School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics The First Decade

1. School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics The First Decade New Lights in the Valley Tennant S. McWilliams University of Alabama Press, 2007 UAB Archives, Tim L. Pennycuff, Archivist Office of Planning and Analysis, Renea S. Graves

2. Until September 15, 1966 the Birmingham activities of University of Alabama were: ► the Extension Center, dating from 1936 ► the University of Alabama Medical Center, dating from 1944

3. University of Alabama President Frank Rose at the Extension Center Building

4. But on September 15, 1966 President Frank Rose invited all faculty members in Birmingham to a meeting, where he said . . . .

5. As of this afternoon, the various components of the University of Alabama in this city will be known as the University of Alabama in Birmingham, to include: The School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Health Services Administration, University Hospitals and Clinics, and theCollege of General Studies. Goodbye Extension Center! HelloCollege of General Studies!

6. Extension Center changes to College of General Studies

7. This was not autonomy for UAB! Joe Volker was Vice-President for Birmingham Affairs, reporting to President Rose. George Campbell became Dean of the College of General Studies. Complete programs leading to the Tuscaloosa degree were to start four months later - January 1, 1967. A Planning Group started work to recommend the structure of CGS.

8. College of General Studies December, 1966 George Campbell, Dean Divisions Hanson Four professional divisions, three others The Fall 1966 planning group elected not to have a conventional arts and sciences college.

9. Roger Hanson – Division Director, NS&M

10. Departments within Division of NS&M Roger Hanson Division Director Departments Dagg Levedahl Rayl Bauman

11. When I interviewed here on November 20 1967 Dean G. W. Campbell and Dr. Roger Hanson were on my schedule, in the Engineering building I was applying for a research position in the Medical Center, but I had enjoyed teaching physics and wanted to continue. When I told George Campbell this, his face lit up! I arrived June 1, 1968 Bob Bauman offered me a secondary appointment in Physics and I volunteered to teach Introduction to Modern Physics in the Fall Quarter 1968. 8:00 – 10:05pm Tuesdays and Fridays No Good Deed Shall Go Unpunished!

12. June 16, 1969 Governor Albert Brewer announced that effective September 1970 the various operations of the University of Alabama would be organized as a three-campus system . . . each campus would be autonomous within the context of a system and each would have its own president reporting to the UA Board. Joe Volker became President of UAB

13. UAB We would now award our own degrees

14. PLUS: We had our own President PLUS: We would award our own degrees MINUS: No more football tickets!

15. A decade of rapid student growth began: 1969 1979 Undergrad: 3,800 9,000 Grad: 520 4,000 CGS Faculty was also expanding – in NS&M: 1969: Agresti, Young, Stocks 1970: Rosen, Watkins 1971: Marion, Hutchison 1972: Summerlin 1973: Shealy, Wills, Bearce

16. In 1969 there were only two buildings, “CGS” and Engineering . . .

17. …but in 1970-71, under the urban renewal program, we inherited the Bell-Ullman and WBHM buildings and broke ground for 4-building cluster. Building 2 was completed July 1972.

18. Fall 1971: At a convocation in the Engineering Building President Volker announced a change in the name of The College of General Studies to University College George Campbell became VP for University College Later experience showed that the name was unfortunate! (misunderstood and hurt recruiting)

19. Reorganization Fall 1971 Campbell VP Fred Conner Interim dean Schools Deans Divisions Division directors: Conner Hanson Passey

20. In Fall 1971 reorganization Fred Conner reluctantly became Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. By August 1972 Conner wrote Volker in no uncertain terms that (a) as a person with long experience in arts and sciences education, he viewed the UAB unit as too cumbersome and administratively unnecessary; and (b) he would be resigning from the arts and sciences dean post. Volker formed a planning group to assess the organizational structure for arts and sciences: Campbell, Brann, French and John Munro. Apart from Campbell, none had ever had experience in high-level arts and sciences education. They urged Volker to stick with the “revered” organizational structure, a School of Arts and Sciences “all under one roof” But Volker went with Conner’s recommendation.

21. Reorganization June 7 1973 Campbell, VP Schools with deans Hanson

22. More Buildings! ► 1975: UAB bought Medical Center Plaza building (aka Henry Building) and renamed it Building 4 ► Occupants included Math Department (earlier in WBHM building). ► 1978: Campbell Hall opened, two floors only, occupants Biology and Psychology ► West half of Campbell Hall ground floor was Student Affairs

23. Campbell Hall dedication, 1978

24. Campbell Hall with only two stories

25. Still More Buildings! ► c1983: HUC opened, Student Affairs moved out of Campbell Hall ► c1986: two floors added to Campbell Hall; Math & Physics moved in.

26. Meanwhile, a few blocks east, a small group of faculty associated with the Information Sciences Department saw the newly-published computer science curriculum and said Yes We Can! Memo to Registrar: For Spring Quarter 1971, list the following five courses: CS 1 Introduction to Computing – Barnard CS 51 Computers and Programming – Reilly CS 144 Analog and Hybrid Computing – Macy CS 161 Information Retrieval – Hutchison CS 221 Computer Architecture – Reilly and Barnard Within a couple of years we had taught the entire curriculum and had the only comprehensive computer science instructional program in Alabama.

27. Graduate Students A cluster of graduate programs for the Biophysical Sciences Division was approved in 1972 and we began admitting students to the Information Sciences Department. 1975-76 Annual Report showed cumulative total of 133 admitted, 66 active that year, 14 graduated with MS. All but 4 of these students were employed full-time; few of them were interested in medical applications.

28. Undergraduate Students As a Medical Center Department there was no way we could propose a CS undergraduate major, but . . . . SpecialDegree Programs ► Undergraduates with career objectives, if they couldn’t find an existing relevant major, could design their own. ► Required approval by a Dean. ► Roger Hanson was willing to sign. About 30 students working towards a non-existent CS major!

29. GOOD: By 1976 we were operating the only comprehensive computer science degree programs in Alabama with respectable numbers of students. BAD: We were a Medical Center Department, bootlegging these undergraduate and graduate CS degree programs! CONCLUSION: An uncomfortable, unsustainable situation!

30. In June 1976 Joe Volker was promoted to Chancellor of the three-campus system. The following February Dick Hill was appointed UAB President. With Roger Hanson’s encouragement, I drafted a memo for Dick to sign, transferring the Information Sciences Department to NS&M and changing the name to Computer and Information Sciences. Dick signed it!!

31. So, in the summer of 1977 CIS became . . . The un-natural science in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics! and the crown jewel of NS & M

32. 1966 1971 “too cumbersome and administratively unnecessary” Historyrepeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Karl Marx 1973