University of West Alabama

History

Early history

The University of West Alabama began as Livingston Female Academy in 1835. As a church-related female academy, it admitted its first students in 1839. The school was established by Scots-Irish Presbyterians, who controlled the majority of seats on the first board of trustees selected in 1836. The original purpose of the school was to educate future teachers, while also offering course work in art, music, languages, and home economics. Tuition at this time was $20 annually with an additional $25 charged for piano lessons and $10 for French language and embroidery. Jones Hall was the first building constructed on the campus in 1837, and was located near what is now Brock Hall. (The building was lost to fire in the 1890s). On January 15, 1840, state lawmakers incorporated Livingston Female Academy, granted it tax-exempt status, and gave the board the authority to establish rules and regulations.

Livingston Female Academy awarded its first diploma in 1843 to Elizabeth Houston, the daughter of M. L. Houston, a prominent local businessman and a school trustee. The first principal of the school was A. A. Kimbrell, followed by Margaret McShan. In 1853, Robert Dickens Webb arrived in Sumter County and served as a trustee for more than 40 years. He led the school during the American Civil War and Reconstruction through the 1870s, helping to keep the institution open. The main administration building that sits in the middle of campus today is named in his honor.

In 1878, the institution changed its name to Livingston Normal College. Education reformer Julia Strudwick Tutwiler joined the faculty in 1881 as co-principal with her uncle, Carlos Green Smith, former president of the University of Alabama. In 1882–1883, state lawmakers provided $2,500 for tuition and supplies; Alabama was the first southern state to fund the education of women. Tutwiler and state legislator Addison Gillespie Smith helped secure this appropriation.

In 1883, the school was renamed the Alabama Normal College for Girls and Livingston Female Academy, to better reflect the new mission of the institution, providing students with choices of either two- or four-year programs. "Normal training" was the term used at that time to describe teacher education that represented high school plus two years of college education. The Normal College presented its first diplomas at the 1886 commencement exercises.

In 1890, Tutwiler was named president of the college. She is the only woman to have been president. During her tenure, Tutwiler aided in establishing the Alabama Girls' Industrial Institute (now the University of Montevallo) and in having the first women admitted to the University of Alabama in 1893.

State university

In 1929, the Alabama State Board of Education took over supervision and renamed the facility the Livingston State Teachers College. Under George William Brock, in 1929 the school founded a student newspaper called Campus Lights (now called The Muse).

A football team was added in 1931. With striped uniforms, the college took the tiger as its mascot, and the sports teams continue to be known as the UWA Tigers; red and white are the school colors. After president Brock retired in 1936, Noble Franklin Greenhill took over and served until 1944. Under Greenhill, campus life flourished as social sororities and intercollegiate sports in baseball, basketball, and football were added. The first homecoming celebration was held in 1939.

World War II brought such a decline in enrollment that the college nearly closed. When William Wilson Hill assumed the presidency in 1944 after Greenhill left, he commissioned studies to determine if the institution should continue as a four-year college. Hill began with only 92 students, so he set out to recruit veterans. With more men on campus, the interest in sports was revived, and servicemen were aided financially in going to college by the GI Bill, which increased the educational level of a generation of men. Tiger Stadium was built in 1952. The first campus fraternities were established during Wilson's presidency.

The college gained a reputation for teacher education in the region and state through the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The mission of the institution was broadened in 1957 when, under the leadership of Delos Culp (1954–1963), the school's name was changed to Livingston State College. Graduate-level classes were added, and the state board of education began awarding master's degrees in professional education under a new graduate division. Kelly Hester Land was awarded the first master's degree, and a writing scholarship competition and building are named for her.

Under John E. Deloney (1963–1973), the college had substantial growth, so it expanded its campus, to more than 540 acres (2.2 km2) with a 54-acre (220,000 m2) lake surrounded by nature trails, open to the community as well as college population. In 1967, the U.S. Office of Education approved a grant for the institution to receive campus renovations and updates. During the same year, an act of the Legislature created Livingston University with its own board of trustees. In 1969, a longtime historic landmark in Sumter County, the Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge (built 1861), was restored and moved on campus by the Sumter County Historical Society. It spans the northeast corner of Duck Pond behind Reed Hall. The number of faculty was increased during Deloney's presidency as well, and the school's colleges and divisions started taking shape.

Present day

Richard Holland, an alumnus of the institution and former dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, was selected by trustees to take over the position. Six months later, he was named the next university president by a unanimous vote. Holland was the first UWA graduate to serve as president. However, UWA's board of trustees placed him on paid leave and voted to not renew his contract in March 2014 after he challenged the board's review of his performance.

After enrollment hovering around the 2,000 mark for a few years, that number was exceeded in the fall of 2002. In 2005, enrollment reached the 3,000 mark for the first time with a combined 3,090 students on campus and online. That number continued to rise the following year to 3,633 and topped 4,000 in 2007 when 4,186 students were enrolled. When the fall semester rolled around, the university was just shy of the 5,000 mark at 4,888. In 2009, a higher education center was added in neighboring Demopolis. Hines died in 2009.

UWA was temporarily on probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation body in 2011. It was removed from probation on December 5, 2011.

Academics

UWA offers more than 60 undergraduate programs and 10 graduate programs through its academic colleges and divisions at the bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, and educational doctorate levels. These colleges and divisions include:

College of Business

Julia Tutwiler College of Education

College of Liberal Arts

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Division of Online Programs

Division of Technology

Ira D. Pruitt School of Nursing

School of Graduate Studies

Degrees in each academic college and division are awarded at the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Master's degree and Educational specialist levels. Students are awarded an Associate degree from the Ira D. Pruitt School of Nursing. Upon graduation from the University of West Alabama, students may choose to earn a Bachelor's degree in nursing through a partnership with the University of Alabama.

Campus

The University of West Alabama is a single-campus university located in the heart of downtown Livingston on U.S. Highway 11. The campus is on the western border of Alabama. Larger cities close by include Meridian, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham. The small population in the city of Livingston and Southern hospitality give UWA its small-town atmosphere that many students come to appreciate. The 600-acre (2.4 km2) UWA campus includes nature trails, a 54-acre (220,000 m2) lake, and sculptures. Recent campus beautification projects have enhanced the natural beauty that can be found on campus.

Facilities

The University of West Alabama campus includes many buildings. Some are used for academic purposes, while others serve different needs. These facilities include the following:

Math and Science Building, formerly Bibb Graves Hall, houses the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, School of Graduate Studies, and Division of Online Programs. In addition to the university's main auditorium, classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices are located inside.

Brock Hall contains the Ira D. Pruitt Division of Nursing as well as the Housing Office and Upward Bound Program.

Lyon Hall hosts the Julia Tutwiler College of Education.

University Charter School - Located in Lyon Hall

Lucille Foust Hall is made up of offices and classrooms for the art department and band hall. Offices for the Athletic Department and Student Success Center also reside in this building.

Pruitt Hall is the location of the Physical Education and Athletic Training Department. There are a number of classrooms, practice and dressing rooms, and studios.

The Guy Hunt Technical Education Complex and Hunt Annex is used for the Division of Technology. Both contain instructional spaces and shop facilities as well as classrooms and laboratories. The Early Intervention Center can be found at this building.

The Julia Tutwiler Library holds the university's books and periodicals in addition to many other resources. Conference rooms and a computer laboratory exist on the first floor. The second floor contains a large collection of books as well as lounge areas and study areas for students.

Lurleen Burns Wallace Hall provides instruction for a number of subject areas on campus. These range from English and foreign languages, history, and social sciences to speech and theatre. The College of Business and College of Liberal Arts call this building their home.

Student life

Housing life

Although the university does not require students to live on campus, UWA strongly encourages students to live in a residence hall their freshman and sophomore years. Research has shown that students who live on campus are much more likely to graduate from college than students who live off-campus. Students who receive a Trustee Scholarship from the university or participate in certain activities such as varsity-level athletics may be required to live on campus.

Media and entertainment

The official student newspaper is Muse. It is published weekly by students and advised by members of the UWA faculty. First published in 1940, the newspaper was called Livingston Life until 1995 when it changed to The Life. This lasted until 2010, when The Life was rebranded into Muse. Students also produce the official University of West Alabama yearbook called The Paragon. Much like the campus newspaper, the yearbook is published by a student staff with a faculty advisor. The Sucarnochee Review is a creative-writing and art journal published by the university's Department of Languages and Literature. The journal got its start on campus in the 1970s. Students serve as staff members for the journal under a faculty advisor and faculty advisory board. Also on campus, the university's theatre program presents two full-length plays each year. These are performed by members of the student body with an advisor during the fall and spring semesters. Finally, the University of West Alabama provides educational video services to the community through Studio 96. The students produce a weekly local news broadcast named TIGER PAUSE which is broadcast on YouTube.

Student organizations

Student organizations

The University of West Alabama has multiple student organizations and honor societies on its campus for students to join. With over 50 of these on campus, students can choose from a variety to become a member of. There are athletic support groups, governing and programming organizations, musical, religious, and special interest organizations just to name a few. UWA also has quite a number of honor societies in addition to these social organizations.

Greek life

The University of West Alabama's Greek system comprises 6 fraternities and 7 sororities. Fraternities and sororities take part in a number of philanthropic programs and provide social opportunities for students. Formal rush takes place at the start of every fall semester.

IFC fraternities

Delta Chi

Sigma Pi

Panhellenic sororities

Alpha Sigma Alpha

Alpha Sigma Tau

Phi Mu

National Pan–Hellenic Organizations

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Delta Sigma Theta

Zeta Phi Beta

Sigma Gamma Rho

Alpha Phi Alpha

Kappa Alpha Psi

Phi Beta Sigma

Omega Psi Phi

Athletics and traditions

The University of West Alabama has 12 sports teams (13 beginning in 2011–2012 with the addition of women's soccer). Both the male and female athletic teams are called the West Alabama Tigers. Ten of the twelve teams participate in the NCAA's Division II as a member of the Gulf South Conference East Division. Men's and women's rodeo compete in the Ozark Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The NCAA's Division II sports at the University of West Alabama include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, outdoor track, soccer, and tennis for men; basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, outdoor track, and volleyball for women. The university's official mascot is Luie the Tiger.

As an NAIA member in 1971, the football team won the school's first of two national championships.

The other came in 2023 when the school won the women's rodeo national championship. In 1992, the baseball team made history, advancing to their only Division II College World Series. Their chances for the school's first baseball national championship ended in tough luck as they dropped two of three games. In 1997, the Tiger softball program made its only trip to the national tournament and posted a 1–2 record on the campus of Barry University. The men's and women's basketball teams have each made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The football team made its first trip to the NCAA Division II Championship since 1975 during the 2009 season. They upset Albany State in the first round before ultimately falling to Carson-Newman in the second round. The 2012 team went undefeated in Gulf South play (5-0) to claim the conference title. UWA defeated Miles College in round one of the playoffs but lost at eventual national champion Valdosta State in the second round. The 2017 Football Team went 9–1 on the season, earning the #1 seed in Super Region 2. They defeated Delta State in the second round before losing to eventual National Runner Up West Florida in the National Quarterfinals. In 2017, the men's soccer team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II tournament losing to Lynn University.

In addition to varsity sports, the university offers a wide variety of intramural sports programs. Recently, an 18-hole disc golf course was added to the university campus.

Notable people

Mickey Andrews, college football coach

Jeff Branson, professional baseball player

Malcolm Butler, professional football player

Otha Foster, professional football player

Jonathan Solofa Fatu Jr and Joshua Samuel Fatu, professional wrestlers

Eleanor Churchill Gibbs, educator and writer

Ken Hutcherson, professional football player and pastor

Deon Lacey, professional football player

Tyreek Hill, professional football player

Andrew Killgore, ambassador

Charles Martin, professional football player

Buddy Nix, professional football manager

Kendrick Office, professional football player

Tanner Rainey, professional baseball player

Kirsten Reilly, professional soccer player

Seth Roberts, professional football player

Stelio Savante, actor

Johnny Shepherd, professional football player

Lois Wilson, actress and beauty pageant contestant