During the last five years, our first strategic plan laid the groundwork for creating a 21st century model for Student Affairs, providing extraordinary student experiences and advancing student success. Additionally, we worked tirelessly to build a Division that would be the epitome of excellence and develop students into the best version of themselves.

UAB Student Affairs provided students with opportunities for active learning, removed barriers to their success, and established spaces for their community engagement. We also developed experiential learning pathways and career ready competencies, constructed new safe spaces, launched university-wide health initiatives, hosted national and regional conferences, created new offices for parents and families as well as for our off-campus students and led the effort to create UAB’s first-ever creed. We have accomplished a lot, and our students are better served and connected to their university.

We could not have done any of it without our talented and passionate team of Student Affairs professionals. It was important to me that throughout the strategic planning process, not only each member of the Division had a voice, but actively participated in the process.

As we embark upon our next five years, we will build on our strong foundation and the inspiration of our institution. Rooted in the pillars of The University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Alabama system, we created a strategic plan that will take us into the future. Developing it was a collective effort with assistance and feedback from students, colleagues and stakeholders from across the Division, UAB and the City of Birmingham.

I am proud to introduce our new vision, mission and values. Using these as a guide, we developed priorities, objectives and goals as we further construct new, supportive programs, develop innovative initiatives and build curricula bridges with faculty and staff. We know that our “living document” will continue to evolve as our students develop and change.

I am excited about the future and look forward to what these next five years will bring. I cannot wait to see how what we do continues to create transformational experiences for our students and our campus community.

Go Blazers!

Sincerely,

John R. Jones, III
Vice President
UAB Student Affairs

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a comprehensive public university located in downtown Birmingham, which is Alabama’s largest city. It is one of three campuses in the University of Alabama System (University System), together with the University of Alabama, established in Tuscaloosa in 1831, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, created in 1966. UAB was established as a separate campus of the University System, also in 1966.

UAB is well on its way to achieving its vision of being one ofthe most dynamic and productive comprehensive universities— and the preferred academic medical university—of the 21st century. UAB’s faculty has garnered international recognition for excellence in education, health care and research. UAB was ranked as thetop young university in the United States for the second year in a row —and in the top 12 worldwide —in the Times Higher Education 2019 Young University Rankings. Also,in 2019, the university set a record with $602 million in research funding awards. UAB’s educational programs provide a highquality, diverse curriculum in an intensely collaborative setting to undergraduate and graduate students. A premier academic medical center, UAB delivers world-class clinical care to its patients. Over the past fiveyears, UAB’s clinical trials portfolio has grown by 107% as part of an intentional, institution-wide effort to offer the newest and most efficacious treatments to even more patients. UAB ranks eighth among all public universities in clinical trials expenditures. In addition, UAB provides a variety of services and programs to meet the needs of the professional and business communities of Birmingham.

UAB is one of only 16 colleges and universities in the nation identified as a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine in both 2018 and 2019. These honors recognize UAB’s diverse student population, with underrepresented groups making up 41.9% of the student body, as well as the commitment to diversity and inclusiveness embodied in the institution’s Shared Values, which also include respect, integrity and accountability.

UAB offers innovative academic programs that equip students for the demands of today’s global “knowledge economy,” including 55 baccalaureate programs, 66 master’s programs, 38 doctoral programs, three first-professional and three certificate programs. These programs are offered through the College of Arts & Sciences and the 10 schools of Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Graduate School, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry and Public Health.

UAB provides undergraduates the types of leading-edge, closely mentored research opportunities found primarily in graduate programs at other universities. In the past few years, the university has started new majors in immunology, digital forensics, genetics and genomic sciences, public health, bioinformatics and cancer biology. The acclaimed UAB Honors College also offers advanced research and scholarship experiences to more than 2,250 high-ability undergraduates through such offerings as the Science and Technology Honors Program.

UAB continues to attract the best and brightest students from Alabama, the nation and nearly 100 countries around the world. In fall 2019, the university enrolled 22,080 students, setting an enrollment record for the fourth straight year. UAB also had its largest freshmen class ever, with 2,346 students. This class has an average ACT of 25.6 and average high school GPA of 3.78.

Guiding Principles

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Vision

One university inspiring and empowering the creation of knowledge that changes the world.

Mission

UAB serves students, patients, the community and the global need for discovery, knowledge dissemination, education, creativity and the application of groundbreaking solutions. We are a leader among comprehensive public urban research universities with academic medical centers.

Shared Values

At UAB, we have never settled for merely finding what’s next — we have helped build the future through new ideas and initiatives in the classroom, the laboratory, the studio and the clinic. The coming decade presents us with opportunities and challenges. How should we build on our strong foundation in order to meet them? Forging the Future, UAB’s strategic plan for the next five years of growth, offers a blueprint.

Education

Strategic Goal: Offer a world-class, socially conscious education to diverse students to prepare the next generation of citizens and leaders.

• Strategic Objective 1: Strengthen and expand innovative academic
• programs to enhance UAB’s national and global reputation.
• Strategic Objective 2: Ensure student success through holistic
• development that addresses diverse needs.
• Strategic Objective 3: Create a signature core curriculum focused on modeling and developing socially conscious global citizens and leaders.
• Strategic Objective 4: Engage students, faculty, staff and community members in experiential learning.
• Strategic Objective 5: Foster access, inclusive excellence and equity in teaching, learning and mentorship development progams.

Community Engagement

Strategic Goal: Engage with the community in meaningful and mutually beneficial collaborations that contribute to the public good.

• Strategic Objective 1: Expand access to community engagement resources.
• Strategic Objective 2: Develop mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Strategic Objective 3: Broaden scholarship in the field of community engagement.
• Strategic Objective 4: Integrate engagement throughout the university.

Research, Innovation and economic development

Strategic Goal: Empower innovative research, scholarship and creative activities that drive knowledge creation focused on improving society.

• Strategic Objective 1: Enhance UAB’s institutional culture of
• collaboration and innovation.
• Strategic Objective 2: Drive research and innovation across the enterprise.
• Strategic Objective 3: Implement a campus wide effort to select and meet “grand challenges.”
• Strategic Objective 4: Improve society through processes and products.

Patient care

Strategic Goal: Lead in the delivery of the highest-quality patient-centered integrative care that reflects our ability to translate discoveries into revolutionary therapies in one of the nation’s premier academic health care centers.

• Strategic Objective 1: Improve patient access and satisfaction. through integration of clinical services across UAB’s healthcare delivery entities.
• Strategic Objective 2: Invest in signature treatments that will be delivered through recognized flagship programs.
• Strategic Objective 3: Develop infrastructure to ensure statewide access to telehealth services.

Guiding Principles

The University of Alabama

Mission

The University of Alabama System, an institution of higher education created for learning, exists to improve the lives of everyone we affect through the teaching, research and service rendered by our component campuses and health system.

Values

• Integrity
• Leadership
• Accountability
• Diversity, Inclusion & Respect

Vision

We will be the preeminent public system of higher education and health care in the United States.

Core Principles

• Assure that everything we do is for the purpose of improving the lives and health of the citizens of the State of Alabama.
• Make higher education accessible and diverse,prepare our students for success, and meet the workforce needs of the State.
• Be accountable for every dollar we receive while maintaining the highest standards of excellence in every program and endeavor.
• Work to lead a unified approach to improving education at every level in Alabama.
• Work to help lead a unified approach to improving the economy, opportunities, and comprehensive health care for all citizens of Alabama.
• Elevate the status, stature and influence of the University of Alabama System so that we can call on all people devoted to the University of Alabama,UAB, UAH, and the UAB Health System to unite for common purposes.