Auburn University At Montgomery

Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) is a coeducational public university located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. It is governed by the Auburn University Board of Trustees, and is a branch campus of Auburn University. It was established by an act of the Alabama Legislature in 1967. AUM offers programs of study leading to bachelor's, master's, and specialist degrees in business, education, liberal arts, nursing, and sciences. The university enrolls more than 5,500 students, with an additional 10,000 enrolled in continuing education programs. In January 2007, the university moved toward branding itself as Auburn Montgomery.

History

AUM was established in 1967 by Act 403 of the Alabama Legislature. In March 1968, Dr. H. Hanly Funderburk, Jr., was appointed vice president and chief administrator of the newly created university. AUM opened its doors in September 1969 with nearly 600 students in the old Alabama Extension Center on Bell Street, next to Maxwell AFB. Two years later, the university relocated to a 500-acre (2.0 km²) campus on the McLemore Plantation tract, 7 miles (11 km) east of downtown Montgomery. The campus' first two buildings were the Administration/Library building and Goodwyn Hall with classrooms and faculty offices.

AUM has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as an operationally separate institution since 1978.

In January 2007, the university began branding itself as Auburn Montgomery and unveiled a new logo. The redesigned logo incorporates the Ida Belle Young Tower in a style resembling Auburn University’s logo which features the Samford Hall clock tower. While the university’s official name will remain the same, the rebranding aims to increase cooperation between the institutions.

Academics

For the 2008-2009 academic year, AUM enrolled 4,686 undergraduate and 869 graduate students. The student body is 64 percent female and 36 percent male. 58 percent of students are white, 33 percent are black, 2 percent are Asian, and 1 percent are Hispanic.

AUM comprises two Colleges (Business and Arts & Sciences) and two Schools (Education and Nursing) that offer bachelor, master and specialist degree programs. The most popular bachelor degrees granted are business administration (25 percent), nursing (13 percent), liberal arts (9 percent), biology (8 percent) elementary education (7 percent) and secondary education (7 percent). AUM offers a joint doctorate program with Auburn University in Public Administration.

AUM has a continuing education program that enrolls over 10,000 students annually. Continuing Education curricula include certificate programs, corporate education, community education, computer training, languages (including English as a Foreign or Second Language), online training, and youth programs.

AUM's College of Business ranks in the top 5% of business schools in the world, as accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, and was rated a "Best Business School" by The Princeton Review.

Lecture series

Annual lectures include the Durr Lectures (since 1992), named for Clifford and Virginia Durr, Montgomery lawyers and civil rights activists; and the Ingram Lectures (since 1989), named for Robert Ingram, noted political analyst and journalist.

Residence Life

Housing

AUM offers apartment style residence halls in one, two, three or four bedroom floor plans. Housing is divided into three communities: The Courtyards, The Commons, and Warhawk Hall. The Courtyards residence opened in the fall of 1979 and is made up of seven two-story buildings . 2003 the eight-story complex known as The Commons, featuring private 4-bedroom suites, was opened. In the fall of 2013, the new Warhawk Hall featuring one, two, and three bedroom floor plans was opened. During the regular school year, approximately 10 percent to 15 percent of AUM students live on campus.

Athletics

Auburnâ€"Montgomery (AUM) teams, nicknamed athletically as the Warhawks, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball and tennis.

AUM has participated in the NAIA since the inception of the athletic department 30 years ago. However, AUM has routinely explored possible future participation in NCAA Division II. AUM was accepted into the membership process to NCAA Division II on July 12th, 2013, but the decision was then reversed on July 26, 2013. AUM was expected to join the Peach Belt Conference in 2014-15, but this will apparently be set aside with the NCAA's refusal to admit the school.

On August 18, 2011, AUM officially changed the name of its sports teams from the Senators to the Warhawks.

The women's tennis team have won ten NAIA national titles, including a five-title streak (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008). The men's tennis team have won nine NAIA national titles, including a stretch of three consecutive championships (2006, 2007, 2008). They won again in 2010, Scott Kidd being elected as NAIA Coach of the Year.

Notable people

• Keivan Deravi, economics professor
• Alan Gribben, Mark Twain scholar
• Perry O. Hooper, Jr., Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Montgomery (1984-2003)
• Pamela Long, International Studies professor and immigration activist
• Jessica Meuse, musician
• Stephanie Reynolds, co-founder of HIP Haiti, a non-profit organization
• Michael Simmons, Anglican clergyman and history professor
• Octavia Spencer, actress
• John G. Veres, III, chancellor
• Barbara Wiedemann, poet and English professor

References

Notes

External links

• Auburnâ€"Montgomery official website
• Auburnâ€"Montgomery official athletics website