The University of Alabama at Birmingham has launched a new video that captures — in 90 seconds — the essence and momentum of the comprehensive urban research university and leading health system that spans more than 100 city blocks.
The video is set to music, without voice, allowing compelling images to exemplify UAB’s energy and impact and tell a story that UAB President Ray L. Watts says is already well-known on Birmingham’s Southside.
“Our students and alumni, faculty, staff, patients, community and business partners, and guests know that our campus has become and continues to grow as a world-class comprehensive university with tremendous achievements and impact in education, research, health care, community service and economic development,” Watts said. “We hope this video will make the UAB community proud and give those who may not know what we have become a glimpse into the unique and exciting life of a Blazer.”
UAB’s diverse student population and wide-ranging opportunities are captured in images of new buildings, athletics, arts and entertainment, and campus activities. UAB has more than 180 student organizations, including 25 fraternities and sororities. During the last academic year, students provided more than 309,000 hours of service to our local and global community.
UAB is Alabama’s largest single-site employer and has an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion that benefits the city and region. Birmingham, in turn, offers students a great deal beyond the boundaries of campus, including service learning and internship opportunities, in addition to the cultural and other benefits of a city Birmingham’s size. UAB and surrounding downtown views are interwoven throughout the video.
Nearby Railroad Park and Regions Field complement shots of UAB’s modern Student Recreation Center, Heritage Hall and the new residence hall, home to more than 700 freshmen, as well as images of final construction on the nearly $50 million, 150,000-square-foot Hill Student Center. These images exemplify the beauty and quality of UAB’s physical growth and serve as a reminder of aggressive planned construction that will continue to expand and improve the campus experience.
| UAB is Alabama’s largest single-site employer and has an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion that benefits the city and region. Birmingham, in turn, offers students a great deal beyond the boundaries of campus, including service learning and internship opportunities, in addition to the cultural and other benefits of a city Birmingham’s size. |
Academics feature prominently, as UAB boasts nine programs in the top 20 of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools. Fall 2015 freshmen are UAB’s highest-performing ever, with an average ACT of 25 (top 21 percent nationally). The Honors College enrolled its largest-ever class — an 18 percent increase to 1,260, and incoming freshmen averaged a 4.14 GPA and 30.4 ACT. In the past two years, UAB students have won the most national and global scholarships and fellowships in UAB history (77), including a Rhodes Scholarship and Marshall Scholarship in a year.
Our athletes earned an overall 3.13 GPA, and 210 scholar-athletes earned 3.0 or better in fall 2015, with 46 earning a 4.0. Images of student-athletes and fans in action convey the excitement of UAB Athletics, which recently celebrated a Conference USA championship and NCAA Tournament win in basketball, and just enjoyed its highest-ever philanthropic support in a single year with more than $5 million donated in 2015.
The institutional video includes many images of research. Undergraduates at UAB have access to research opportunities many universities cannot make available until postgraduate work, if at all. 2015 extramural research grant awards exceeded $430 million, and NIH funding for fiscal year 2015 exceeded $225 million, a 20 percent increase since 2013, putting UAB 10th among public universities. The Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance, a partnership with Southern Research, is tackling some of the biggest problems in health care today, with 18 potential new disease-modifying or -curing pharmaceuticals in the pipeline.
Images of UAB physicians treating patients reinforce what many know — UAB is home to an expansive health system that boasts the third-largest public hospital in the nation with world-leading patient care, including the longest-ever incompatible kidney transplant chain that has touched more than 100 patients and counting.
The video was created and produced in-house by UAB’s Office of University Relations led by Chief Communications Officer Anne Buckley, who came to UAB from Virginia Commonwealth University on June 1.
“The UAB community is a proud one for good reason, and it is important we encourage and grow that sentiment and allow them to share with others what is so special about this university,” Buckley said. “We will continue to tell the stories about the results we continue to see across every area of our mission.”
The full-length video will be edited for use on many platforms, including social media, advertising, on-campus digital signage and others.