March 29, 1968: Dr. Samuel B. Barker delivered the fifth Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Perspectives.". Arnett, chair of the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, was the first epidemiologist selected for the presidency of the AHA. February 1, 2016: UAB President Ray L. Watts announced the increase in the minimum wage to $11.00 per hour for all UAB and UAB Medicine employees, above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. April 25, 1985: The residence hall for nursing students at UAB was rededicated as Florence A. Hixson Hall. "For a long time, we have had all these different pieces of the puzzle, but this was the final piece in becoming the region . September 10, 1960: Birmingham faculty member James F. Hatcher, Jr., director of Town and Gown Theatre, directed the annual Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Wayne H. and Sara C. Finley received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a cytogenetics laboratory at the Medical Center. February 1983: UAB discontinued its bone marrow transplant program after less than two years. Samuel W. Acton was the school's first graduate. October 1968: For the fall term, history faculty member Dr. Jack D. L. Holmes offered a course in African American history. September 18, 1998: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved the University Transportation Center, a joint effort of all three of the System's three campuses. 2016: The State of Alabama became the first state in the country to host institutions receiving five EPSCoR Track II grants, four of which were awarded to UAB. 1985: W. Grant Shingleton became UAB's third Sports Information director. January 20, 2011: UAB National Alumni Society House was officially dedicated. Dr. Watts, who holds an undergraduate degree from the UAB School of Engineering, had joined the UAB faculty in 2003. October 13, 1893: With the start of the new school term, the Medical College of Alabama lengthened requirements for graduation from a two-year to three-year course. September 21, 1994: At a University-wide picnic in the Mini Park, UAB celebrated its 25th anniversary as an independent campus. November 6, 1997: A grand opening celebration was held for the new OADI Technology Center, the first building constructed in the UAB Research Park at Oxmoor. September 2020: For the fifth consecutive year, UAB set an enrollment record with a total of 22,563 students, an increase of 2.19 percent from the previous year. Dr. Birrer, a specialist in gynecologic cancers, came to UAB from Harvard and the Massachusetts General Hospital. February 1970: Richard W. Jackson appointed first director of security at UAB. May 2021: UAB and the Birmingham Organizing Committee for the 2022 World Games announced that UAB would provide some of the housing needed by athletes, coaches, and officials and the university would host several competitions at UAB venues during the World Games, to be held in Birmingham July 7-17, 2022. August 25, 2005: Speakers at the first meeting of the UAB Commission on the Status of Women were President Carol Z. Garrison, Provost Eli Capilouto, and Dr. Louis Dale, Vice President for Equity and Diversity. February 19, 1999: The Center for Join Replacement, which had been established in 1998, was approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Junene R. Pearson received a BS in electrical engineering, becoming the first African American female graduate of the engineering school. June 20, 2008: The UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science was approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. September 8, 1964: The entering class of eight students in the medical technology program at University Hospital included one African American, Wilma Ann Barnes. February 2020: UAB announced that its public radio affiliate WBHM-FM Radio was partnering with three other stations, Mississippi Public Radio (Jackson), WNNO (New Orleans), and WPFK (Baton Rouge), to establish the collaborative Gulf States Newsroom. January 15, 2015: Dr. Jeffrey A. Engler, associate dean, was named as interim dean of the UAB Graduate School following the retirement of Dean Bryan D. Noe. 1976: The first UAB student handbook was issued. September 1, 1962: Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., became dean of the Medical College of Alabama. 1982: Joe Davidson became the second head coach of the Men's Golf team. 1991: Vice presidents Dr. John R. Durant and Dr. William A. Sibley became acting deans and co-directors of the Graduate School. Awards . June 9, 1974: Catherine Steinmitz Amos received her O.D. February 17, 1995: Specialized Caries Research Center was approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Dr. Dohlstrom was the first male appointed to the Tuscaloosa nursing school faculty. January 2, 1995: Watson Brown was named as the second head coach of the UAB football team. In 1969 UAB became an independent institution, one of the autonomous universities within the newly created three-campus University of Alabama System. September 19, 1949: Alabama Act 596, the Wright-Boutwell Bill, which created The University of Alabama School of Nursing, was signed by Governor James E. Folsom. Weise is the director of UAB Eye Care Pediatric Optometry Services, as well as a leader within UAB Blazer Vision, a partnership between UAB Athletics, School of Optometry and Department of Ophthalmology. April 28, 1992: A new facility for the Smolian International House was dedicated. June 5, 1969: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved a plan to provide for a system in which a separate President will be elected for each of the three campuses of the University with each President reporting to the Board of Trustees. The new three-campus system, a plan which was to be effective September 5, 1969, was announced publicly eleven days later. Dr. Bahl sees patients daily at the Kirklin Clinic at UAB and twice a month at the UAB 1917 Clinic. Dr. Jean Ann Linney became interim dean of the new College. Vice Provost for Graduate & International Education, Graduate School Dean & Chief International Officer, Associate Provost for Academic Administration, Associate Provost, Academic and Learning Technologies, Associate Provost, International Education, Executive Director, Administration & Finance. The Blazers ended the regular season with an overall record 10-3 and conference 7-1; the best year ever for UAB football. The SGA operated the coffee shop until it was closed in the winter of 1972. December 1959: Birmingham native Patricia "Pat" Neal (later renamed as Fannie Flagg) appeared in a Town and Gown Theatre production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." April 21, 2000: The Center for Research on Child and Adolescent Development was approved by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. June 7, 2019: Evelyn VanSant Mauldin was elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The month-long celebration was co-sponsored by the University College Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Association. November 19, 1999: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved an affiliation between UAB and the Southern Research Institute, a not-for-profit contract research organization with over $50 million in grants and contracts and which had been founded in 1941. November 15, 2018: UAB broke ground for a new student residence hall, to be located on 10th Avenue South on the site of the demolished Smolian International House and Sorority Square Building. 1993: UAB's economic impact on the Birmingham region was estimated at more than $1.5 billion per year. September 22, 1967: The Veterans Administration Research Wing was dedicated. September 12, 1975: The School of Optometry Building was dedicated. Mrs. K. Lemone Yeilding elected as the club's first president. Vera Bruhn was elected first president of the auxiliary. September 1, 1969: The Division of Engineering became solely responsible to the UAB College of General Studies and ceased being a jointly administered program with the University of Alabama. July 1, 1992: Dr. Charlie W. Scott became interim dean of the School of Medicine. June 2019: For the second consecutive year, Times Higher Education ranked UAB as the top Young University (50 years or under) in the United States. August 29, 2016: A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the UAB Football Operations Center and Legacy Pavilion. August 27, 2012: Scott E. Hanley became the fourth General Manager of WBHM-FM Radio. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans. 1966: The Medical Center had a budget of $32,000,000 and a payroll of over $15,000,000 for its 3,200 employees. Harold W. Sontheimer and Yogesh K. Vohra were named directors of the new centers. 2003: Dr. Sadis Matalon became the first vice president for Research; he served in an acting capacity. Named in honor of a city pediatrician and chair of the countys board of health, the new polio ward was located on the fourth floor of the Hillman building. October 18, 1996: Dr. Gail H. Cassell delivered the thirty-third Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Emerging Infections: A Global Threat.". 1977: World's first effective treatment for a viral disease, the deadly herpes simplex encephalitis, occurred at University Hospital. October 1999: The Eye Foundation Hospital at UAB was renamed the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital at UAB in honor of founder Dr. Alston Callahan. April 5, 1859: The Probate Court of Mobile County granted a charter for a medical school with power vested in a board of trustees originally comprised by Drs. January 1, 2002: Dr. Malcolm Portera became the fifth chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System. Search . of Pediatrics. Edward Abraham, Jayne N. Ness, and Kevin A. Roth, respectively, were named directors of the three centers. Bunn, who had retired in 1984, was the founding chairman and chief executive officer of the BellSouth Corporation. Dr. Bruce A. Freeman was named as first director of the Center for Radical Free Cell Biology. October 27, 1995: T. Scott Plutchak became fourth director of the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. December 3, 1993: Dr. Charles E. Bugg delivered the thirtieth Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "The Magic of Crystals.". She was the first female president of the governing board of the three campus University of Alabama System. The new team was organized that year and began competition in the fall of 1985. August 2010: For the fall term, total enrollment at UAB increased by almost 4 percent over last year up to 17,543. May 25, 2016: An orientation meeting was held for the new UAB Staff Council, comprised of 39 staff members from 21 departments across the units of the university. December 12, 1996: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved the renaming of buildings in honor of Gene Bartow and of Drs. October 13, 1983: Drs. June 15, 1998: The 500th liver transplant was conducted at University Hospital. August 31, 2016: Mike Wilson became the seventh head coach of the Men's Golf team. September 1, 2002: Dr. Carol Z. Garrison became the sixth president of UAB. 1981: Bob Norman became the second head coach of the Men's Soccer team. December 1996: Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith became interim vice president for Financial Affairs and Administration. Dr. Henry N. McCarl was named as the center's first director. In 2016 the workforce program received a $6 million grant to train un- or under-employed young adults for high-demand information technology careers. Formerly the offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas, the Oklahoma native had been a quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. Six recipients were named for the inaugural year. UAB Hospital Medicine came from humble beginnings; established in 1998 with 10 assigned beds, we were the first Hospital Medicine program in the state of Alabama, and one of the first in the Southeast. It 1972 it would officially be renamed as UAB Commedia. . 7 Eric Molina in the ninth round in Bartow Arena at UAB. 1973: The Diabetes Research and Training Center was established with Dr. William J. Reddy as first director. Running two shifts per day that span from 4:30 am to 10 pm, this team of more than 280 people feeds 1,100-1,200 patients . November 9, 1966: The Health Sciences Research Building was rededicated as the Lyons-Harrison Research Building. 1992: The third annual Step Show was renamed as the Camille Armstrong Memorial Scholarship Step Show in honor of the late Camille Armstrong, a UAB student who died in an automobile accident in 1986 just prior to graduation. 5 in the Nation in Obstetrics & Gynecology by U.S. News & World Report on the 2022-2023 Best Hospitals list, we also recognize that healthy relationships last a lifetime. In 2003 the FBI would arrest an individual for the bombing of the clinic and for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996. UAB had three honorees in the inaugural class of 25, Coach Gene Bartow; student-athlete Deanna Jackson (Women's Basketball); and student-athlete Graeme McDowell (Men's Golf). For the first term, 116 students enrolled. 1997: UAB administrators established the University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center (UWIRC) Program to provide UAB funding for those research centers and institutes designated as a UWIRC entity. June 2, 1943: The Jones Bill, Alabama Act 89, authorized an expansion of the two-year Medical College of Alabama to a four-year program and appropriated over $1.3 million for buildings, equipment, and maintenance. January 1, 2004: Dr. Huw F. Thomas became the seventh dean of the School of Dentistry. January 1, 1995: Dr. Sergio B. Stagno became interim vice president for Health Affairs. July 2, 2020: Betsy Freeburg became the head coach of Women's Volleyball. Dr. Jay M. McDonald was named as first director of the Center for Metabolic Bone Disease. 1860: A new four-story building was opened on St. Anthony Street in Mobile to house the Medical College of Alabama. 1955: Research and training grants at the Medical Center totaled $312,000. 1996: John J. McMahon, Jr., became first chair of the UAB Health System Managing Board. 1945: The Cullom Apartments located at the corner of South 20th Street and 8th Avenue South were acquired for use as student dormitories and as faculty housing. 2010: Logan Todd Talbot became the eighth UAB student named as a Truman Scholar. 1966: Laboratory of Medical Genetics was established under the direction of Drs. Dr. Sleckman had been selected the previous October. 1978: Susan Cook became the first head coach of the new Women's Volleyball team. September 20, 2002: Finis E. St. John, IV, and Vanessa Leonard were elected to The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. 1964: The Alabama Journal of Medical Sciences began publication with Dr. Emmett B. Carmichael as editor. November 17, 2000: Joe Espy III and Jacquelyn Shaia were elected to The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. 1969: Rev. The island had been the original site of the US research base, Palmer Station, from 1965 until 1968. October 1964: At the start of the academic year, 44 African American students were enrolled at the Birmingham Extension Center. February 2002: The UAB Safe Zone, which was developed by Dr. Glenda Elliot from the School of Education, was first offered as a campus-wide program. 1964: Dr. James T. Montgomery became the first African American physician to be granted staff privileges at University Hospital and the first African American to receive a faculty appointment in the medical school. March 2003: The UAB Huntsville Regional Medical Campus opened a new clinic and teaching facility, the primary clinical and academic space for the University of Alabama School of Medicine Huntsville Program. February 1960: Frank E. and Margaret Cameron Spain gave $500,000 for the construction of new rehabilitation center. December 1971: Dr. Joseph Appleton was named first dean of the School of Engineering after having served as interim dean since August. Dr. Reuter came to UAB in February from Christopher Newport University in Virginia. During the NASA mission, Morin completed two separate spacewalks. February 1990: Jean Vaughn became the sixth head coach of the Women's Tennis team. 2003: Dr. Louis Dale was named the first vice president for Equity and Diversity, becoming the first African American named to a vice presidential office at UAB. Drs. July 12, 1893: The Birmingham Dental College was incorporated by the State. Walter C. Andrews, Jr., was the first of the fifty graduates. 1988: The UAB Office of Minority Business Development was established with George Perdue, Jr., as first director. May 1971: A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a classroom for the humanities (Humanities Building) and a library (Sterne Library). 2000: Angus R. Cooper, II, was elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. September 28, 2021: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved the renaming of the medical school as the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine following a gift of $95 million by Dr. Heersink and his wife, Mary. Haase left with a record of 80-53 during his four seasons coaching the Blazers. November 1, 2006: The Kirklin Clinic Patient Resources Library opened as a partnership between The Kirklin Clinic, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. February 1, 1977: Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., became the second president of UAB. The University of Alabama at Birmingham welcomes Lee Stone as the executive director of UAB Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) following a national search. Resumen. The Blazers fell to the Liberty Flames 36-12 before an announced attendance of 37,167. Alabama State University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. . January 1, 1994: Dr. Arol R. Augsburger became the third dean of the School of Optometry. November 19, 1939: Hillman Hospital Outpatient Clinic Building was dedicated. August 1967: The University of Alabama School of Nursing was moved from the Tuscaloosa campus to the Medical Center in Birmingham. Created by T. J. Neil of Homosassa, Fla., the three-ton statue was nine feet tall and sixteen feet long. Ninety-one members from across the UAB campus were initiated into ODK; Dr. Aaron L. Lamar, Jr., became the first faculty advisor. February 14, 1955: "Candles in the Canebrake" was the first Town and Gown production held in its new home on South 26th Street. 1979: Center for Nursing Research was established. June 26, 2001: The 13th Street Ensemble, UAB's professional equity theater company in residence at the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center, debuted with a performance of "Noises Off." 1994: UAB became the first Alabama university to achieve Research University I status in the Carnegie Foundation classification. The new fields are home to all of UABs outdoor intramural and club sports. February 1966: Dr. Joseph F. Volker, Arthur Garikes, E. Todd Wheeler, and Dr. George W. Campbell produced the Expansion and Land Utilization Study-UAB. 1996: Mary Ritchie became the head coach of the Women's Golf team. The orchestra's first performance was in April. 5 opened. January 28, 1969: Dr. Frank A. The former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl Champion (2000) had been named as the new coach two days beforehand.