Alabama A&M University is one of the best universities in the state. It is historic and small, allowing it to focus on the community and its students. The school was originally a land-grant institution, opening in 1890. It was, and remains, and institution of public service, research, and teaching. It is also progressive and dynamic, which has always laid at the heart of all that it has done.
History of Alabama A&M University
William Hooper Councill, a former slave, founded the school in 1875 as the Huntsville Normal School. It focused mainly on industrial education. By 1890, the federal government recognized it as a land-grant instution, changing its name to the State Agricultural and Mechanical Institute for Negroes. By 1919, it became a junior college and it received a class A rating from the SACSS in 1946 Two years later, it was renamed the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College, and it was fully accredited by SACSS in 1963. Finally, it changed its name to Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.
The A&M Campus
The campus is in a truly beautiful location and is just five minutes away from downtown Huntsville. Uniquely, it was designed by the designer of Central Park in New York, Frederick Law Olmsted. It also has its very own post office, Normal, Alabama!
The A&M People
Statistics about students at Alabama A&M University:
- They come from 11 different countries.
- They come from 44 different states.
- There are 4,940 undergraduate students and 874 graduate students.
- 42% of students are first time in college.
- They are on the middle ACT percentile.
- There are 93 different students’ organizations and clubs.
- Community participation is something 75% of students engage in.
The school also offers 20:1 ration for student to faculty. This means that 86% of courses have fewer than 40 students in them. The school also employs 348 faculty members.
The School and Its Facilities
The school offers five different undergraduate schools, being:
- Engineering & Technology.
- Arts & Sciences.
- Agricultural & Environmental.
Across these schools, 41 different bachelor’s degrees are offered. The graduate element of the school offers 23 master’s degrees, four doctoral degrees, and one EdS.
The degrees available include:
The school also has some highly recognized additionally facilities. This includes the J.F. Drake Memorial Learning Resources Center, the Small Business Development Center, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. The school is also focused on sports and activities, ensuring their students take part in a variety of sports at the Lewis Crews Stadium, supporting the Crews, which is the school’s football team. Some 21,000 people can sit in this center, making it the 6th largest in the state. Finally, the school also has a Student Health Center, ensuring all students have access to licensed counseling, psychological, sport, nutrition, dermatology, and gynecological services. This clearly is a school with a difference that places its students at its heart.