Special Education
Social Work
Visual Arts
Art Education
Graphic Design
Studio Art
College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences
Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Material Engineering (EE emphasis)
Computer Science
Engineering, Construction Management, and Industrial Technology
Construction Management
Electrical Engineering Technology
Industrial Technology
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Industrial Technology
Physics, Chemistry and Math
Chemistry (Mathematics)
Chemistry (Biology)
Chemistry (Forensic Chemistry)
Mathematics
Physics
M.S., Physics
Ph.D. in Physics
Graduate Studies
Biology (M.S.)
Business Management & Administration (Concentrations: General M.B.A., Agribusiness, and Logistics)
Communications Specialist (M.S.)
Communicative Sciences & Disorders (M.S.)
Computer Science (M.S.)
Education, General (Ed.S.)
Elementary Education (M.Ed.)
Family & Consumer Sciences (M.S.)
Food Science (M.S., Ph.D.)
Instructional Leadership (M.Ed.)
Kinesiolog (M.S.)
Material Engineering (M.Eng.)
Plant & Soil Science (M.S., Ph.D.)
Physics (M.S.)/Applied Physics (Ph.D.)
Pre-Elementary Education (M.Ed.)
Psychology (Concentrations: Rehabilitation Counseling, Counseling & Guidance, Counseling Psychology, and Clinical Psychology)
Reading (Ph.D.)
Secondary Education (M.Ed.)
Special Education (M.Ed.)
Social Work (M.S.W.)
Urban & Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.)