Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, also known as Alabama A&M University or AAMU, is a public, historically black university, land-grant university located in Normal, Madison County, Alabama, United States. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

History
Alabama A&M was originally 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 four for blacks in 1875. In that same year, William Hooper Councill became founder of Alabama A&M University.

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.

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, the name changed to Alabama A&M College. AAMU became fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1963. Finally, 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, Ala., 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 huge, visionary West Campus Complex, the erection of the 21,000-seat Louis Crews Stadium, the renovations and re-roofing of key buildings and the moving of athletic programs to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The long-awaited School of Engineering and Technology was built in 2002, and the Ph.D. program in Reading/Literacy was established.

In its publication, "Past Presidents," AAMU notes that the tenth president, Dr. Robert R. Jennings, began his duties in January 2006 and launched a mission to restore the University’s community engagement and focus more on its students. Throughout his brief tenure, Jennings developed a number of programs aimed at making ‘The Hill’ a place more in tune with the quality of student life, including a VIP student dining facility, graduate student convenience store/lounge, improved campus lighting, stream-lined processes for business and finance, and the implementation of a campus wide operational system.

Students

 * From 44 states and 11 foreign countries
 * 4,940 undergraduates and 874 graduate students
 * 42 percent first-time college students
 * Middle 50th percentile on ACT: 17–18
 * 93 student clubs and organizations
 * 75 percent student participation in community service projects

Faculty

 * 20:1 student-faculty ratio
 * Fewer than 40 students in 86 percent of courses
 * 348 faculty members across all undergraduate, graduate and professional programs

Academics

 * Five undergraduate schools (Agricultural & Environmental, Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Engineering & Technology) and Graduate Studies.
 * 41 Baccalaureate, 23 Master’s, 1 EdS and 4 doctoral degrees offered.
 * Degrees conferred: BA, BGS, BS, BSCE, BSEE, BSET, BSME, EdS, MBA, MEd, MEng, MS, MSW, MURP, PhD.

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 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 almost any kind of event, 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.

Alumni

 * 37,000 and counting

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.

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. In the 1940s, it was remodeled at a cost of $70,000 and provided additional book stacks and reading rooms. The library was two stories tall, and with a little over 4,000 square feet (370 m²); it served several purposes and housed the offices of the President, Business Manager and Treasurer, Home and Farm Demonstration Agents, the U.S. Post Office at Normal, and on the second floor, living quarters for male faculty. In 1947, the library was enlarged 5,000 square feet (460 m²), which reflected the college's growth. So rapid was the college's student growth that they even outgrew the nearly 10,000 square foot (930 m²) library, and in 1962, a new Reference Annex was added. In January 1968, a new 60,000 square foot (5,600 m²) library was completed and occupied and was named in honor of Dr. Drake. It was designed to house 300,000 volumes and 1,000 students. In 1972, the Educational Media Center and the Library merged to form the Learning Resources Center, which incorporates interactive and multi-media. In 2002 the competition of the latest renovation saw the [LRC] become a 75000 sqft structure now housing over 400,000 volumes, digital research sources and other student oriented services.

In 1911, McCormick (Hospital) Hall and Councill Domestic Science Building were erected and Bibb Graves Hall was constructed in 1929.

In 1994, the Mamie Labon Foster Student Living/Learning Complex erected. Groundbreaking was held for new School of Business facility in 1995 and stadium and residence hall construction began.

In 2001, earth work began on new School of Engineering and Technology, library renovations underway and the athletic complex was expanded. The Engineering and Technology building construction was completed in 2002 and opened for classes in January 2003.

The Learning Resources Center renovations were completed in 2002. The renovation added over 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²), an interactive Distance Learning Auditorium, conference, study and class rooms, lounges, and computer lab.



Fraternities

 * Alpha Phi Alpha Delta Gamma chapter
 * Kappa Alpha Psi Gamma Phi chapter
 * Omega Psi Phi Nu Epsilon chapter
 * Phi Beta Sigma Gamma Epsilon chapter
 * Iota Phi Theta

Sororities

 * Alpha Kappa Alpha Gamma Mu chapter
 * Delta Sigma Theta Delta Delta chapter
 * Zeta Phi Beta Sigma Beta chapter
 * Sigma Gamma Rho Kappa Iota chapter

Other Student Organizations

 * AAMU Gospel Choir
 * Sigma Tau Epsilon professional fraternity Rho chapter
 * Phi Beta Lambda business fraternity, Xi Xi chapter
 * Eta Kappa Tau Engineering and Technology Fraternity, Alpha chapter
 * Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Pi Epsilon chapter
 * Nu Rho Sigma fine arts fraternity, Alpha Alpha chapter
 * Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity, Omicron Delta chapter
 * Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity for women, Theta Zeta chapter
 * Tau Beta Sigma honorary band sorority, Theta Iota chapter
 * Voluptuous Bulldog Beauties (VBB)-Women's Plus Size Organization, and Dance Team
 * AAMU Southern Belles
 * AAMU Democrats
 * Alabama A&M Marching Maroon & White
 * AAMU University Choir
 * M.A.N.U.P "Men of America Nurturing and Ushering Progress"
 * Marketing Club
 * Poetry Club
 * Ward Modeling Troop
 * The Collegiate 100 Black Men Of America
 * House Arrest Two Championship Dance Team Incorporated
 * Alima Dance Company

Alabama A&M University Choir
In May 2008, the Alabama A&M University Choir was slated to participate in the American Choral Music Festival in Leipzig, Germany. In 2007, the choir became the first HBCU choir to be invited to attend the American Choral Festival in Germany

On Thursday, January 21, 2010 the choir performed a historical concert at the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA) Annual Conference. This was a historical event because the choir was the first HBCU Choir in the state to perform at that conference.

Telecommunications Program
In 2008, Telecommunications students played an active role on campus. Katherine Mitchell and Alexandria Jackson created the A&M's news show Hump Day. In 2009, Brandon Blevins and Brandon "Wizeman" Lewis created a series of Alabama A&M University short films including Ebony Fire, Tone of Demise 2 and Matters of the Heart.

Dairy Team
In 2009, the AAMU Dairy Team captured silver honors in the 8th National North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge.

In 2010, the AAMU Dairy Team won the Gold Award in the 9th National North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge.

Athletics
Alabama A&M's sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly I-AA for football) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Alabama A&M's colors are maroon and white and their mascot is the Bulldog. The Alabama A&M Department of Athletics sponsors men's intercollegiate basketball, football, baseball, cross country, golf, tennis and track & field along with women's intercollegiate tennis, basketball, soccer, track, cross country, bowling, volleyball and softball. Also offered are men's and women's swimming clubs. The football team's home games are played at Louis Crews Stadium. Both men's and women's basketball home games are played in Elmore Gymnasium, affectionately known by fans as "The Dog House."

AAMU Bulldog Club
The Bulldog Club, Inc., was established in 1998 as a non-profit organization whose purpose is to support Alabama A&M Bulldog Athletics by raising monies from private resources. These monies are to be used to benefit more than 500 student-athletes. There are seven membership levels (patron, pup, maroon, maroon & white family, bulldog, coaches, and executive) with a schedule of benefits based on the amount contributed.

Teams
The university's varsity teams include:

In 2002, the women's softball team won its first SWAC championship. 1998 was the first year AAMU had a softball team. In 2005, the men's basketball team won its first SWAC regular season and tournament championship. In 2006, the football team won its first SWAC Championship.

WJAB
Alabama A&M University is the licensee for National Public Radio affiliate station WJAB 90.9, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week on campus.

Additional reading
Saintjones, Jerome. (2011) Normal Index Online. Alabama A&M University. Normal, AL
 * 1) Morrison, Richard David. History of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University: 1875–1992. Huntsville, Ala. : Liberal Arts Press, c1994.